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Mailing List Logs for ShadowRN

Message no. 1
From: TLOVELL <TLOVELL@*****.FERRIS.EDU>
Subject: bad spelling WHY????????
Date: Thu, 2 Mar 1995 21:07:05 EST
Dear All of You Wonderful Runners
I have recently made one discovery about most of your letters.
Hmmmmmm, What could it be? No not Satan, but all of your wonderful
spelling and grammar errors,Yes I know that this isn't English class,
but come on people lets have a little pride in what we do.
I am the first person to say that people that do role-play have
superior imagination and minds, so don't prove me wrong. Use either
your spellcheck or proof read what you send before you send it.


Thanks alot,
The Ded Boy "Captain Courage"
Message no. 2
From: Chris Ryan <chrisr@****.QUT.EDU.AU>
Subject: Re: bad spelling WHY????????
Date: Fri, 3 Mar 1995 12:31:04 --1000
Greetings,

The bad spelling that you mention is closely related to other
little problems people seem to suffer when using email/News.

Fortunately I have your recent missive here to highlight these
problems.

Quoted in full, minus the .sig:

> Dear All of You Wonderful Runners
> I have recently made one discovery about most of your letters.
> Hmmmmmm, What could it be? No not Satan, but all of your wonderful
> spelling and grammar errors,Yes I know that this isn't English class,
> but come on people lets have a little pride in what we do.
> I am the first person to say that people that do role-play have
> superior imagination and minds, so don't prove me wrong. Use either
> your spellcheck or proof read what you send before you send it.

Problem 1: Incorrect usage and lack of appropriate punctuation.

Problem 2: Lousy formatting, disregarding basic netiquette.

Problem 3: Hypocrisy, often quoted as "Pot calling the Kettle black".

Problem 4: Wasting bandwidth with off-topic messages.

Having transgressed myself with at least "Problem 4", I shall now
retire to my corner and lurk again.

:-)

Chris

Chris Ryan | Earthdawn List: earthdawn@*****.iquest.com
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Message no. 3
From: Damion Milliken <adm82@***.EDU.AU>
Subject: Re: bad spelling WHY????????
Date: Fri, 3 Mar 1995 16:40:08 +1100
Hello,

I just thought I'd put in my two cents worth on the bad spelling debate.
Sure, it is annoying to see badly formatted and badly written postings, but
I wouldn't be getting too picky and uppity about them if I were you. The
Internet is an international community, and for many of the people on here
English is a second language (for some it isn't even their second). It would
be nice to expect people to post perfectly grammatically correct posts with
entirely correct spelling, but isn't that a little too wishful? Formatting
and proof reading takes time and effort, something not everyone can afford
or has. Many people have high volumes of mail to read and reply to, some
have bodgey systems to work with (I know I do, in one lab the terminals are
lacking cursor arrow keys - it is a complete _bitch_ to make alterations to
text after you've written it). The world is not ideal, everything cannot be
perfect. Mosts posts of this nature, while more difficult to read and
comprehend, can still usually be understood by the reader. The writer of a
badly worded, poorly proof read, non grammitacally correct or horribly
formatted post pays his price in a reduced audience for his posting. People
will not take the time and effort to decipher what he has written.

Now while it may seem that I am defending bad posts, I'm not really. I think
people should take a little care in what they send to lists such as this,
and should obey conventions on such topics as quoting previously posted
material. But people should be a little more tolerent of mistakes and the
occasional stuff up in formatting or grammar. People who are, for example
bad typists, have to labour over their postings as it is, give them a bit of
a break on the exactities of formatting and spelling. If someone repeatedly
posts very badly organised work, or has atrocious spelling or grammar, then
perhaps they need to improve their abilties somewhat, but I wouldn't slam
them for it, nor would I slam soemone who posts the odd bad piece.

--
Damion Milliken University of Wollongong E-mail: adm82@***.edu.au

(GEEK CODE 2.1) GE -d+@ H s++:-- !g p0 !au a18 w+ v(?) C++ US++>+++ P+ L !3
E? N K- W M@ !V po@ Y+ t+ 5 !j R+(++) G(+)('''') !tv(--@)
b++ D B? e+ u@ h* f+ !r n----(--)@ !y+
Message no. 4
From: Luke Kendall <luke@********.CANON.OZ.AU>
Subject: Re: bad spelling WHY????????
Date: Fri, 3 Mar 1995 17:14:34 +1100
For me, the care that someone takes in layout, sentence construction,
organisation of ideas, and care with spelling and grammar is part of
the whole `communication thing'.

