Re: Use Of Punctuation In A Post And What Is Annoying or Confusing
 

This is a direct quote from Mr. Dave Lavery that I have displayed in my classroom:

"In the professional world, spelling mistakes, grammatical shortcuts, leet-speek, and misused verbiage are not interpreted as signs of cute, efficient communications. They are indicators of illiteracy, inefficiency, unprofessional behavior, and sloppy work habits."

Also, it should be noted that Jane's impromptu haikus are exempt from the aforementioned rules.

Rick TYler is now my new favorite CD person.

Re: Use Of Punctuation In A Post And What Is Annoying or Confusing
 

Very good thread. I have made it a sticky so it can be seen at the top of the general forum.

Re: Use Of Punctuation In A Post And What Is Annoying or Confusing
 

If I can chime in with my personal request as well, also complete your location in your profile with not just the city but the state and country if needed. (Yes, we are unfortunately US centric, so it is assumed you are in the US unless otherwise stated).

Similarly to NickE's post, don't assume everyone is familiar with your geographic area as well. If I talk about an event happening in Odessa, how many of you will know I probably mean Odessa, Delaware and not Odessa, Ukraine. Or Houston, DE and not Houston, TX, or Grove City, OH and not Grove City, PA, or....

(is that proper use of ellipses?)

Re: Use Of Punctuation In A Post And What Is Annoying or Confusing
 

You would be surprised at the number of people who don't have a basic understanding of how a sentence is written. Obviously that skill was merely glossed over because I see people either not caring enough to do it right or just being ignorant of the fact that they can't write a coherent sentence. When a professor or a customer repeatedly demonstrates their lack of ability to communicate I quickly lose respect for them.

Re: Use Of Punctuation In A Post And What Is Annoying or Confusing
 

I only lose respect for my customers when they stopping buying things from me.

Re: Use Of Punctuation In A Post And What Is Annoying or Confusing
 

And that's the truth.

Re: Use Of Punctuation In A Post And What Is Annoying or Confusing
 

I take great pride in all communication at work. It isn't merely demonstrating a lack of intelligence, not bothering to check your spelling demonstrates a lack of caring about your company. When you communicate with a supplier or a customer you represent your company, if you are going to appear as an ignorant fool then I am going to assume that your entire company is that way.

Re: Use Of Punctuation In A Post And What Is Annoying or Confusing
 

Ah, the mark of a great capitalist! :)

Re: Use Of Punctuation In A Post And What Is Annoying or Confusing
 

In the engineering world, clear communication skills are prized and valued. I'm told this on a consistent basis by engineers that I know and respect. Consider the skills needed for writing college applications and then take that a step further and consider the value placed on those writing skills when submitting resumes for potential jobs. The person on the reading end of the submission is going to be receiving an impression of the applicant and may well sort that application into the thanks-but-no-thanks pile, based on how well the document was crafted and how the levels of experience were communicated. Please also bear in mind that the reader/potential boss has the opportunity to enjoy reading the information provided. If it is painful, the resume or application doesn't stand a chance of opening the door to opportunity.

Re: Use Of Punctuation In A Post And What Is Annoying or Confusing
 

This is important enough to repeat: If somebody has no experience with a group, or if they have some that is good, all it takes is one person to mess up in some way to make the entire group look bad.

I've seen these cases here: One person (supposedly) affiliated with team X says something that is, shall we say, less than tactful/less than true, making team X look like that person until another member of team X says "We don't think this way" and calls them out. It's not a pretty picture.

If I'm representing an institution, I make sure that I behave in a manner that represents the institution's views and character. It's just the best policy.

Re: Use Of Punctuation In A Post And What Is Annoying or Confusing
 

The singular use of they is a somewhat reasonable way of expressing concepts that would otherwise be clumsy. English lacks a gender-indeterminate or -neutral singular pronoun that can refer to a specific subject (one doesn't work when the subject is identified). Granted, in the above example, one could have substituted "it" if one* didn't mind forgoing the implied personification of the "inner editor"; otherwise, the canonical way to express that would have been to employ "he or she", or to imply a particular gender (both of which could potentially distort the intended meaning).

Since this thread concerns writing style, may I be permitted to take Jane to task for her aberrant capitalization?

*See how clumsy "one" can be, despite the sentence being conditional?

Re: Use Of Punctuation In A Post And What Is Annoying or Confusing
 

No, but thanks for asking. :rolleyes:

Re: Use Of Punctuation In A Post And What Is Annoying or Confusing
 

Sure you can, Tristan.

Considering my penchant for editing, it may be a good thing that I can't edit titles or I really would confuse readers in CD. I did proof but managed to overlook the mistake. Thanks for catching it.

Jane

P.S. Paul, you are so funny. Thank you. :)

Re: Use Of Punctuation In A Post And What Is Annoying or Confusing
 

Jane -

Thank you for creating this thread, and spotlighting a topic that can never receive too much attention. Clarity in communication is as important now, in the age of text messages, tweets, blogs, chats and Facebook posts, as it has ever been.

Engineers (and many, many others) still live in a world that is dominated by the written word. If you hope to be successful in that community, then you must be able to write clearly and effectively. Your audience will frequently span the entire spectrum of age groups, ethnic backgrounds, socio-economic strata, and academic disciplines. They will not all be conversant in the latest HaXoR translation of "7|-|i$ i$ n07 /-\ hin7." Such shortcuts - along with poor grammar, bad punctuation, and spelling errors - are to be avoided like the plague.

Remember, you are the one trying to communicate your idea to your audience. It is your responsibility to make your message as clear and understandable as possible. It is not their responsibility to translate your garble into something intelligible. If you try to make it so, your audience will simply walk away in frustration, and your ultimate goal - communicating your idea - will be lost.

And yes, you will definitely want to bump this thread as the build season starts.

-dave




..

Re: Use Of Punctuation In A Post And What Is Annoying or Confusing
 

I see what you did there.

(Extra Side Note: Try not to get the point of Dave's post lost while looking for what this is not.)