lighten up...

I would like to add my fuel to this fire. My only opportunity to know any of the people who post on this forum is through what you write here. This is your first and last impression to anyone who visits. If the object of this competition is to learn than we must practice writing as well as robot driving or engineering. Many of you will be required to write reports for the rest of your lives, why not start practicing now?
The spell checker is very easy to use but few people do. Give it a try. Then just make a quick proof read of what you have put down and see if it adequately expresses your opinion.

i agree on both sides. sometimes, you just feel lazy and feel like not talking all "properly" and stuff... and there are times that you do.. but that is just me =)
..and, people shouldn't judge you by how they type/write/their grammar is..

Not to be a pest, nor to initiate a spam war, but I am noticing a number of the grammatically incorrect posts are created by newer members of CD, while those complaining are generally senior members. Could it be the generational gap between? Senior CD members are generally older/college/working, while the newer generation of CD members might be younger level high schoolers? I'm not quite sure, but that seems to be what I have observed over the course of this current season.

While I have no love for grammar myself, I can respect it's function- to standardized written and verbal communication such that it can be interpreted without spending too much time translating it into something understandable. While it is always best to use proper grammar, one or two minor misspellings or misuse of punctuation should not be a huge deal. Some people are in a rush while posting, while others have plenty of time to clearly think out what is being said. I think that would put me on the fence, since I'm not in total agreement for the complete dominance of proper grammar, but I also can't stand "l337" or one letter abbreviations (e.g. "u" "b" "pix" etc.) as part of a discussion forum. As a language for Instant Messaging, I think it's appropriate, but for a forum of this magnitude and quality, it has no place.

IM Speak
 

As one of the engineers of Team 353, who volunteers his time and is not affiliated with the school, I try to get the students to realize that EVERYTHING YOU SAY AND DO IS SUBJECT TO SCRUTINY, BY SOMEONE!!!

As a potential future employer of yours don't you want to at least try to impress me? If you think IM speak is so cool, try using it on your college admission or scholarship applications. Let me know how you make out.

Also like Woody reminds us in his definition of "gracious professionalism" make believe that your grandmother will see everything you do on TV.

C'mon folks, let's make grandma proud!!!

-pete

I don't want to have to worry about fixing the problems this thread will probably cause later... so I'll fix it now.

Thanks to those who participated.