why does every one get mad over spelling errors.

[FlyingDutchman]

question? why does every one get mad over spelling errors. not every one is perfect. so ya.

[JBotAlan]

Good point.

I wonder if it isn't:
A) the inner perfectionist in each of us; we can't fix the error, so we get annoyed and come across as mad when we make a comment about it, or
B) we're just short with each other because we have 12 days to do months of building, coding, welding, animating, whatever.

I don't make any comments about spelling errors myself; I know I'd be annoyed if someone made fun of my spelling. The only time I'll mention it is when I get the occasional post:

pls hlp us whit teh pwm. (not an actual post)

If the mechanical errors make the post unreadable, I will say something. But if I get what you're saying, I'm not going to even bring it up.

BTW, download Mozilla Firefox. The latest version spell checks anything you enter and puts a Microsoft Word-esque red dotted line under anything not in its dictionary. Makes you look more intelligent than you are...

I think this should come as a message to everyone. Don't snap at people for dumb reasons. If there's something genuinely hurtful about a post, PM that person and let them know. But don't negative rep/PM/even post back about bad spelling...what a waste of time, energy, and bandwidth.

JBot

[Brandon Martus]

Not everyone is perfect, you are correct.

One way to think of it, though: The person is taking the time to read what you have to say/ask/etc. If they have to take longer to decipher what you really meant, in the end you've wasted some of their time.

It only takes an extra minute or two to open up Word to do a quick spell check; some browsers have spell checkers built in, or available as plug-ins.

[JBotAlan]

Originally Posted by Brandon Martus

One way to think of it, though: The person is taking the time to read what you have to say/ask/etc. If they have to take longer to decipher what you really meant, in the end you've wasted some of their time.

What Brandon fails to mention: what would I be doing with the time I lost reading a poorly-written post? If I'm on CD, I'm usually already blowing time (yay for wasting time on CD ), and if I'm actually looking for something, I won't just open a random thread; if I find a poor post in my searching, I'll skip to the next result. Really, I don't believe in that rationale. I do believe in that when it comes to e-mail, since you're likely to read that email with the misspelled subject line (if it actually got past your spam filter) and read through it, even if you're short on time.

EDIT: Hey, Brandon, is spell check ever going to make a comeback? Not that I need it, but a forced spell check before a user can post would help a lot with this issue...

[Michelle Celio]

Originally Posted by FlyingDutchman

question? why does every one get mad over spelling errors. not every one is perfect. so ya.

It's not that one has to be perfect, and I'm speaking for myself here. It helps individuals understand what you are trying to say a lot easier. I mean, no one has perfect grammar or spelling (unless I have spell check I fail at both miserably). It can also help prepare you for the rest of the world, if you were to turn in a report to your boss, it would be unexceptionable to turn it is with "i found tht ths prdct is vry good". It doesn't hurt to take the extra time to spell words correctly.

[Brandon Martus]

Originally Posted by JBotAlan

Hey, Brandon, is spell check ever going to make a comeback? Not that I need it, but a forced spell check before a user can post would help a lot with this issue...

Once there's a easy one-click-install plugin for vBulletin, I'll install it. I'll have to search around later on vBulletin.org for a vB 3.6 plugin ..

[Al Skierkiewicz]

A person who is reading this forum without ever meeting you has only your post to judge you by. Make spelling errors, use bad grammar, or make offensive statements and those who read here will form an opinion of you that is not flattering. Write as if all of us are meeting you for the first time and you are trying to make a good impression.

[ham90mack]

Google Toolbar also has a spellchecker if you don't want to download FireFox, but you have to push the button.

[JaneYoung]

One thing that I think about when I post in Chief Delphi is who the membership is made up of. The members and guests that visit Chief Delphi are here because of robotics. They are interested in science and technology. The members consist of engineers, teachers, professionals,college mentors, sponsors, students - oftentimes student leaders - that are in middle school, high school, and college. When I make a post, I keep this in mind. It doesn't intimidate me and I hope it doesn't intimidate anyone, but I am mindful of my spelling (and run-on sentences *cough*).

[Wetzel]

Originally Posted by Brandon Martus

It only takes an extra minute or two to open up Word to do a quick spell check; some browsers have spell checkers built in, or available as plug-ins.

Gmail makes another easy alternative.

Wetzel

[FlyingDutchman]

thanks i was begining to wounder if everone was in honers classes

[Cody Carey]

It would probably make everything a lot easier to read if everyone gave proper capitalization and punctuation a chance... You never know, you might even like it!



P.S. I need to stop using Ellipses so much...

[Andy A.]

The most important tool you will ever use is language.

Like screws, you need the right type of the tool for the job. Maybe sloppy spelling will do the job in Instant Messaging with friends, but it won't here. The people you are talking to are diverse, but many are adults. Professionals who's job here is to give you an idea of what it's like to live and work a career in science and technology.

Part of that lifestyle is communicating very complex and abstract ideas in a written form. The only way that works is if the message is spelled right, has correct grammer and uses accepted terminology. Obviously a post doesn't have to be 'term paper perfect', and accepted terminology is pretty easy around here. It's OK if doesn't follow correct grammer but sounds right outloud. But your posts should be spelled correctly and readable.

Don't worry about getting it right 100% of the time. No one is grading this. But what you get out of FIRST is equal to what you put into it, and spell checking is a pretty minor effort.

As an example of how important proper communication is, I have a relative who frequently contracts manufacturing to a factory in Taiwan. Communication between the US and Taiwan is difficult most of the time, but by adhering to the rules of the languages, their interpreters have a chance. By using the correct terminology and notation the engineers can understand each others drawings. Misspellings and slang from either party would just kill productivity. Asking what the weather is like is still hard, but they can get work done.

When in doubt, don't be afraid to delete and start over.

-Andy A.

[Greg Perkins]

Because correct spelling is professional, and professionalism is what we aim for here. The way I look at it is, imagine this as you're job you don't want a document from work to say "yo, this part is gunna b put on da robot l8r". It sounds lazy, in all reality and it never wins to be lazy.

I'll admit it, I've been lazy sometimes on here when I just want to respond quickly and have no time to write out a long message. Also I'm guilty of Instant Messaging talk, but I keep that in IM's and do not use it here.

Use proper punctuation too, it helps (yes, even though it's only a little line here and there, it does make a difference).

[Taylor]

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

Like it or not, you are judged by how you present yourself, and the way you present yourself on CD is by the posts you make. We're not giving awards for grammatics here, but when flaws are made, they're noticed.

To be honest, if I have two completely different sets of advice given to me, and one is illegible while the other is eloquent, nine times out of ten I'm going to heed the eloquent advice.

GP is a term thrown around the FIRST community and CD. While the first half is celebrated, the second half is sometimes forgotten. Correct punctuation and proper grammar are cornerstones of professionalism. This is a professional society, and we should all attempt to attain or surpass the high standards set by our leaders and predecessors.

That being said, I do realize that nobody's perfect. On the other hand, perfection is not a bad goal to have.