Enchanted Spell

I.T.Nerd

Just a friendly observation.
When typing a post or a response, do we make a conscious attempt to spell correctly?
A "typo" is one thing, humans make mistakes....we ALL do (especially me).

But if we expect anyone...anyone.... to truly trust our counsel and advice, we should make more of an attempt to sound the part.

Even if I'm an expert and KNOW what I'm talking about, if I'm coming across with something between text message abbreviations and one typo after another, why would anyone listen to me (even if I know what I'm talking about)?

People are looking to us for advice and direction. They really want to know or they wouldn't ask.

You may be thinking, "Who is this punk, and who is he to go off on this out of the blue"?

I'm nobody special, and don't pretend to be. I'm no better than anyone. I just think that as experts or professionals in our field, we should reflect that by being more conscientious about how we come across in offering our expertise.

If I'm respoding to a Windows Kernel question, and I spel like this, who is going to be covinced that I really know what I tlaking baout (even if I do know what I'm talking about)?

They may "understand" what I'm saying and get the point of my response, but it does little to convey the countless hours of hard work and sacrifice we have put into our trade. I've read your posts, and many of you have forgotten more than I'll ever know.
Many of you are downright genius in your responses. It's the presentation that's occasionally lacking. The packaging should matter in the overall presentation. It's a pride thing about who we are.

Some of you may think I'm referring to you. I'm NOT! I'm talking about that other person, so rest assured that this isn't directed toward you.

To that other person (you know who you are), we are Professionals. We should reflect that in our responses as best we can.
I don't judge anyone. It's just tough love. Feel the love!

Peace!

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Comments

networker050184

What does this have to do with general certification???

I think while posting on a forum such as it’s not that big of a deal. Any one can run spell check and still have no idea what they are talking about. If I'm writing a document for work I will take my time and edit it. If someone doesn't want to take my advice because I spelled a word wrong it is their loss not mine.....

Mrock4

I agree wholeheartedly.

Do you feel better now? That was a lot of frustration coming out it sounded like

. It amazes me, a friend of my brothers (CCIE), sends e-mails saying things like "yo dude was up wit u?".....and don't even bother asking him for technical advice! Being able to communicate effectively is becoming increasingly important in the IT field. You have to accurately explain technical terms with your boss/customers, without making their head spin

But...I will say I was somewhat let down when I clicked on the link to find a rant about spelling. We all have our rants now and then I suppose.

I.T.Nerd

networker050184 wrote:

What does this have to do with general certification???

Nothing whatsoever. Sorry that you ignored the deeper meaning.
I' not lokoing fro a debat, carry on.
(besides, I was talking to that other guy, not you)
My apology.

I.T.Nerd

Mrock4 wrote:

I agree wholeheartedly.

Do you feel better now? That was a lot of frustration coming out it sounded like . It amazes me, a friend of my brothers (CCIE), sends e-mails saying things like "yo dude was up wit u?".....and don't even bother asking him for technical advice! Being able to communicate effectively is becoming increasingly important in the IT field. You have to accurately explain technical terms with your boss/customers, without making their head spin

But...I will say I was somewhat let down when I clicked on the link to find a rant about spelling. We all have our rants now and then I suppose.

Sorry about the rant guys. A good friend of mine was turned down for a very good DBA job yesterday because he had a couple of mispelled words on his application where he was applying for the job (they actually told him that). His inattention to detail didn't cause them to question his "qualifications", but they decided to go with someone else whom they felt was more detail conscious.

He has several certs like I do, and he isn't stupid. He was actually a little more "qualified" than the person they hired (I know them both). He knows how to spell, he was just in a hurry. Like some others, he just doesn't think what you say is as important as what you mean. Too bad for him that the person doing the interview didn't feel the same way.

I know this post doesn't belong here but there was no "spelling" section and I wanted to get it off my chest. Thanks for putting up with it (and my point is a valid one nonetheless), it just didn't belong here.

silentc1015

lol dude y u care so much bout spellin?????

Mrock4

I.T.Nerd wrote:

Sorry about the rant guys. A good friend of mine was turned down for a very good DBA job yesterday because he had a couple of mispelled words on his application where he was applying for the job (they actually told him that). His inattention to detail didn't cause them to question his "qualifications", but they decided to go with someone else whom they felt was more detail conscious.

He has several certs like I do, and he isn't stupid. He was actually a little more "qualified" than the person they hired (I know them both). He knows how to spell, he was just in a hurry. Like some others, he just doesn't think what you say is as important as what you mean. Too bad for him that the person doing the interview didn't feel the same way.

I know this post doesn't belong here but there was no "spelling" section and I wanted to get it off my chest. Thanks for putting up with it (and my point is a valid one nonetheless), it just didn't belong here.

We all have times we feel like ranting. I've had plenty. I am pretty big on attention to detail when it comes to this job, so spelling should also be like that..however, spelling only affects the perception- not reality. If you are good at your job, but can't spell, you're still good at your job, it just might not initially appear that way.

Man, I need a life. I'm gonna go grab some Taco Bell!

sprkymrk

I agree only because I can't stand reading "Instant Message" style writing. I've also noticed that the more advanced and intelligent responses are also well written in most cases. There are a few exceptions on this board, but I do tend to take the well written responses more seriously and ignore ones like this:

as an example I wrote:

lol dude don't u know that u got do the config so it wrks bettr lol i alway do it rite so i know. lol

I'm not pointing fingers, because I like everyone to contribute however they feel comfortable as long as they are respectful of others. But I admit I usually ignore posts like in my example. On the flip side, not all well written posts have useful information either.

