How many of you use correct spelling and grammar on Internet forums?

[CCNA_student]

I was wondering how many people prefer to use correct spelling and grammar all of the time as I attempt to. I was curious because when some people ask questions their grammar can be so bad it is impossible to tell what is being asked. That, and I also believe it is always best to be proper(or at least attempt to anyway).

Sin Cere,

CCNA

[LaRoza]

It is best to communicate clearly in all domains of communication.

[CCNA_student]

I guess that is a neat way of putting your point.

[hhhhhx]

me liikae goed spall :)

[Darkhack]

You should always try to spell things correctly and use proper grammar. Will it ever be perfect? Probably not, unless you're an English major. I speak the language natively and I still butcher it; especially with common placement.

Proper English (or proper writing/typing for any language you are using) should be used because it makes it easier to read and not everyone speaks the language as their first. I'm from the United States, but I know a majority of the users here are from all over Europe where English is most likely a second language for many.

[Linuxratty]

It is best to communicately clearing in all domains of communication.

I agree...I do my best to use proper grammar and to spell correctly..
Fire Fox spell checker is your friend.
I find it very annoying when people write like this:
" How r u? Have u bn here b4?"

[Nano Geek]

I almost always try to spell words correctly.
It makes it much easier to read and understand what people are saying.

[LaRoza]

I almost always try to spell words correctly.
It makes it much easier to read and understand what people are saying.

Two Words: your name

Yes, being as clear as you can is best.

[tuebinger]

I'll go out on a limb here and say that in an Internet forum it's not always necessary. Say you want to get your point across and you have to get to your next class or you have a meeting in two minutes -- you won't always have time to check your spelling and grammar. its those peoples who writes in all lower cases with no periods or commas and uses nonstandard spelling and pluralses what drivings me nutz :)

[23meg]

Related thread:

http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=620031

[frup]

I try to use correct grammar (to the best of my ability). Obviously when I'm really tired this tends to degrade quite a lot. Spelling is helped a lot by Firefox I guess but I generally don't see many underlined words. I went to school you see :P

I don't mind spelling mistakes so much where it is clear the person is not just retarded (i.e it's a legitimate mistake) Bad grammar is ok where it's clear the person might be a non-native speaker. Txt language irritates me. Misspellings of the you're, your, to, too, two, there, their etc. combinations irritate me a lot. Ambiguity of a sentence irritates me the most though.

It depends on the nature of the discussion. In an instant messenger conversation txt is fine i guess (as on a cellphone obviously). On a forum it doesn't bother me if it's just mindless conversation but if something is more of a formal discussion, non formal language just isn't right. This might sound wrong but I generally disregard the writer as unqualified to deserve an opinion. People who can't write properly tend to regurgitate others opinions on matters like politics with too much subjectivity. I just don't think they really understand the issue or think about what they are writing.

[ticopelp]

Don't the last three options of this poll basically say the same thing? :D

I always try to use proper spelling and punctuation. I'm a writer by trade, so it's just good discipline. That, and I have a hard time taking people seriously if they can't spell or form coherent sentences, so I try to live up to the standards I tend to set for others.

[rosetown]

I always try to use proper grammar. This, being an international forum, I also try to use simple English. It is a challenge to choose simple words although it is surprisingly rewarding. Trying to understand one another is the goal.
I also try to avoid contractions. A large number of forumers use English as a second language, Some so well, that it is easy to assume that they are completely fluent.

Regards Duane

[bufsabre666]

i try too but it evades me from time to time, my problem is i never use correct punctuation so i rarely use anything other than commas and semi colons, just skip lines between thoughts

[steveneddy]

It is best to communicately clearing in all domains of communication.

Agreed.

[ntowakbh]

On internet forums, I try to always use correct spelling and grammar in my posts. However, chat speak has it's place...in a chat/IM. I occasionally use things like "o.o" in posts and such, because it is a habit, and I'm trying to break that. However, as far as chat speak goes, I use "lol, g2g, brb, and etc." because they shorten long phrases.

