Proofreading

HA! YES!!!!!! I agree completely. Who cares if things are wrong from time to time? As long as you enjoy writing, your readers enjoy reading, and you are expressing yourself 100%!!!!!!!!!!

the thing i have with people telling others to check their errors is that they don't seem to be making it as a positive remark. it seems like they are saying it only because they are really pissed off by what was written and thats a way to hurt the writer.

I have seen those comments, and personally I do get distracted some times when I see that someone made a spelling error or such, but that is because I am constantly proofreading my own writings and the writings of my friends. I understand that not all of the blogs that people post would be considered a final draft and a perfect piece of writing. Unless someone makes such overt errors that you don't know what they are talking about or their grammar is so bad you can't read their blog, then you can comment. But otherwise, I agree with you and think it is quite rude when people make comments about another blog's grammar when there is only one or two errors. No blogger is perfect. Futhermore, we blog because of our content, not because of our grammar.

I would like to say however, that I have been trying to use my blogging to help me to refine my writing and to help me to develop a more clear way of representing my thoughts. I am not sure if that is as much of a grammar and spelling thing as a stylistic measure, but I think that in the sense I am using it, it can qualify as both. So the other point that I wanted to make was that as people continue to blog, especially those of us who are newbies, I am expecting our writing to get better as we become more experienced.

Simply copy-pasting into MS word and running a spell check there? Some of us appreciate it when posters take pride in their writing rather than just slapping something together and saying "close enough."

My Blog

"We cannot redeem evil, we must combat it." -- Jean Paul Sartre

Actually, there is a spellchecker built in.

If you're using Firefox as your browser, they have an addon that you can download. This addon allows you to spell-check as you type, letting you see any spelling errors (the words become underlined in red).

If you're using Internet Explorer 6 or 7, there is also an Addon, called IESpell, that we have integrated into our system. To enable this spell checker, you'll need to first click on "Enable Rich-Text" below the "Body" field when you submit a new blog.

Or, you can use the same method I use - which would be to re-read your blog entry after posting it. I generally hit "preview" first and re-read the blog, making any needed corrections as I go. Then, after submitting the blog, I read it again, and if I find any errors, I go right in and edit the blog right away to remove them. This is probably the most effective way to rid your blog of spelling errors and typo demons.

But these tools are only just available to you; they are not required to be used. Additionally, they are both very basic in their design. Meaning that if you write the sentence "I wish they would learn how to right they're sentences more clearly" - this will be recognized as correct spelling - since "right" and "they're" are both actual words.

Now, on a personal note, I ignore blog entries that have so many spelling or grammar errors (or formatting errors) that force me to re-read a sentence. If I have to work to catch your message - I will turn away. My only exception to this is when the blog has been flagged for me to review for one reason or another (either another moderator has asked for my input, or other users have complained).

The tips about spelling and grammar are just that - tips. They aren't a requirement, and they shouldn't be perceived as such. But that's not because we don't care. Actually, we care very much. We want our users to be perceived as the best out there - and part of being the best at blogging means conveying your message clearly. What point is there to expressing your opinions if no one can hear them? And in an online forum - getting your message through clearly often requires spelling at least 90% of your words correctly.

As for the comments about spelling, I find them distracting and annoying. And far too often, they take the focus off the content of the blog. We do have private messages set up so that people can use discretion when giving such advice - but some refuse to use this system just as others refuse to use some of the other systems we have in place. But, just as with the spellcheck - all we can do is offer it to you. It's up to you to use it.

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"when you have nothing else to say, "Fwonk" is always the perfect thing."

"yeah well, fwonk"
--Devon

Fanaile Essence

Lots of people care if your blog has bad spelling, grammar or formatting. It makes it hard to read and understand a lot of people won't even read what you're writing.

"What a man does for pay is of little significance. What he is, as a sensitive instrument responsive to the world's beauty, is everything!"
H. P. Lovecraft

I think more people probably care about grammar and writing than you would imagine (as I'm sure you can tell from your comments.) Granted, I think that getting henpecked for every single mistake is silly, but if someone makes a habit of using erratic grammar and punctuation it can be a problem. If you are taking the time to write your opinion, you should also take the time to make sure what you are writing is worth reading. If something is not grammatically correct or is not puncutated correctly, it can be annoying to read. In fact, I sometimes cannot even understand some of the blogs on the Internet for this very reason (I know that statement made it sound as though I'm a person who has little experience with the Internet, but I'm only 21 and I have been using the Internet/computers since I was at least 14 or 15). If words are spelled incorrectly, sometimes people who are more experienced with the language or simply care about how it is displayed (those of us who simply love words, with all their hidden power) have trouble deciphering what it is tha tyou're trying to say. Sometimes, I'll admit on my part, it just becomes tiresome and I end up not caring what you have to say, because you did not take the time to display it to me in a clear format.

And, I do disagree with blasting people with negative comments about their grammar, I don't know if I made that clear. But, a general self-editing policy coupled with kind reminders from fellow bloggers who are probably interested in what you have to say, but might feel the same way I do about it, could do a world of good.
Not to mention, since the Internet and blogging specifically is attempting to become the next wave of journalism and is currently very involved in providing information for people around the world, we should take pride in the change we've been given to be involved in this. People who would rather hold a newspaper in their hand are certainly never going to trust a blog for their daily news or commentary on the same if, in fact, bloggers refuse to care about what their displays look like.

Woman: without her, man is nothing.
Woman, without her man, is nothing

Grammar can make or break the point of a sentence. I have never mentioned someone's poor grammar or spelling to them, but I have read some post which were very hard to understand because of grammar mistakes.

Hope I just didn't make any.

"A library is a hospital for the mind." Anonymous

I've been a member of ProU for over two years. In my entire time on the site, I've never seen someone featured (either as a blogger or with a post on the front page) unless they can figure out how to spell and use reasonably good grammar. Most people won't notice a few typos, and those with compulsive inner editors usually refrain from commenting about every little thing (unless you're writing about the need to use proper grammar), but if people can't read your post, your opinion doesn't mean much.

"Excellence is the result of caring more than others think is wise, risking more than others think is safe, dreaming more than others think is practical, and expecting more than others think is possible."