Recently, I was considering attending a fundraising event and clicked on the Eventbrite invitation. The notice had been up for a few weeks and had at least seven spelling and grammatical errors. This is an organization I like to support but the invitation made me question their attention to detail and their ability to function as good stewards of future donations.
Typos happen. You can find yourself reading a great novel and somewhere, somehow in that 109,571 word tome someone traded “was” for “saw”. For centuries, when each and every letter of everything ever printed was plunked on to the page by hand, by a typesetter, or by a typist, occasionally mistakes would be published. They didn’t have the advantage of autocorrect (not always our friend) or of letting the computer proof the document.
But you do.
Before you text, tweet, or post anything that will have an impact on how people perceive you and your business check your content. Aside from ensuring that your message is not defamatory you should also be certain that you are using the right words. There, their, they’re…. are not the same! By the way, the voice-to-text and autocorrect features are frequently flakey. You need to look at what little Frankenstein type monster they have created out of your brilliant prose. Just don’t do it while driving.
When you answer questions on Quora, LinkedIn, or Alignable you are posting your expert opinion. However, you will completely blow your credibility if you just splattered your answer across the internet and left “…your write two thank theirs udder weighs too due thinks…” without correction.
Here are some tips – First, write the really important things in Word and then use the Review tab for the Spelling & Grammar check. Second, before you cut and paste your masterpiece or hit send, read your writing aloud. Yes, you may feel a little silly sitting at your desk or the kitchen table reading your post like a second grader with your lips moving, but it will save you lots of other embarrassment. Your brain will stumble on the words that are misspelled, missing, or misplaced giving you the opportunity to correct the errors. Edit as necessary, READ IT AGAIN, and finally send it along.
If, by an odd chance, you do post something that does have an error in it, go back and fix it. You are only human, after all.
*Ketch – (keCH) noun 1. a two-masted, fore-and-aft-rigged sailboat with a mizzenmast stepped forward of the rudder and smaller than the foremast