Do errors damage the credibility of the writer

[carbonman]

Poor communication skills and lack of attention to detail present
a poor first impression. All visual media will be processed by
the preconscious mind and will subtly influence how we feel
and what we think, before we even know we feel and think it.

If you can't proof read and spell check, what does that say
about your ability to deal w/detail and follow-up?
What does that say about you ability to present yourself as a professional.

If you are going to present yourself as an educated professional,
I would expect your communication, written and spoken, to be professional.

I don't want to be shouted at w/capital letters.
I don't like trying to make sense from a run-on sentence.
I don't want to be the spell-check police.
Everyone makes mistakes.

[Wulfman]

Is this another "Attn: whiners, complainers, quitters" type of thread/poll?

My first impressions of people come from "somewhere else". I've never been able to put my finger on it, but it's always been dead-on at first meetings (when involving a person-to-person contact). I think I've also been able to do pretty good at judging people by reading their posts, too. Hopefully, I also don't give the wrong impression or offend (too many) people in the process, either.

Consequently, I try to give the people who come here alot of leeway when it comes to their presentation.

On the other hand......Whiners, complainers and quitters............


Den

[klockemy]

Would much rather read:

"I went across the street to get some candy at the store."

vs.

"Xek dis yo, i wnt XX da str33t to gat MEEZ sum KaNdY, foo!"

You're a brave one for starting this thread, carbonman. Beware the cpap hose floggings, they are fierce.

[lanndi]

An occasional typo is not going to damage the credibility for me, but as a professional communicator, I do judge -- to some degree -- based on how well written a post is. But that's not to say someone who makes many grammatical and punctuation errors can't prove to be very credible by providing a lot of good info!

I AVOID READING SHOUTS!

Did we ever find out what Physological impact meant? I have to admit to not wanting to work hard enough to figure it out!

[DreamStalker]

It depends on the purpose.

If you are doing as part of a "profession" ... yes it matters.

If you are hanging out on a forum on an internet forum (like this one) who gives a flying crap as long as the message gets across.

No one pays me to post on this forum so I don't care if my spelling or grammer or whatever is off.

[OldLincoln]

Only if the board should embarrass those who need or offer help but don't have a good grasp on the language. Seems counter to the warm embrace many speak of in there messages.

I value those who have worthwhile things to say no matter how it is said, so my advice is to judge a statement by content, not grammar.

[carbonman]

You're a brave one for starting this thread, carbonman.
Beware the cpap hose floggings, they are fierce.

..thought maybe we could hash this out in a general arena.

Helps us to get to know one another.

Won't be the first time I've been flogged.

[klockemy]

Only if the board should embarrass those who need or offer help but don't have a good grasp on the language. Seems counter to the warm embrace many speak of in there messages.

I value those who have worthwhile things to say no matter how it is said, so my advice is to judge a statement by content, not grammar.

I don't see the need to make excuses for someone who has difficulty speaking the language. I go to Mexico, I speak Spanish or I go hungry, same in Japan and I surely don't try to practice medicine or administer prescriptions in a language I am not proficient with. I am not going to "Press 1 for English" when I speak to my doctor or any other health care provider.

[timbalionguy]

My experience has been that some of the most highly competent engineers are also poor communicators. You get one in a meeting, and they will be wearing a T-shirt and bluejans while everyone else is in a suit. But if you really want to know if something technical can be done, they will usually give you a straight answer. Sometimes, it may even be a blunt answer: 'No way can we do two-way interactive TV', for instance. And they will tell you why, but it may not be completely understandable by a 'suit'. But if you get someone who can really communicate well, that is no guarantee of their technical prowess. You can only gauge a person's technical prowess by 'talking tech' with them. And that is something that is usually done engineer-to-engineer.

IMHO, professionalism is earned, not conferred by a degree. Some of the very best television engineers I know have no more formal education than High School. They can take on a BSEE or even an MSEE and rip them the shreds.

I am kind of lucky in that I am respected as a highly competent engineer, but I am also respected for being to communicate well. In fact, I am pretty much the writer for both technical and non-technical stuff for our engineering department. This includes writing about $2 million in successful Federal grants. That said though, I tend to be a little 'techy' in my posts on most boards, nor is my spelling perfect, etc. (I also have a little dyslexia, and therefore 'emit' the occasional 'hte' ot 'thta'.)

So, if a poster makes reasonably good use of the English language, and communicates clearly what they are trying to state, that is all I look for. Perfect English is not a prerequisite for successful information transfer.

