Do grammar and spelling matter on a message board?

[ichabod]

Aftur mythusmage's insistuns that we awl spell chek and gramar chec our posts too dese message bords, I was curious az two what other ENWorlders tink aboot it.

 

[Crothian]

Yes, but not to a huge degree. Bad grammer and bad spelling are a sign of laziness. I'm not perfect, no one is, but most posts like the one above I just skip over because they are not worth my time. Take a few seconds and reread what you've typed. That catches more problems then you might realize.

 

[gfunk]

It only really matters if you are in flame war. Then you should be extra careful. Otherwise your detractors will inevitably post the following,

"How can you complain about xxx, when you have the spelling/grammar skills of a 4-year old?"

Nasty.

 

[Nifft]

IMHO, both matter. -- N

 

[Lola]

A mispelling may or may not matter. If you habitually make typos or just can't spell, it can make you look like an elementary school dropout using the public library computer. However, bad grammar really makes one look stupid the worse it gets. (and I'm sure that was a violation of some grammar rule... ) Worse yet, people with bad grammar can be difficult to converse with, as it's often unclear just what the heck they're trying to say. I don't think we need to be scholars, but if you know you have weaknesses, it might not hurt to brush up. I, of course, am darn near perfect...






















Bwahahahahaha! I never can keep a straight face when I say things like that!

 

[mythusmage]

Spelling and grammar matter, period. A person who can't be bothered to use correct spelling and grammar, can't expect other people to be bothered to read him.

(Edited because of spelling and to clarify a point.)

 

[madriel]

They both matter. They don't have to be perfect every time, but poor grammar and spelling can make a post incoherent. I've come across the occasional post where I can't even figure out what the person is saying. It takes less effort for the original poster to get the spelling and grammar right than it does for all the following posters to decipher their gobbledygook.

 

[Fast Learner]

I selected "Other" because I think they both matter somewhat. I am of the belief that messageboard posts are informal writing, akin to the informal speech we use in most of our daily lives. I don't expect such on-the-fly missives to have perfect spelling or grammar, just as I don't expect people to speak with perfect grammar or pronuciation. I would never write a business document using such informality, of course, but on messageboards... no big deal.

However, just as people judge you by the way you speak, they will most certainly judge you by the way you write. If you're trying to be convincing or persuasive in any way, both spelling and grammar are important, even in an informal setting.

So... Other.

 

[Kichwas]

In a text based medium your ability to write well is your ability to communicate well.

 

[Stormfalcon]

I agree with Fast Learner. Certainly, good spelling and grammar are things that people should strive for. However, messageboards in general are much more informal than professional writing or writing a resume, thus I cut other users some slack and don't go jumping down their throats for minor errors. Some people may be exhausted or tired when they post. Some people may not have English as their native language. Some people may not be in an entirely rational frame of mind. We're all human (at least I hope that we're all human), and we're all prone to mistakes from time to time. A little more understanding and less perfectionism may be more in order here than in a professional setting.