I'm much more likely to read, understand, and appreciate a well-
constructed posting. In a way, it's the equivalent of clothing
and personal grooming in cyberspace.

So some people appear slovenly, but that doesn't mean their ideas
won't be interesting. You can't force people to _write_ the way you'd
like them to, just as you can't force people to _dress_ the way you'd
like. Unless you're in the army. :-)

I just think of it as part of one's Net personality.

luke
Message no. 5
From: Gurth <gurth@******.NL>
Subject: Re: bad spelling WHY????????
Date: Fri, 3 Mar 1995 11:20:55 +0100
>for many of the people on here
>English is a second language (for some it isn't even their second).

True, however I noted that the people making the worst grammar/spelling
mistakes are Americans and, to a lesser extent, Englishmen -- and you're not
telling me they speak English as a second language :)

>It would
>be nice to expect people to post perfectly grammatically correct posts with
>entirely correct spelling, but isn't that a little too wishful?

That would be wishful thinking -- nobody's perfect, but might I add that it
IMHO can get pretty annoying reading spelling mistakes in every other word.
People spelling words like "separately" as "siperitaly" (OK, overdoing
it a
bit, but it comes close enough some of the things I've seen).

>If someone repeatedly
>posts very badly organised work, or has atrocious spelling or grammar, then
>perhaps they need to improve their abilties somewhat

Exactly.


Gurth@******.nl - Gurth@***.nl - http://www.xs4all.nl/~gurth/index.html
Walk this world with me
Geek Code v2.1: GS/AT/! -d+ H s:- !g p?(3) !au a>? w+(+++) v*(---) C+(++) U
P? !L !3 E? N++ K- W+ -po+(po) Y+ t(+) 5 !j R+(++)>+++$ tv+(++) b+@ D+(++)
B? e+ u+@ h! f--(?) !r(--)(*) n---->!n y?
Message no. 6
From: Damion Milliken <adm82@***.EDU.AU>
Subject: Re: bad spelling WHY????????
Date: Fri, 3 Mar 1995 22:45:49 +1100
Gurth writes:

> True, however I noted that the people making the worst grammar/spelling
> mistakes are Americans and, to a lesser extent, Englishmen -- and you're not
> telling me they speak English as a second language :)

That is pretty slack then, I agree. Those people should clean up their act a
little.

> That would be wishful thinking -- nobody's perfect, but might I add that it
> IMHO can get pretty annoying reading spelling mistakes in every other word.
> People spelling words like "separately" as "siperitaly" (OK,
overdoing it a
> bit, but it comes close enough some of the things I've seen).

Most spelling mistakes are ones nearly everyone makes, such as "runenrs"
instead of "runners", and "soem" instead of "some". These
are easily
determinable as what they should be. Most posts I've read do not have
excessive spelling errors anyway. Grammar errors tend to be more of a
problem though, since they can easily cloud the intended meaning of what
someone has typed. They also tend to be more difficult to pick up and fix up
too.

--
Damion Milliken University of Wollongong E-mail: adm82@***.edu.au

(GEEK CODE 2.1) GE -d+@ H s++:-- !g p0 !au a18 w+ v(?) C++ US++>+++ P+ L !3
E? N K- W M@ !V po@ Y+ t+ 5 !j R+(++) G(+)('''') !tv(--@)
b++ D B? e+ u@ h* f+ !r n----(--)@ !y+
Message no. 7
From: The Bastard Child of God <goehrigd@****.CANISIUS.EDU>
Subject: Re: bad spelling WHY????????
Date: Fri, 3 Mar 1995 07:42:45 -0500
On Thu, 2 Mar 1995, TLOVELL wrote:

> Dear All of You Wonderful Runners

> I have recently made one discovery about most of your letters.

OOOOOHHHHH.... I could have told you this one..

> Hmmmmmm, What could it be? No not Satan,

Darn.

> but all of your wonderful
> spelling and grammar errors,

Me speeling is well.

> Yes I know that this isn't English class,
> but come on people lets have a little pride in what we do.

I gots pride juist I aint got no grammarmatical skills..

> I am the first person to say that people that do role-play have
> superior imagination and minds, so don't prove me wrong. Use either
> your spellcheck or proof read what you send before you send it.
>
I don't have a spell check and I don't know my grammar rules
I skipped all those classes to learn music...

_____________________________________________________
| "Deaf And Blind And Dumb And Born To Follow, |
| What You Need Is Someone Strong to Guide You." |
|_____________________________________________________|
|Goehrigd@********.bitnet | Goehrigd@****.canisius.edu|
|_____________________________________________________|

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