But the people who use things like "ur" for "your"(2 letter difference...) and things like 2 and 2morrow, and 4ever drive me insane.


on net forumz i try 2 alwayz uz good spell & grammar n my postz but chat tlk haz itz place in a IM i sometimez uz thingz like o.o n postz habit & im tryin 2 stop it as far as chat gos I uz lol g2g brb & etc cuz day make stuff short

[Nano Geek]

Two Words: your name

Yes, being as clear as you can is best.Hey! :)

[inversekinetix]

I will adhere to the constraints of a prescriptivist view if and when English is dead. We are talking about a living language with myriad variants. The concept of a 'correct' version of the language is no nearer to being attained now than when Swift was at it. Of course we follow a codified rule of spelling in some cases, but there are many others where we need not. I can't imagine a more boring world than one in which everyone used the same 'correct' language.

can yoo imajin how bore ing clok werk orinj wud b wiv out itz cullerful langwij

[LaRoza]

Hey! :)

How do we know you didn't mispell it? :)

[p_quarles]

can yoo imajin how bore ing clok werk orinj wud b wiv out itz cullerful langwij
:D

That's a good point, and I would add a number of other great novels and poems that don't always adhere to the strictest rules of the language in which they were written.

At the same time, there is a baseline standard for simplified English that most speakers are able to recognize. I'm sure you agree that it would be incredibly frustrating if all the *nix man pages were written in the style of Joyce's Ulysses.

[23meg]

I will adhere to the constraints of a prescriptivist view if and when English is dead. We are talking about a living language with myriad variants. The concept of a 'correct' version of the language is no nearer to being attained now than when Swift was at it. Of course we follow a codified rule of spelling in some cases, but there are many others where we need not. I can't imagine a more boring world than one in which everyone used the same 'correct' language.

can yoo imajin how bore ing clok werk orinj wud b wiv out itz cullerful langwij

Correctness isn't a good cue, but functionality would be. A Clockwork Orange and Ulysses, being works of art, don't aim to be functional in the utilitarian sense. Posts in technical support forums, however, should. If a post is found hard to decipher by a considerable amount of the people who read it, it's simply not functioning well.

[fuscia]

i try to make myself as clearly understood to the largest number of people as i can, as often as i can. so far, i have a 2% success rating.

[bufsabre666]

i try to make myself as clearly understood to the largest number of people as i can, as often as i can. so far, i have a 2% success rating.

what? :popcorn:

[ticopelp]

Correctness isn't a good cue, but functionality would be. A Clockwork Orange and Ulysses, being works of art, don't aim to be functional in the utilitarian sense. Posts in technical support forums, however, should. If a post is found hard to decipher by a considerable amount of the people who read it, it's simply not functioning well.

To use an "improper" bit of Internet slang... QFT. :KS

[AnonCat]

I attempt to use good grammar and spelling as much as I can, but I'll admit that those subjects have never been my strong point and that it doesn't bother me to see grammar and spelling mistakes the way it does for some people. As long as I understand what's being said, I don't really care about it.

[inversekinetix]

Correctness isn't a good cue, but functionality would be. A Clockwork Orange and Ulysses, being works of art, don't aim to be functional in the utilitarian sense. Posts in technical support forums, however, should. If a post is found hard to decipher by a considerable amount of the people who read it, it's simply not functioning well.

Unless it is in a literary forum, in which case something more difficult may be appreciated and simplistic language looked down upon.

The 'correct spelling and grammar' is superseeded by apt communication, it doesn't matter how 'correct' it is, if its not understood be the recipient it may aswel be written in binary. I notice a lot in newcomer help areas, people get bombarded with ergot making it much more difficult for them to understand simple concepts. I think a lot of people dont think about that when their offering help.

by the way can you find the deliberate mistakes I added to this? bet it didnt impair youre understanding one jot.

*P*

[FuturePilot]

I try to. That doesn't mean I don't make mistakes. :)

[LaRoza]

I try to. That doesn't mean I don't make mistakes. :)

Everyone makes mistakes. Luckily, my sloppy typing on my first post was taken as intentional irony...

