Do you care about spelling (online)?

hullaballoo · 14-07-2011 10:43AM #1

The article here sets out that online companies risk losing revenue because a spelling error might lead people to suspect the credibility of the site.

I'm just wondering how many people would feel that a site might be untrustworthy if it contains spelling mistakes, especially where you're about to part with some cash. Personally, it would put me off buying from a direct sales site, but wouldn't bother me as much if at all if it was a seller on adverts.ie etc.

Gandalph · 14-07-2011 10:55AM

On a professional site then yes. But on Boards I hate the grammer nazis.

jimthemental · 14-07-2011 10:57AM

Yap

stovelid · 14-07-2011 10:57AM

I don't like it on a business or services site, no. It does suggest a lack of professionalism and it would make you wonder about other areas of the business.

I don't really mind spelling mistakes on a message board or similar informal Internet contexts though unless the mistakes are deliberate as in text-speak.

orourkeda · 14-07-2011 10:58AM

Humans are lucky in the sense that they have the capability to express thoughts and ideas and other high brow concepts.

Some people are far too flippant with their use of language and do not truly appreciate its power.

orourkeda · 14-07-2011 10:58AM

Gandalph wrote: »

On a professional site the yes. But on Boards I hate the grammer nazis

Tut Tut

FatherLen · 14-07-2011 10:59AM

i shoor doo luv spellin mee

orourkeda · 14-07-2011 11:02AM

FatherLen wrote: »

i shoor doo luv spellin mee

You couldn't even do that properly.

Frank Black · 14-07-2011 11:02AM

Sometimes I spell so bad even my Spellchecker doesn’t know what word I’m trying to spell.

stovelid · 14-07-2011 11:03AM

orourkeda wrote: »

Humans are lucky in the sense that they have the capability to express thoughts and ideas and other high brow concepts.

Some people are far too flippant with their use of language and do not truly appreciate its power.

Highbrow.

Unless you mean the unfortunates with eyebrows that are contiguous to their hairline.

FatherLen · 14-07-2011 11:04AM

orourkeda wrote: »

You couldn't even do that properly.

do what?

prinz · 14-07-2011 11:05AM

Yes I do. It smacks of unprofessionalism, laziness, lack of attention to detail in my opinion and would lead me to believe an ad is more likely to be a scam/faulty/in bad condition etc.

Hasmunch · 14-07-2011 11:05AM

hullaballoo wrote: »

The article here sets out that online companies risk losing revenue because a spelling error might lead people to suspect the credibility of the site.

I'm just wondering how many people would feel that a site might be untrustworthy if it contains spelling mistakes, especially where you're about to part with some cash. Personally, it would put me off buying from a direct sales site, but wouldn't bother me as much if at all if it was a seller on adverts.ie etc.

How many times did you proof read that to ensure you wouldn't be caught by a roaving grammer nazi :pac:

Lemsiper · 14-07-2011 11:07AM

Gandalph wrote: »

On a professional site then yes. But on Boards I hate the grammer nazis.

:rolleyes:

W.Shakes-Beer · 14-07-2011 11:07AM

I like to use proper grammer online. I think that by using short "txt spk" you somehow manage to lower your IQ, at least to other people. Plus, it's nice to read legible words.

I don't mind people mixing around "their, they're, there", and if someone is dyslexic/has spelling difficulties fair enough, but I hate it when people are clearly just overly lazy. "They spk like dis nd its jus painful 2 luk at"

Kevin Duffy · 14-07-2011 11:08AM

It would make me suspect the credibility and reliability of an online shop or service. It also bothers me when people make no effort to use correct spelling, grammar etc.
I try to fight the urge to be a grammar nazi, but I love the written word so much and it's so powerful that I just can't help focussing on the errors and carrying that through to how I see the message.

E&OE

W.Shakes-Beer · 14-07-2011 11:09AM

Lemsiper wrote: »

:rolleyes:

^ That emotion is more annoying than any spelling mistake.

barbarians · 14-07-2011 11:11AM

It can't be that hard to get all your spelling and grammar correct even for responding to a boards thread. I think grammatically correct sentences/responses look much better and tidier.

I would go so far to say a grammatically correct response is taken more seriously or respected more than a grammatically incorrect, hard to comprehend sentence filled with spelling mistakes even if they both made the same point.

(Where was my spelling mistake ? :P)

hullaballoo · 14-07-2011 11:12AM

Hasmunch wrote: »

How many times did you proof read that to ensure you wouldn't be caught by a roaving grammer nazi :pac:

My writing style bores me so much that I never re-check what I've written, sometimes to my detriment. In fact, it's landed me in some pretty embarrassing situations!

