Does bad spelling...

[IanF]

Sometimes I can't take posts seriously when there is bad spelling in it. This makes me think is the poster serious or just stirring. My spelling is/was atrocious but with the spell checkers available it should be a lot better. Now when you use a spell checker make sure the right word is chosen. An example is loose has a totally different meaning to lose. Other ones I see are commit/comment.
Now rather than just moaning about it let me give my solution, add a spell checker to your browser. In google chrome it is a standard. When offered alternative spellings check it to see if you have chosen the correct word.

Am I just being an anal idiot or does anyone have examples to add.

[tec0]

The truth is spelling is really important. It shows professionalism and educated thought. However, sometimes I for one will get it wrong. Not because I don’t use spell check rather something a bit more human such as disabilities.

For that I can only apologise, but I really do try not to make mistakes but sometimes I will miss something, or make an error and simply not notice. I know it must be irritating to read, and far more difficult to take any person seriously due to these mistakes.

That being said I do think it comes down to someone expressing him or herself, and I for one feel that it is just as important.

[murdock]

If you advertise your bussiness and name on the website, people will judge you for the content and how you write threads.

I use the websites to let my hair down and speak freely.

I spend enough time trying to be prim and proper crossing all the Tees and doting the Is during the day for customers.

I am sure Dave has a way of blocking threads you dont want to read.

I hope nobody takes my threads seriously.

I have also learnt that people on webstes are not always who they try make out to be.

You can be who ever you want to be on the internet.

When it comes to my work and my bussiness, i make sure my spelling and grammar is correct. Because i am dyslexic, i make sure i dont mix the letters or leave any out when doing reports.

[adrianh]

You are being anal.

This is an informal forum for general chit chat. We are not writing business letters. Don't you think that measuring the value of a message by the correctness of its spelling is a bit SuuperPHisial!

Keep this in mind:
When a person points at the moon, some see the finger and some the moon.

...you choose what you see and what you fixate on.

[IanF]

You are being anal.

Adrianh
I thought so that is why I put it in the OP.

It is just sometimes there are triggers that makes me wonder. If we did recheck our contributions before hitting "submit reply" would you actually change the tone of the post and try and understand the other point of view. If we are not willing to have our minds changed then it is not a debate.

[adrianh]

Fair comment. I've gotten myself into trouble many times by responding to mails without due consideration. I like the idea that re-reading and spell checking gives us the opportunity to "count to 10"

[tec0]

My thoughts towards the subject points to insecurities. I am sure if you have a look at most SMS’s you will find a form of what is now known as SMS slang. Others like the older generations would sit and spell every word via their PC or dictionary, before sending their SMS for fear that they would be ridiculed if a spelling mistake is found.

If you read the newspaper then yes you expect it to be free of spelling errors. Still informal discussions, chat and SMS I feel that the odd error would be acceptable. When chatting was still young some individuals got really aggravated if words where misspelled. Today I see that it is no longer a problem.

So yes it is good practice to try and spell correctly all the time, I say this because there is a bit of a double-edged sword if you will. If you don’t practise at getting it right then you may end up getting it wrong all the time...

What gets me mixed up is words like Practice and Practise both can point to the same thing.

Practice = Learn by repetition / Practise = Learn by repetition

[twinscythe12332]

One of the major points noticed during the early days of the internet was that it wasn't as strict as if you were writing a letter to someone. If you are running a professional site, then you will want to convey that professionalism. if you are on a forum and just want to convey your message, it isn't as important. At the end of the day, you're trying to communicate your thoughts to another person (or in this case, group of people). spelling and grammar will help that along, but if the message is still conveyed without good spelling or grammar, then there is no reason to get fixated on that. If it is unreadable, then go ahead and make some noise.

[Dave A]

I believe with some it's just a case of fingers being clumsier than the mind.

We have some clearly talented contributors here on TFSA who's strength isn't in the typing/language department. While I pay some care in the final result of my own posts, I feel it would be disrespectful to interfere with the product of other members' efforts.

I may be old fashioned, but in the end I've got quite comfortable with paying more attention to the content of the message than the perfection of the delivery. Except where it tickles my sense of irony, of course

It's also interesting to see how some member's writing style evolves over time. At the risk of giving offence where none is intended by singling someone out, I believe tec0 deserves a special mention in this. His writing style has really come along in leaps and bounds over the time he's been a member here.

In fact, I'm mildly curious as to whether his participation here has been part of this...