[ticopelp]

The 'correct spelling and grammar' is superseeded by apt communication, it doesn't matter how 'correct' it is, if its not understood be the recipient it may aswel be written in binary. I notice a lot in newcomer help areas, people get bombarded with ergot making it much more difficult for them to understand simple concepts. I think a lot of people dont think about that when their offering help.

by the way can you find the deliberate mistakes I added to this? bet it didnt impair youre understanding one jot.

*P*

Actually, I had to go back and read the highlighted sentence a couple of times before I could fathom your meaning. No offense, but I'm not sure your examples shore up your point very well. :)

Still, to each their own.

[23meg]

Unless it is in a literary forum, in which case something more difficult may be appreciated and simplistic language looked down upon.

Sure, but this isn't a literary forum. To make it more precise, let's say "a computer software technical support forum".


The 'correct spelling and grammar' is superseeded by apt communication, it doesn't matter how 'correct' it is, if its not understood be the recipient it may aswel be written in binary.

Exactly my point: correctness only really matters to the extent that it hampers functionality in the context you're in.


by the way can you find the deliberate mistakes I added to this? bet it didnt impair youre understanding one jot.

*P*

Your mistakes didn't prevent me from getting your point; however, they did make it more difficult for me to understand certain parts. For example, noting that your post had misspelled words, I had to look up the word "ergot" to see whether it was actually a word, or a spelling error, in order to understand the sentence in which you used it.

[LookTJ]

Yes, because forums are meant to write in the formal way than IM speak.

[inversekinetix]

at the last 2 posters (before taylor): look up the meaning of Argot and it makes much more sense even with the rest of the misspelt words.


i do believe ergot is a disease of rye plants cause by a fungus, the ingestion of which give rise to symptoms not dissimilar to ingesting LSD

argot i believe is a set of specialized language used by a specific group of people.


so what i was actually saying was that if new users are bombarded with specialist language, it is way more difficult for them to understand than if simple language was used. what a veteran computer user may think of as as everyday word may be unkown to many other people.

[LaRoza]

so what i was actually saying was that if new users are bombarded with specialist language, it is way more difficult for them to understand than if simple language was used. what a veteran computer user may think of as as everyday word may be unkown to many other people.

The Code of Conduct addresses this.

[23meg]

See? It took you a whole post to clarify, and left me at an unsure state as to whether I understood you. That is inefficient communication.

[ticopelp]

at the last 2 posters (before taylor): look up the meaning of Argot and it makes much more sense even with the rest of the misspelt words.

I know what "argot" means. It simply took me a couple of reads before I could determine whether you'd meant to say "ergo" and dropped a noun somewhere (or whether you deliberately misspelled argot to seem like ergo, etc. etc.) The point being, communication definitely ended up both garbled and slowed, contrary to your point that your errors wouldn't impede understanding.

Not that I think message board chatter should be held to rigorous academic standards, but deliberately obfuscating meaning (intentionally or not) through laziness or obstinacy just seems pointless to me.

[Lord Illidan]

Personally, I thought it was ergo, which would have meant therefore.

Everyone understands things differently, especially if they are unclear to begin with. So why complicate things? Firefox has a built in spellchecker, and that helps me make a legible post. Yes, I actually proofread it before I press Send, unless I am very tired.

[Quillz]

I tend to use proper sentence structure and grammar, but I don't care too much so long as I can read and understand the content of any one message.

[D-EJ915]

If I'm posting something serious, then yeah I try to type up well-organized statements that are concise and easy to understand with proper punctuation, word choice and grammar. However, if I'm just goofing around posting something that's not serious than I don't fret over being a bit "loose."

I do, however, think bitching over these sorts of things is unnecessary and should be considered thread-crapping unless the person's post is unreasonable.

