Spelling standards on ATS need improvement

reply to post by Astyanax


All good points. I think everybody does that with their spelling. It's just being bombarded by bad spelling every single day. Your mind takes that and subconsciously stores that with everything else. Eventually it gets jumbled in your mind with proper grammar and syntax, in turn screwing you every now and again. I do the same thing all the time. All it takes is a novel or two and you'll be right back on track.

I've noticed that people who believe whacked out conspiracies have atrocious spelling. That's what I don't understand about them. They think they have one upped an entire belief system but they can't even spell government right, you know?

Knowledge is power.

I know! This is driving me half insane. I think that members should lose points for messy posts. If I wanted points, I could just post really fast, unthoughtful statements on every thread. It's ruining the website though and also makes people seem unintelligent and/or like a bad resource. We should do something about it.

It is very frustrating..... especially when someone says they work for x,y or z agency or paper or affiliated with so and so.... and then says..

"i fink dat u all shud know that im telling the truth, your all wrong and there going to get u"

I mean... C'mon.

We all make mistakes, granted... and some common ones are easily forgiven.
But some posts are almost unreadable.

I fr 1 thnk w shld lve t th vwls as mch as pssble, vwls mss vrythng up, mks it to cmplcatd,

strt cmmnctng crrctly.

Originally posted by Stormdancer777
I fr 1 thnk w shld lve t th vwls as mch as pssble, vwls mss vrythng up, mks it to cmplcatd,

strt cmmnctng crrctly.

you forgot the A in as....
And an I and an O and another A.... sloppy work...

Naughty naughty.... and it's your idea too


[edit on 8/1/09 by blupblup]

reply to post by blupblup


Here, when I was new to ATS, I made the 'nearly' fatal mistake of noticing another members' spelling, syntax, or puctuation error.

Well, I'm not perfect, of course, and I try to make my posts as readable as possible, even though I don't have the luxury of running everything I write through a 'spellchecker'....and, when I catch a particularly grievous error, after posting, I come back to correct -- that is, WHEN I catch the error.

However, blup, you have a valid point! Some 'typos' are so bad, it beggars imagination!!!

Methinks there are two possible reasons: (A) The person posting is not native to the English language, or (B) The person posting is an adolescent.

(There is a possible (C) component....alcohol could be a culprit...)

What is ATS...a public discussion forum or a spelling/grammar police academy?

Loosing points because of typo's or quick replies to heated discussions that bring out incorrect spelling or typo's is taking it a bit too far IMO.

Obvious posts with purposely mis-typed words is one thing, but is it that bad to a point where deducting points is warranted for such things?

There are far worse things occuring here that would justify removal of points than spelling and grammar standards.



Cheers!!!!

[edit on 8-1-2009 by RFBurns]

I agree, but being an adolescent doesn't even really make it okay. Or a foreigner. You have to at least try to include letters, capitalize, punctuate. Here, hold on...

firstly its Sad people would call for the deaths of Jews because of the Crimes of the Israeli goverment but then again we will have those people on both sides of the fence, example there is one of many posters on ATS who openly call for the deaths of all muslims.

Anger and rage for what israel is doing to the palestinians = more Hate
spin it anyway you like, its not just muslims that compare Israel to nazis
so intresting way of spinning to make it look like only fantics compare histories and actions

there actions speak louder the words
Israel has and is doing most things Nazi Germany did
and last time i checked the Israeli Goverment doesnt own the sole rights to the word genocide and holocaust.

and before anyone runs in Shouts Look at the antisemetic
i wont hide the fact that i dispise the Israeli goverment and their actions
just like i dislike the american goverment. i have no hate for Jews.

I don't even know what this says and it's the just an example I randomly picked from the thread I was just on.

Why wouldn't you go back and fix that? I can't even fully understand what it says, since I can barely translate some of the errors.

[edit on 1/8/2009 by ravenshadow13]

reply to post by weedwhacker


lol, yes... you may be on to something there.
I always keep in mind that they may not be native English speakers or any other reason.... It's not those that concern me.

It's the one's whereby people make fallacious statements about working in a top/high profile job/position and yet can't grasp simple grammar??

i never actually speak up on spelling mistakes really... it is petty.
But i like to rant when somebody starts a rant thread!!

Originally posted by RFBurns
What is ATS...a public discussion forum or a spelling/grammar police academy?

The former, but the more people that can read your posts, or even attempt to, the better i would have thought?

Loosing points because of typo's or quick replies to heated discussions that bring out incorrect spelling or typo's is taking it a bit too far IMO.

Cheers!!!!

[edit on 8-1-2009 by RFBurns]

I 100% agree with you there... i would never take points away from somebody for bad grammar.

However, If somebody came in and claimed to be an author or a proof reader, then typed in txt spk..or there spelling and grammar were so unreadable.. i would happily have the mods do something...

because it's against t+c's to outright lie.

