How anal-retentive are you? (DU edition)

[Bossy Monkey]

I am torn. Speaking only for myself, I appreciate that if I would go back on SSRIs, grammatical errors, spelling errors and typos would no longer seem like a major concern. I can grasp, in other words, that thinking this stuff is important is a reflection on me, rather than on other DUers. On the other hand, we are here presumably to communicate and therefore it would be better the more clearly we do so. A simple way to increase clarity is to proofread. This being the 21st century and everything, it isn't like checking spelling is some kind of major challenge. DU's Spellcheck seems to work ok, or you can just open another window and google the questioned word, then cut and paste the correct spelling into your post. This takes maybe 10 seconds and is what I usually do.

Full disclosure: I just proofread and proofread and proofread my own threads; I am trying to overcome the tendency to post corrections as replies after my editing window runs out, having grasped that nobody but me gives a shit. I only post corrections to other people's errors if they are searching for information on a subject and it seems like the misspelling is going to interfere with their success. Now tell me how many brazilian typos I have in this one :P

[jukes]

1. ssri's are not the answer

just quit thinking you're the boss of me!


seriously, this is an *informal* msg board; none of us are working on a doctoral thesis here.

we're merely expressing views, not writing for publication.

think of it as e.e. cummings poetry.

i type poorly because:

i type poorly.
i've incurred serious injuries to my hands over the years due to a picaresque lifestyle, and age is adding the insult of arthritis to my injuries.
i usually have a cat in my lap demanding at least one hand pay attention to cats.
it's a personal conceit.
i like pissing off tightasses.


now take a deep breath and let it out slowly!


if you obsess over your own typing, that's merely your mode of expression, but it wd seem to indicate some O/C tendencies. let it go! be free to misspell or use a comma instead of a semi-colon! you're a liberal, dammit!

[Bossy Monkey]

5. I'm a liberal on political issues. Re: English I haven't approved of any

changes since Beowulf. And I was a little iffy about it, too.:D

SSRIs are the answer for me; not necessarily for anyone else. Unfortunately I'm all 'fraidy-cat about liver damage, so I probably won't be taking them again. They worked well otherwise. (Anyway, Luvox did.)

Sympathies on arthritic hands. Soon to be empathies; my mom had RA and I take after her in most things. Wheee!

[Name removed]

11. Deleted message

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[Bossy Monkey]

15. Saw your reply to my reply before it disappeared; looked fine to me

I'm doing well. But can I pleeeeeeeease correct your puncuation of e e cummings? :hide: :P

[Name removed]

19. Deleted message

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[Bossy Monkey]

20. No periods (I was just kidding, by the way) n/t

[jukes]

22. no offense taken

if i added periods i was "oopsie"ing. meant to be particularly bauhaus in that post!

[Name removed]

21. Deleted message

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[jukes]

24. read the whole thread

you'll note some deleted posts.


not everything is about you.

[Bossy Monkey]

26. Hahaha! I can't spell "punctuation" even within the context of being

an anal-retentive a--hole! Laugh on me! :P

[GirlinContempt]

2. I don't really know how to vote

On the one hand, typos aren't a huge deal. I know I make them, and don't always catch them. Ditto spelling errors.

On the other hand, there is that breed of poster that is nearly unintelligible due to bad spelling, grammar, typing, or all of the above. That makes me crazy. Some people argue the message is more important than the presentation, but in some cases I disagree. If you can't be bothered to type out full words, use any punctuation, spell 4 letter words right, or correct 20+ typos in your post, how important can that message be to YOU? Reading some of those posts, to me, is like seeing someone in mismatched, dirty, smelly clothes who hasn't showered, with their shirt half un-tucked and one shoe on. They might have something fantastic to share with the world, but they give the impression of being a lazy uncaring slob.

[Oeditpus Rex]

3. Not to mention

that Other People read these forums and draw conclusions about "libs" — as we do about Freepers.

I'd hope that on that count, if nothing else, we'd try a bit harder.

Yano wut im sayin? This is HUGH!!!11

[GirlinContempt]

4. I hear you

:)

[jukes]

12. they'll find a reason to judge us harshly

despite our best efforts.

some folks are just like that.

[Name removed]

14. Deleted sub-thread

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[ContraBass Black]

16. Just click the word "vote" on the right beside the choice that applies.

Oh, wait, you mean.... Ok, I'm an idiot, but this is funny enough that I'm going to post it anyway.

[GirlinContempt]

17. Har de har har

;)

[Haole Girl]

6. My spelling and grammar are both so poor

that I don't think it matters when I proofread! :hi:

[Haole Girl]

7. By the way, I think it's interesting that you show which city you

live in (in your profile), while your user name is undisclosedlocation! ;-)

[Bossy Monkey]

9. Right. It was just a joke on Cheney, which I immediately regretted

when people started pointing this out as if it were some incredibly original joke. Thanks for just mentioning it in passing as interesting.:hi:

[jukes]

13. now i'm embarrassed for teasing you

in my 1st response!

:blush:

[redqueen]

8. I try not to correct anyone else,

but I do notice, and it bothers me. Neurotic, I know.

I try to correct all of mine, and only sometimes am I overly concerned about it. At least that's how I perceive it... in someone else's opinion I may be obsessing about it constantly.

[Major Hogwash]

10. I can't answer this question.

Does that answer your question about just how anal I am?

LoL

[Hugin]

18. I am quite the opposite...

That's how I am.

[LaurenG]

23. If it wouldn't hurt someones feelings

I'd love to guess which two DU'ers picked the last one but since it probably would I won't.:rofl: Of the two I'm thinking of, one would have done it as a joke the other is series!11!! about it.

[Bossy Monkey]

27. I was curious as well; I imagine both votes were ironical in intent

(Wait for it... somebody will turn up momentarily to tell me that "ironical" isn't a word.:D)

[jukes]

25. i've enjoyed your thread

better leave now or it will get lokt because of the rage being displayed.

see you later

jukes

[hyphenate]

28. My brain has been getting

fuzzy lately, so while I do a cursory proof on my own stuff, I seldom add posts to apologize for typos I missed. I've been working with shitty keyboards and will be happy to go back to the ergo keyboard soon.

I cringe sometimes about other people's obvious spelling errors, and have made comments in the past if I feel it's important. I tend to bite my lip about some grammatical errors, like people not knowing the difference between "it's" and "its" which is one of the most seen boo-boos everywhere I look. I also don't care to see "there" "they're" and "their" much, though it happens. One of the ones I wrote about some time ago in the past is the word that follows a "wish" sentence--it is never "was"--it is always "were."

Regardless, the one MAJOR thing I really want to see, though, on DU, is greater vocabularies. I encourage people to use Thesauruses and Dictionaries, and increase their word choices when they write. I suppose it's a futile hope, though, but it is always great to see people use synonyms in their work and not the same tired words over and over again.

[dysfunctional press]

29. i lose respect for people who can't figure out "there, their, they're "...

and "your, you're, yore", among others.