[LaRoza]

If I'm posting something serious, then yeah I try to type up well-organized statements that are concise and easy to understand with proper punctuation, word choice and grammar. However, if I'm just goofing around posting something that's not serious than I don't fret over being a bit "loose."

Makes sense.

When solving technical problems, precision and clarity is important. The Cafe Games section usually has less of a demand for it.

[ticopelp]

I do, however, think bitching over these sorts of things is unnecessary and should be considered thread-crapping unless the person's post is unreasonable.

I haven't heard the phrase "thread-crapping" before... nice. :lolflag:

[inversekinetix]

argot wasn't an erroneous spelling it was used intentionally, othe r
errors were, i think the "be" in place of "by" was the part tha t
threw it all off, had that been correct either ergot or argo t
could have been fitting (at a stretch).but anyhow, a s
you stated *each to their own*, i think languag e
should be abused and messed with as much a s
possible, being as this isn't a serious topi c
nor is it going to affect anyone in an y
way i thought it would be fun to d o
that kind of post and leave th e
meaning down to the reade r
to decide. you dont hav e
to agree you can jus t
do your own thin g
and be happy i n
the knowledge that it is our differences that make the world the place that it is

[buffybot5]

i get a thrill out of not capitalizing. in real life i write in all caps...but that's frowned upon in forums. i'm okay with some grammatical errors, lack of capitalization, etc.

the thing i hate? shortened words...

[Kingsley]

i get a thrill out of not capitalizing. in real life i write in all caps...but that's frowned upon in forums. i'm okay with some grammatical errors, lack of capitalization, etc.

the thing i hate? shortened words...
Do you happen to be an engineer, drafter, or architect?

It's not like I pull my hair over spell-checking and editing. I just use decent grammar and spelling on the Interwebz because it comes naturally. I personally think that it shouldn't matter on the Internet, though something in the back of mind usually considers people with poor spelling dumbasses. I honestly can't help it.

[popch]

Anything worth understanding is worth writing carefully.

Something which is not worth understanding need not be written.

[erfahren]

You should always try to spell things correctly and use proper grammar. Will it ever be perfect? Probably not, unless you're an English major. I speak the language natively and I still butcher it; especially with common placement.

Proper English (or proper writing/typing for any language you are using) should be used because it makes it easier to read and not everyone speaks the language as their first. I'm from the United States, but I know a majority of the users here are from all over Europe where English is most likely a second language for many.
Likewise. I also think of it as being more respectful to the members who's primary language isn't english. I feel that since the forums are in my primary language (actually, my only language), it's my responsibility to write it the best I can.

It annoys me when users (who I think are primarily younger) deliberatley use bad grammer, misspell words, and use unconventional abbreviations. It may be that they do it to be "cool" or express their individuality (or whatever), but tech forums aren't the place for that. When someone is replying to me, who is obviously intentionally writing badly, I consider it disrespectful to me if I have to sit there and decipher what they are saying.

The other aspect is that it seems that American schools these days aren't stressing the importance of using correct grammer and spelling as much as they should. (I'm under that impression anyway. I can't figure out any other explanation!) -- but that's something for another topic!

anyway, whenever someone brings this up I'm always reminded of this article (http://www.guidenet.net/resources/wanker.html) - it's pretty funny!

[koenn]

...
...
you stated *each to their own*, i think languag e
should be abused and messed with as much a s
possible, being as this isn't a serious topi c
nor is it going to affect anyone in an y
way i thought it would be fun to d
...
...


This is the kind of posts I don't read - it's just one grey blur to me.
If it was a support question, if the guy wants help, he'd better do an effort to communicate it clearly. If he can't be bothered, neither can I.

[inversekinetix]

This is the kind of posts I don't read - it's just one grey blur to me.
If it was a support question, if the guy wants help, he'd better do an effort to communicate it clearly. If he can't be bothered, neither can I.

pardon?

[forrestcupp]

I'm so picky that if I notice an error in my post, I'll edit it right away.

[SolusNunquam]

I try my best to, but it's hard being bi-lingual. ...i bet other bi-linguals feel the same...

