Thanks

I suppose you have a couple of options, you could ask your members to try using a spell checker on MS Word though this is less than convenient.

Perhaps the best solution would be to get them to use Firefox with the dictionary add on that I use. You could use Firefox to earn a little extra income for your board through the ads Google provides which include 'Firefox with Google Tool Bar' which I recommend myself.

If it's a serious problem in the sense that as you say they're struggling to communicate in the most basic sense it might be a good idea to suggest this option and I don't think they will be offended as you'd be helping them not patronising them. If this suggestion helps even one person to get themselves understood I'm sure it would be worth a try.

I get everything read by someone else literate and I usually have someone available all the time. It's a big help.

We fall in love with our own words. It's easy to miss when we write drivel, make punctuation errors, or make grammatical errors. We lose objectivity.

• Write in a good word processor.
• Use the Spell check.
• Use the grammar Check.
• Get your work proof read.

Also, when you publish, check for special characters. In some cases where you post they may not be dealt with correctly. So instead of using ampersand, single quote, double quote and such, use the html special character codes.

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vBPicGallery - The photo gallery for vBulletin forums.
Talk to bikers around the world about motorcycles.

I don't think it's really an issue when it comes to discussion forums. I am focusing on overall site content such as static articles. Discussion forums will attract people from all over the globe and the larger your community gets, the more difficult it will to worry about micromanaging each post.

You should be cautious when doing this. The vBulletin software may not recognize the character code without allowing html to be used in your forums, which can be dangerous.

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Father J. Vance Tyree
Founder & Curator
World Ancestry

"In some cases where you post" I said. I don't consider publishing article and doing it properly to be exclusive to vBulletin posts.

But yeah, vB deals with it.

However, some folks use HTML. Remember that? You have to code the special chars by hand.

I'm anal about validation most of the time. So I brought it up.

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vBPicGallery - The photo gallery for vBulletin forums.
Talk to bikers around the world about motorcycles.

I've never had any experience with HTML special character codes but I'll look into them. It's always a good idea to get everything proof read by at least a couple of other people I think, can't check for errors enough can you lol.

I always miss something it seems. It's a PITA.

The special characters will usually display whether they are coded or not. But a validation of the page will reveal errors in parsing. Most interfaces deal with it. It's mostly an issue with creating hand written html pages.

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vBPicGallery - The photo gallery for vBulletin forums.
Talk to bikers around the world about motorcycles.

I've seen strange characters on YouTube in messages I've received quite a lot. My site is about physics and philosophy mainly so I get a lot of messages with quotes showing up as weird characters which I assume are the ones you mean

I think proper previewing and proof reading is essential for image and clarity and respect most importantly. I find it difficult to talk about as when I discuss other people's mistakes it makes me seem like I'm saying I'm perfect but it's not like that really. I mean I've seen a lot of mistakes on some major websites, in product FAQs and descriptions and such.

Having said that I think the times they are a'changin. When I was at school ten years ago it was unheard of to make a spelling mistake or grammatical error, it was a matter of not just pride, it wasn't really something I ever encountered in books or websites. It wasn't until I started reading a lot of computer books that I noticed how many spelling mistakes there were about nowadays.

As I said the times seem to be changing and so perhaps in the current age people aren't as bothered about some mistakes here and there. It's not as much of an issue as it used to be in my experience. I think that ultimately if you're writing academic stuff like me, or if you're a coder etc then you should make an extra special effort to write correctly or at the very least spell properly.

I'm understanding of people and I make mistakes too as I'm human but if you're writing code or hardcore philosophy/intellectual debate material people need to trust you and if you're spelling things lkie tihs a lto people might be doubtful.

I just love my Firefox British English dictionary add on It's literally the best plugin I've ever had in any program I've owned

Great thread! I'm convinced the written word (most certainly on the Internet) is in jeopardy!

For amusement's sake, here are couple of my pet peeves...

1. alot Ugh!

2. "Where's the car at?" "Where would you like your car towed to" :lalala:

3. Their when it should be there and vise versa.

I'm finding it very difficult to find writers for PC101 whose articles don't require a good deal of editing! I'm by no means perfect in my prose but there are a handful of basic rules one should have grasped by Jr. High!

Lyte

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I'm the king of getting wrapped up in my own words and ending up with drivel. Lots of times, I try to give help to someone or write a tutorial while sharing my own experiences with what ever I'm writing about to give readers a heads up on what to expect. In the end I wind up talking more about my experiences than the actual tutorial.

Often times, I proof read as I go along which is a bad idea because it ruins the flow.. I'm stopping the thought process of what I'm writing and going into proof read mode. I know it's a bad idea but it doesn't stop me from doing it.

Lately I notice, I'll write a post proofread and correct it twice before posting, post it then have to go back an edit it because I substituted words, like off for of, they for the, etc. Then I'll submit it and when someone comments on it, I'll go back, reread and find more errors often the editing time limit is over with so I'm left to look like an idiot.

What I find amazing is the power of our brains. Check out my attachment, it's something I found on a joke site, but nearly every word is horribly misspelled yet we can read and comprehend it without a problem. Pretty amazing try getting a computer to do that!

Back in school my Engrish (sic) teacher told me I was an excellent concrete writer.. What ever the heck that means, I still don't see it do this day.

Attached Files

human-reading-power.pdf (9.5 KB, 1 views)

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- Big Dan proprietor of DJ Chat

I can certainly appreciate alot being one of many net irritations. But, the others are commonly used in speech, regardless of their accuracy. Today's internet is nothing more than a substitute for the spoken word, nearly devoid of literary foundation. With the introductions of chat, instant message, bulletin board system, and the blog, we have trained ourselves to speak in text. We cannot blame the individuals, we can only blame the institution. I do feel your pain.

Don't feel bad. I do the same. I am such a stickler for perfection that I proof my work as I write it. It is one of the most significant downfalls of amateur writers. The best thing to do is write and proof after. I'm being hypocritical because I edit and proof as I write, which causes me to take 4x as long to get something out. I empathize completely.

If possible, it's always best to write and proof after. If you edit while writing you lose thought momentum. I know from experience. I still tend to edit while writing and it kills me. I know that proofing after-the-fact is best, but I'm so anal. The best advice I can offer is practice. It doesn't matter if you're writing fiction or instructions - practice.

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Father J. Vance Tyree
Founder & Curator
World Ancestry