Stickleback. No relation to a stickler. Adapted from Source
Eagle-eyed readers will notice two deliberate mitsakes in the title of this blog post. The first sentance contains another one. So does the second.
But, did you understand my message anyway?
That’s the kind of argument that we sticklers are up against these days. With txt spk and even dyslexia so common, meaning seems to have overtaken correctness for effective communication.
I went to school in the days when spelling and grammar mattered. I make my living as a copywriter – a career that depends on me producing well-written and compelling content.
Of course, language is always evolving. But I’m starting to get worried. Do you think a time will come when rules are no longer necessary so long as the meaning is understood?
4 Comments
James Coakes · August 28, 2012 at 2:55 pm
I think quality is still important. It’s important if you want readers to take you seriously and there’s some evidence to suggest that it’s one of the things that certain search engines take into account when they are assessing the quality of a source.
With the moves to reduce spam and increase quality then I think it’s more important than ever.
jackiebarrie · August 28, 2012 at 3:18 pm
I heard that spammers deliberately use mis-spellings to filter out anyone too intelligent to be fooled by their tricks.
Jane Hatton · August 30, 2012 at 4:02 pm
I wondered why spammers’ spelling was always so bad!
I do think, in this competitive climate, we have to do everything we can to impress prospective customers. Depending on the service I would immediately be put off by obvious spelling mistakes or glaring grammatical errors on a professional website. It implies a lack of care and attention to detail, and makes you question what the service might be like.
jackiebarrie · August 30, 2012 at 5:51 pm
I’m happy as long as people are willing to pay me to write correctly for them!
Comments are closed.