Do grammar and spelling matter on a message board?

[Brother Shatterstone]

Damn, Mark be me to it...

Anyhow, it does matter, with spelling mattering slightly more but you need not be perfect, but it should be close enough that you can convey your thoughts to the reader the first time through.


An example:
Anyhow, it does matter, with spelling mattering slightly more but you need not be perfect, but it should be close enough that you can convey your thoughts to the reader the first time threw.

 

[Djeta Thernadier]

I've never seen a post so bad that I couldn't read it, so I went with no.

 

[Brother Shatterstone]

I've never seen a post so bad that I couldn't read it, so I went with no.

funny, I remember one of yours... *LOL* [J/K]

 

[Djeta Thernadier]

funny, I remember one of yours... *LOL* [J/K]

Also, I should add, someone above said that we should keep in mind not all posters first language is English. Translators don't always translate well. A lot of people post at work. Sometimes, to post at work, a person has to type fast. That's happened to me more than a few times.

 

[johnsemlak]

Spelling and grammar are important, but there are several other factors in being a good communicator, even in writing or in a messageboard. Grammar and spelling can by highly overrated.

Coherance, organization, and other factors play a huge role. A writer with flawless sentences and good spelling but who can't organize a text (there are many) is just as difficult to read as someone who can't spell or construct a sentence.

 

[Wulf Ratbane]

I'll tune out a poster with habitually poor spelling and grammar, sure, but I'm more likely to tune out an intolerable, pedantic prick.

Wulf

 

[Monster Manuel]

I'll tune out a poster with habitually poor spelling and grammar, sure, but I'm more likely to tune out an intolerable, pedantic prick.

Wulf

Agreed.

 

[Harlock]

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.

Well said, Fast Learner. I agree.

 

[Desdichado]

I like to keep my posts fairly conversational, so I won't say that everyone should hire editors to browse the message boards. But I've seem my share of posts so badly written that they are completely unintelligable. Actually, the post kicking off this poll is borderline unintelligible. If it's that bad, then no one will be bothered to read it and try to decipher if there's anything of value buried in the mess.

 

[BVB]

If I'm not interested in reading someone's message, then it's his fault for not working hard enough to earn my attention.

The argument, "It's the idea that matters most, not the presentation," is full of hooey. Even in casual conversation.