[edit on 8/1/09 by blupblup]

I think they should just be legible... So that people other than to OP can understand the post, as to reduce confusion.

Legible.

reply to post by RFBurns


!CHEERS! to RFBurns!

Either you are cleverly lampooning this issue, or you actually do not know how to spell the word 'losing'.

Also, I'm guessing you're exquiste use of the 'apostrophe' where inappropriate is also part of the joke?? (HINT: MY OWN joke is built into that last sentence...)

Given that this topic is in 'Board Business' and we don't score "points" I take it as an opportunity to really let our hair down and discuss what's on our minds, without the risk of 'retribution' from the Moderators.

Yes! 'RFBurns', in the heat of debate mistakes will be made...we see this all of the time. Is it fair to judge a 'poster' based on a perceived 'mistake'? NO! (OOPS!! 'i' before 'e', except after 'c'...etc...)

I am trying to inject a little humor into a serious point that the OP made...in these times it is imperative that our ability to communicate effectively be not dimished!

We are faced with bloggers on BlackBerrys, using 'text-speak'....and what say we about 'Twitter'??? A blogging site that only allows 140 characters per post??? (Makes 'YouTube' seem chatty, in comparison).

This may expand beyond the parameters of this initial posting, but 'What If?' future generations of children grow up on the 'blog-speak' (Pat. Pending, since I just coined the phrase) and are then unable to read all of the great pieces of literature that have been written by scores of Humans in centuries past? Imagine the lost possibilities......

"Maybe this would be the proper time to opt for a 'Spell Checker' in the thread "Reply" or "New Thread" areas.
I use it all the time, due to my inability to remember some spellings and to be "Literally Correct".?
IMHO....

"See, I used it just now!!!"

WeedWhacker, I wish I could have starred you for that post.

I wish that every single time somebody made a post with incorrect grammar I could just quote and reply with "Spell right" or "Write correctly."

It is really really really really distracting to myself as a reader. I suppose that for people who don't put as much effort into their posts, it is easier to read the jumbles that people spill out onto these boards.

If I just posted the way that many members do, I could have saved a lot of time and energy. But nope, I make sure that my posts look okay for no reward at all.

Unless the spell checker was automatic, nobody would use it. It takes just as much time to copy and paste into Word, or to use a toolbar's spell checker.

The problem could be fixed in most cases if people actually looked over their posts. A spell checker wouldn't really help.

Implementing spell checker would be a good idea if people here want to see correct spellings.
Said that lets not discourage any Non-English speaking starters by developing inferiority complex in them by pointing the spelling mistakes. Even if there are some wrong spellings around lets be polite in asking them what they actually mean.

Thanks!

Originally posted by ravenshadow13
Unless the spell checker was automatic, nobody would use it. It takes just as much time to copy and paste into Word, or to use a toolbar's spell checker.

FF's is automatic.

The problem could be fixed in most cases if people actually looked over their posts. A spell checker wouldn't really help.

You'd be surprised. I'm an English major and need this tool at times.

As to the rest. Yes, some members are younger and don't have the education level others do. Some are older and don't have the same level of educations that others do. Some use English as a second, third language.

Next. There are 2 major different English languages. American and British, for a lack of a better word. Americans have "humor". Most of the rest of the English speaking world has "humour". Personally I drop the "u" because a majority of the board is American.

I think it's a lack of tollerance of others that contributes to topics like this. That said leet-speak is just damn lazy.

Originally posted by ravenshadow13
Unless the spell checker was automatic, nobody would use it. It takes just as much time to copy and paste into Word, or to use a toolbar's spell checker.

The problem could be fixed in most cases if people actually looked over their posts. A spell checker wouldn't really help.

There is an automatic spell checker.

Every time I misspell a word a red line appears under it and I right click the word and it changes it to the correct spelling.

Maybe just a Firefox perk? Don't know but mine has always had spell checking any time I type anything anywhere on the net.

Originally posted by intrepid

As to the rest. Yes, some members are younger and don't have the education level others do. Some are older and don't have the same level of educations that others do. Some use English as a second, third language.

Next. There are 2 major different English languages. American and British, for a lack of a better word. Americans have "humor". Most of the rest of the English speaking world has "humour". Personally I drop the "u" because a majority of the board is American.

I think it's a lack of tollerance of others that contributes to topics like this. That said leet-speak is just damn lazy.

If people re-read their posts and fixed the really obvious mistakes, we'd be fine.
Their vs They're, etc, but even that's not the worst.

Some words, are big and hard to spell. But mistypes are different.

Originally posted by ravenshadow13
If people re-read their posts and fixed the really obvious mistakes, we'd be fine.

Would we? You're assuming that people have your vocabulary, they don't. The mistake would be missed even upon a second reading. For those that are complaining about this, lighten up.