Sometimes, I rather enjoy typos. I remember seeing someone writing one time about the 'Maned Space Program'. I was glad they were finally putting lions in space

[klockemy]

My experience has been that some of the most highly competent engineers are also poor communicators. You get one in a meeting, and they will be wearing a T-shirt and bluejans while everyone else is in a suit. But if you really want to know if something technical can be done, they will usually give you a straight answer. Sometimes, it may even be a blunt answer: 'No way can we do two-way interactive TV', for instance. And they will tell you why, but it may not be completely understandable by a 'suit'. But if you get someone who can really communicate well, that is no guarantee of their technical prowess. You can only gauge a person's technical prowess by 'talking tech' with them. And that is something that is usually done engineer-to-engineer.

IMHO, professionalism is earned, not conferred by a degree. Some of the very best television engineers I know have no more formal education than High School. They can take on a BSEE or even an MSEE and rip them the shreds.

I am kind of lucky in that I am respected as a highly competent engineer, but I am also respected for being to communicate well. In fact, I am pretty much the writer for both technical and non-technical stuff for our engineering department. This includes writing about $2 million in successful Federal grants. That said though, I tend to be a little 'techy' in my posts on most boards, nor is my spelling perfect, etc. (I also have a little dyslexia, and therefore 'emit' the occasional 'hte' ot 'thta'.)

So, if a poster makes reasonably good use of the English language, and communicates clearly what they are trying to state, that is all I look for. Perfect English is not a prerequisite for successful information transfer.

Sometimes, I rather enjoy typos. I remember seeing someone writing one time about the 'Maned Space Program'. I was glad they were finally putting lions in space

I agree. I am a computer guy and we have resources in India. On the phone, I can't understand them and I get the point in email, but they are very bright people and I hate they make the wage they do. But I was reading a news story not too long ago, there was this male gynecologist in Cuba (went to medical school and was certified), but because his school wasn't accredited in the US, his status didn't transfer to the US. He was unable to take the test in the US because he didn't know English to take the competiancy exam. Now he is selling cars and doing well at it, but trying to beg the courts for his license. Now, what woman would be comfortable with a guy who says he's a doctor, messing around down there if he can't communicate to you what he is doing? What is wrong? etc.

[jnk]

Poor communication skills and lack of attention to detail present
a poor first impression. [Sentence needs an agent] All visual media will be processed by
the preconscious mind and will subtly influence how we feel
and what we think, [delete comma since restricts time] before we even know we feel and think it.

If you can't proof read [make one word] and spell check [add hyphen] , what does that say
about your ability to deal w/ [spell out "with"] detail and follow-up?
What does that say about you [add "r"] ability to present yourself as a professional. [Change period to question mark]
If you are going to present yourself as an educated professional,
I would expect your communication, written and spoken, to be professional.

I don't want to be shouted at w/ [spell out "with"] capital letters.
I don't like trying to make sense from a run-on sentence.
I don't want to be the spell-check police.
Everyone makes mistakes.

Just trying to help out.

[klockemy]

Poor communication skills and lack of attention to detail present
a poor first impression. [Sentence needs an agent.] All visual media will be processed by
the preconscious mind and will subtly influence how we feel
and what we think, [delete comma since restricts time] before we even know we feel and think it.

If you can't proof read [make one word] and spell check [add hyphen] , what does that say
about your ability to deal w/ [spell out "with"] detail and follow-up?
What does that say about you [add "r"] ability to present yourself as a professional. [Change period to question mark]
If you are going to present yourself as an educated professional,
I would expect your communication, written and spoken, to be professional.

I don't want to be shouted at w/ [spell out "with"] capital letters.
I don't like trying to make sense from a run-on sentence.
I don't want to be the spell-check police.
Everyone makes mistakes.

Just trying to help out.

Looks like some of my papers from grade school..... lol

[carbonman]

Just trying to help out.

Good to know you've always got my back......

[Catnap]

Depends on the arena. In email, I pretty much let it all go, or half the people I know would feel as if they couldn't write to me for fear of being judged. Plus, I already know those folks, so have established my opinion of their credibility. In chat rooms, I figure anything goes, especially since many people are not fast typists, and even fewer are both fast and accurate. In forums, I'm kind of halfway about it. If the information seems logical and well presented, I don't get my knickers in a twist if the person doesn't know the difference between it's and its. In formal writing (of which I read a lot, since editing is a significant part of my job), it most definitely affects my opinion of both writer and subject matter. If someone doesn't care enough to proofread, or doesn't understand their own skills enough to know they need to hire a proofreader, then I cast a jaundiced eye on their ability to care enough to get their facts straight or understand that they're not.

[jnk]

Just trying to help out.

Good to know you've always got my back......

Oh, sorry, I assumed it was a test! Did I pass?

I think posters from English literature forums and posters from comic book forums can all get obstructive sleep apnea and end up at this forum needing help or having some help to give. So I like keeping it real, keeping if fun, and enjoying all of us trying to help one another out to the best of whatever our abilities are, liguistically or otherwise. But hey, that's just me.