[LaRoza]

I'm so picky that if I notice an error in my post, I'll edit it right away.

I too do that.

[GamingMazter]

Yes! I don't really mind using 'text talk e.g. hi wubu2' when chatting with my mates on MSN Messenger but if I was posting on a forum or basically anything else I always use proper grammar!

[~LoKe]

I often use acronyms when the situation warrants it, but usually I'm pretty consistent with my spelling and grammar. English is a precious thing to me and I'd prefer not to contribute to its downfall.

[koenn]

pardon?
sure.

[billgoldberg]

I try to use the correct grammar and spelling but since it isn't my first language I something get things wrong.

[LaRoza]

I try to use the correct grammar and spelling but since it isn't my first language I something get things wrong.

We do not mind :)

People with english as a second language seem to have better english on forums than native english speakers.

[~LoKe]

People with english as a second language seem to have better english on forums than native english speakers.

That's simply because they care enough to make an effort, whereas some of us native English speakers waste our ability.

[Christmas]

I try my best but I'm not a native English speaker. For spellchecking, Konqueror helps a lot, but when it comes to grammar I might make some mistakes. I think that it's good to do your best when writing on a forum because many people read it and may find information you put there useful. On IRC on the other hand, i like to be fast, use a short language (for example IRC-specific acronyms and jargon) so I don't care that much for grammar or punctuation. Spelling is still one thing to respect no matter you write on the forums or IRC or whatever. I hate when people don't take the effort to correct their spelling mistakes and their post looks like crap and is hardly readable.

[nitemann]

Most of us (me especially) type too fast and sue try to pay attentiion and to check as closely for typo's. I am getting in the better habits and slowing it down a bit.

[nitemann]

I rest my case.

[Skorzen]

I'm currently using just a portuguese dictionary in Firefox to correct some spelling errors.

[Vitamin-Carrot]

THis is teh interweb ... ruled by pron and trollz ... teh birf place of teh lolz, rofl and teh pwned

It r not matter wut spe3ak you is postin wif, ju$t wut !t i$ u r try!n to say.

[azimuth]

At the same time, there is a baseline standard for simplified English that most speakers are able to recognize. I'm sure you agree that it would be incredibly frustrating if all the *nix man pages were written in the style of Joyce's Ulysses.

Amen! and help on these forums is much easier if you don't have to google the slang to decipher the meanings.

[Christmas]

Amen! and help on these forums is much easier if you don't have to google the slang to decipher the meanings.
So true. I find myself hardly understanding what some native English speakers write on these forums.

[rickyjones]

I try to use correct spelling and grammar. I think it helps with comprehension and it also makes you sound somewhat intelligent.

-Richard

[Mancman]

Cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was rdanieg. The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid, aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoatnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed
it wouthit a porbelm.

Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Amzanig huh? yaeh and I awlyas tghuhot slpeling was ipmorantt!

:lolflag:

[Christmas]

Cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was rdanieg. The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid, aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoatnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed
it wouthit a porbelm.

Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Amzanig huh? yaeh and I awlyas tghuhot slpeling was ipmorantt!

:lolflag:

Yeah it's true this stuff. Funny thing it's been send on within IM clients (at least within my Yahoo contacts) for a long time.

[azimuth]

I try to use correct spelling and grammar. I think it helps with comprehension and it also makes you sound somewhat intelligent.

-Richard

I am not sure I completely agree with the intelligent part. I've read some posts that were dead on in spelling and grammar and I have still come away thinking the poster was either an idiot or a raging lunatic. Bad grammar, I usually put down as laziness.

[LaRoza]

Watch out for dyslexics. They almost always try harder than we imagine and we should appreciate their efforts.

As an avid read and writer, dyslexics have my deepest respect for their efforts.

(So don't always jump on misspellings)

[ellis rowell]

Use bad English, poor spelling and the wrong words! The lawyers make millions out of it.

[Mary.Riley]

I prefer it when people use proper english and grammar, only because it can be difficult trying to figure out what people mean when they don't.