A request about posting

[HLogic]

For Internet Explorer 9, try http://www.howtogeek.com/76223/add-spell-checking-to-internet-explorer-9/


If you don't have IE9, upgrade or switch to FireFox, Chrome or another browser - you'll be glad you did!

 

[Neltharion]

Sometimes, I'm out really late with the guys. I have one too many Jim Beam and Cokes, then I come online and drunk post. It could come across as total drivel to those of you that are sober.

My recommendation would be to get drunk, and then re-read the post. It will probably make total sense then. But then, you might not remember what you read later.

 

[Kerryann]

I would say based on what I see on Facebook that our language is evolving. In a few years, we will be the ones who aren't the norm, left out to roam the wilderness like the dinosaurs we are..

Also on that note, I am not that old but I think texting is where this trouble began.

 

[GeoTerraTestudo]

I would say based on what I see on Facebook that our language is evolving. In a few years, we will be the ones who aren't the norm, left out to roam the wilderness like the dinosaurs we are..

I don't think so. To some extent, yes of course, our language is evolving. Spellings and punctuation can change informally, and then sometimes formally, and that can be a good thing.

However, there's no way leaving out important parts of a sentence are ever going to become proper English. The whole point is to make the language easier to understand, not more obtuse.

Also on that note, I am not that old but I think texting is where this trouble began.

Yes, instant messaging and texting have been tempting people to use shorthand for the past 10 years or so. But as usual, we can't completely lay the blame on technology, because it's still up to us to communicate clearly. The only reason it's okay to use choppy sentences while texting is that the keypad is small and hard to use, the person is pressed for time, etc. But this is not a text message, this is a forum.

 

[Floof]

I agree wholeheartedly with this entire thread. It's not just the older generation that is completely put off by chat speak, bad grammar, etc; I'm only 19 and still can't stand it! It blows me away that there are people who don't even bother using real words when they post, when I'm one of those that is so obsessed with spell-checking and grammar-checking that, some days, it takes me an hour or more to post a new thread.

I've been guilty of completely skipping threads heavy in chatspeak, as well... It hurts my head just to look at it, much less decipher it. I, too, would greatly appreciate it if some of those posters who use chatspeak or poor grammar would at least make some effort to make their posts understandable.

Granted... I'm sure my posts aren't always terribly easy to decipher--I'm very good at talking in circles and turning one sentence into four trying to get my point across. Maybe that's why I'm obsessive about my grammar/spelling? Because I fail epically at not being long-winded? Lol!

 

[terryo]

Sometimes, I'm out really late with the guys. I have one too many Jim Beam and Cokes, then I come online and drunk post. It could come across as total drivel to those of you that are sober.

My recommendation would be to get drunk, and then re-read the post. It will probably make total sense then. But then, you might not remember what you read later.

LOL!!! (we all know what that means...right?)

 

[dmmj]

So am I the only one who felt this thread was directed at them?

 

[GeoTerraTestudo]

So am I the only one who felt this thread was directed at them?

Actually, Cap, this thread was not directed at you. Your posts are perfectly coherent and intelligible. There are a few folks, though, whose posts I simply cannot understand, and I have given up trying to do so. I was hoping to improve that situation with this thread. I was also curious as to whether I'm the only one who feels this way, and it seems I am not.

 

[Neltharion]

LOL!!! (we all know what that means...right?)

I think it means we all need to drink before we read posts on TFO. Everything makes sense to me when I've been drinking

 

[StudentoftheReptile]

I generally agree. I'm fairly young (30), but this stuff annoys the heck out of me. As the moderator of another forum, I've gotten a little more lax about it and let things slide, but I used to be a relentless grammar Nazi. I don't mind the occasional "LOL" or "ROTF" as well as the odd misspelled word (no one is perfect). And in a chat room or in IM, I could care less. But on an internet message board, there is no reason to be speedy. It's not a race, folks. No one is timing you to see how fast you can write out your post and click "Submit."

I feel a lot of it is just plain laziness. When questioned, many individuals will state that they simply do not care, that it's "just the internet." I also feel a large part of it is that some people simply have poor grammar skills to begin with, with apparently is a result of: something wrong with their ability to learn, and/or something with the education system used. This is definitely true for the yonger generation. And often enough, it progresses into a combination of the two: the person is already not skilled in proper grammar, and develops an air of indifference for it, rationalizing that it is unimportant. It is not difficult to see the difference between a generally knowledgeable person who might have just been typing in a hurry and made a few typos...and someone who blatantly has an underdeveloped sense of proper grammar and spelling (even for seemingly common words). If it is the latter, it can be difficult to reprimand someone like that, but at the same time, what can you do to make people realize that proper grammar IS IMPORTANT?! lol

Nowadays, in the age of Smartphones and iPhones, etc., it seems many people use such devices to access their favorite forums and post. As a moderator, I still think this is no excuse. If you can't take the time to make yourself not sound like an idiot when you post from your phone, wait until you get in front of a computer.