In the future, topics like this should be posted in the "Off Topic" forum. I don't have the keys here so I can't move it.

networker050184

I agree that the example by sprkymrk is pretty unprofessional even on a forum, but I don't think a misspelled word is a big deal. I would never hold a misspelled word against someone on a forum. On a job application is a different story.

APA

I.T.Nerd wrote:

networker050184 wrote:

What does this have to do with general certification???

Nothing whatsoever. Sorry that you ignored the deeper meaning.
I' not lokoing fro a debat, carry on.
(besides, I was talking to that other guy, not you)
My apology.

Correct grammar and spelling = I'm not looking for a debate

He-he I totally agree though my friend...... I really really loathe reading\receiving emails where people either don't know how to spell or a tooooo lazy for spell checking.....

I just told my boss off the other day..... as he wanted us to create a GPO which switched off spell checking in Outlook.... I thought to myself wouldn't you prefer to be told if you had spelling mistakes.... but he would rather send an email with mistakes!!! He is the CIO of the company!!!

I think it is pure laziness..... I put poorly written emails and blatant spelling mistakes right up there in terms of looking stupid......

dynamik

I.T.Nerd wrote:

When typing a post or a response, do we make a conscious attempt to spell correctly?

I do. I watch my grammar and usage as well. However, I regularly have posts that span multiple paragraphs, and I simply don't have the time to comb over them until I'm sure I've eradicated every minor error. I don't submit my post until I feel it is perfect, but I don't always feel that way when I reread it at a later date. I wince, I feel dumb, and I move on. It's just a thread on some (amazing) forum on the internet; it's nothing to get worked up over.

In addition to Mark's example (we have to deal with enough acronyms as it is; please use real words), I can't stand the posts that: omit punctuation and capitalization, misspell a majority of the words, and/or are just a rambling, incoherent disasters. I should spend my time trying to solve your problem or answer your question; I shouldn't waste it trying to decipher the meaning of your post. If someone doesn't put any time into asking his or her question, I'm not going to put a whole lot of time into answering it (e.g. you'll get a link to Technet instead of a personal explanation).

Resumes are a totally different story. Typically, you get 1-2 pages to show someone else who you are and what you are capable of. This document represents you. If you have multiple errors on such a short, important document, you will not be perceived favorably. It's really not that unfair.

I believe that everyone should always write to the best of his or her ability. However, you always have to factor in your audience as well as other factors, such as time. A post that might get a few dozen views from random people on the internet is completely different than a single written page that might lead to long-term, high-paying employment. This forum would probably be significantly less useful if everyone spent their time proofreading instead of simply responding to posts.

Lee H

Hi

My 2 pence worth, will concentrate more on the spelling for this thread

Depending on what it is i am writing about will determine my level of correct grammar, example if i was replying to someones e-mail about their dog falling from a tree asking if he was ok then would i spell he's or hes, hhhmmmm go figure. On the flip side i can 100% gaurantee that my CV has no spelling mistakes nor is it grammatically incorrect. My CV being like this will not earn me any points as this is what is expected.

I always say to anyone who cant spell "What school did you went"

Lee H

pryde7

Interesting!!
Emphasizing on spelling with many spelling errors! As well as responding with errors! Better work on it and make use of the spell checker.

sprkymrk

pryde7 wrote:

Interesting!!
Emphasizing on spelling with many spelling errors! As well as responding with errors! Better work on it and make use of the spell checker.

You missed the subtle humor. He did it on purpose. Or rather, hee didit on purpis.

Plantwiz

It looks like several people may have missed the point.

The comment by the original poster was that his friend wasn't hired because he didn't take the time to proof-read his résumé.

Others have commented that in this thread they may type a long reply and just not go back.....this to an employer and some of us 'old' people is a sign the person despite how intelligent they may be....will miss something on that large project that will lead to a costly mistake.

Zig Ziggler has a story where he meets a young man who is pierced and tattooed. Zig asks the young man how he likes looking like he does. The young man replies, he loves it. He loves being different and likes to be able to express himself. Zig agrees with him. Also tells the young man that he'd fight for the young man's rights to look that way.....but he'd never hire him to work for him.

Right or wrong, when you work for someone else, you REPRESENT THEM. If you cannot have someone (or several someone's) review your résumé before you present it...then you haven't taken the time to show your attention to detail AND show that you can work/ask others for opinions when things matter. Having someone neutral read your résumé, YOUR marketing piece, to critic it and offer honest feedback, can show to some business minded folks (especially in competitive markets) that in a crunch, you may just patch a network or server without checking out all your best options before implimentation...which could lead to a huge problem down the road.

+1 on the 'pass on the candidate due to spelling errors on a résumé.

silentc1015

A.P.A wrote:

I.T.Nerd wrote:

networker050184 wrote:

What does this have to do with general certification???

Nothing whatsoever. Sorry that you ignored the deeper meaning.
I' not lokoing fro a debat, carry on.
(besides, I was talking to that other guy, not you)
My apology.

Correct grammar and spelling = I'm not looking for a debate

He-he I totally agree though my friend...... I really really loathe reading\receiving emails where people either don't know how to spell or a tooooo lazy for spell checking.....

I just told my boss off the other day..... as he wanted us to create a GPO which switched off spell checking in Outlook.... I thought to myself wouldn't you prefer to be told if you had spelling mistakes.... but he would rather send an email with mistakes!!! He is the CIO of the company!!!

I think it is pure laziness..... I put poorly written emails and blatant spelling mistakes right up there in terms of looking stupid......

We turned ours off because all our signatures and technical correspondance gets flagged by the spellchecker. Maybe that was the basis for his choice.

Plantwiz

silentc1015 wrote:

We turned ours off because all our signatures and technical correspondance gets flagged by the spellchecker. Maybe that was the basis for his choice.

Isn't is possible to 'add' those items to the dictionary so that they are no longer flagged?