Kevin Duffy · 14-07-2011 11:16AM

Hasmunch wrote: »

How many times did you proof read that to ensure you wouldn't be caught by a roaving grammer nazi :pac:

Did you mean grammar and roving? Or roaming? Or did you intend the archaic form "roaving", which would not be in keeping with the more modern spelling of the remainder of your message? Where is your question mark? Good grief, it's awful, simply awful.

whydoibother? · 14-07-2011 11:17AM

Yes, I would definitely care when it comes to a website. If I'm looking for a product/service online, I'll generally do a bit of googling first and the more well laid out and professionally finished a website is, the more professional I think the company will be in general. There are always exceptions.

Beyond this, incredibly bad grammar and language usage can indicate scam. How quickly would you hand and over money to a website that said:

"Provide please details credit card to receipt world class service"?

Frank Black · 14-07-2011 11:17AM

I rue the day I learned phonetic wasn’t spelled with an ‘f’

W.Shakes-Beer · 14-07-2011 11:17AM

Also, people who can't be bothered using correct grammer when trying to sell a car for example, puts me off instantly.

Hasmunch · 14-07-2011 11:18AM

hullaballoo wrote: »

My writing style bores me so much that I never re-check what I've written, sometimes to my detriment. In fact, it's landed me in some pretty embarrassing situations!

I rarely check as well, unless its an obvious mistake. Like i might spell grammar, grammer and not pick it up (see last post:P).
Txt speak drives me nuts because its so hard to read.

who the fug · 14-07-2011 11:19AM

black francis wrote: »

Sometimes I spell so bad even my Spellchecker doesn’t know what word I’m trying to spell.

Et Tu black francis

Have to put all my posts through spell check and use thine and thou to avoid grammar police

The King of Moo · 14-07-2011 11:21AM

Poor spelling and grammar on a professional website, or in any professional context, reflects poorly on whoever's behind it for me, and suggests a lack of professionalism and laziness.

I don't like poor spelling and grammar in any context online however. I don't mind when difficult words are misspelled, or an obscure grammar rule isn't followed. But too often I'll come across something that looks like the words just fell out of the person's brain without any though for spelling and grammar whatsoever, and basic mistakes making comprehension difficult are made.

However I'd never be a grammar Nazi and point the mistakes out, unless the person making the mistakes were trying to be a grammar Nazi themselves.

Cat Melodeon · 14-07-2011 11:23AM

I hate poor spelling, punctuation or grammar on a professional website or in a newspaper. On a message board like this or on a public-run site like adverts.ie it's not such a big deal. People have different levels of literacy, some people read and write lots, others rarely see a written word in their day to day life. That doesn't denote intelligence or lack thereof. It's like driving - if you do it every day, you're probably much better at it than a Sunday driver. The only difference is using 'there' instead of 'they're' isn't actually going to kill anyone.

I hate txtspk though, it really gets on my tits.

Redditor · 14-07-2011 11:24AM

When comments that people make on a forum have a few spelling mistakes, I tend to think less of their opinions. Constant misspelling/misuse of certain words annoys me as well (They're, there and their).

Irish Guitarist · 14-07-2011 11:24AM

I don't mind too much when people make their own mistakes but I find it irritating that so many people all over the world make the same stupid mistakes as each other. For instance why do so many people believe that 'alot' and 'aswell' are words? I can't imagine that so many people, even bad spellers, would have thought these were words before the rise of the internet.

I wouldn't trust a professional site that was littered with mistakes. Someone on a guitar forum once asked if his website about guitars was any good. On his website he spelled Jimi Hendrix wrong. I wouldn't trust anyone like that to tell me anything about music or guitars.

14-07-2011 11:27AM

On a professional website, I wouldn't trust them if it was riddled with spelling errors.

On boards I don't really care about laziness & typos but I would care about common errors that people seem to believe are actually correct.
"It didn't phase me" would be a good example there.

hondasam · 14-07-2011 11:38AM

Kevin Duffy wrote: »

It would make me suspect the credibility and reliability of an online shop or service. It also bothers me when people make no effort to use correct spelling, grammar etc.
I try to fight the urge to be a grammar nazi, but I love the written word so much and it's so powerful that I just can't help focussing on the errors and carrying that through to how I see the message.

E&OE

your secretary type that for you ?:D

Do you care about spelling (online)?

Do you care about spelling? 274 votes

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