Why can't people spell or use proper grammar in their questions or answers on Fluther?

I’ve seen so many errors that I know are because of the iPhone’s horrible auto-suggest feature. That doesn’t account for all of them but it certainly adds to it.

Watt r u tawking aboot? Aye havent’ knowticed a ting.

Laziness and a lack of education.

or use or multiple or times or

Because they have been taught by their peers and by a failing educational system that mechanics are subservient to self-expression, when in fact mechanics are the very fabric of self-expression.

I half agree with rawpixels – the laziness part. Most people who type answers to tech support questions are fairly well educated. Another reason might be that English is their second (or sometimes third or fourth) language.

I agree, it is laziness. Back in the day I used to get on people for it, but their response was: “this I’d the Internet, it isnt school, so leave me be”.

For some reason there is a disconnect that should not exist. I know most of my generation doesn’t have this issue; but the one right behind me is horrible. There, they’re, their; your, you’re; the usage of all of these are mangled beyond comprehension.

The only viable solution I can see is this: If it bothers you, politely send a whisper and mention that Fluther is a forum where grammar and spelling matter.

In defense of the iPhone, all of my posts have been done on it. The it shouldn’t be blamed so much for grammar issues.. Most errors are completely wrong words – “chew hairy”, anyone? It can also mess up particles such as if, of, an, etc…

Spelling errors should be nonexistent because it offers corrections for every word.

Heh, it got me. Touchè.

“The it”

I’m on my iPhone right now waiting for my class to start, and I just don’t care about correcting to much if people get the idea of what I’m trying to say. Thank God for the auto correct, ... Now if I were at home sitting on my computer, I’d try my best to use proper grammar, but when do I actually have time to do that? I wish I had time to breathe let alone worry about my grammar…

But you see, your input from the iPhone is as important as your input from the computer. Here on Fluther, clarity matters, and the burden should not be on the reader to decipher what is meant. The iPhone has a full keyboard and is not “just a cell phone”, it is a mobile Internet device.

It’s the main reason for the quote “Check your work, then… Answer!”

;)

This only happens on Fluther? I have always been irritated by people who post in online forums/communities who don’t try to use proper grammar or even spell words correctly. Its part of the online culture. For most people, we were taught rules for writing essays and papers. No one ever laid down the rules for online grammar, so people make up their own.

aw it is important?? Thankyou! :)
seriously, I’ll try my hardest on my full keyboard squirbel… Even If it takes me all day. Will that make you all happy????? Whew… That took me forever just to type right now.

It kind of annoys me also.

seriously, does it matter that much to you all???
I’m very much into proper grammar, and laziness isn’t good… I’m just saying, the other day I said “jk” and I seriously got verbally attacked. Just by typing in TWO words… Because I guess I was sooo lazy.

@TheHaight—It is a pointless battle since people are going to do whatever the crap they want to do. The question was asked and we’re all just giving our opinions as to why people choose to communicate this way.

@TheHaight: posting poor grammar on a public site is like going out in public with spinach in your teeth, mismatched socks, and unkempt hair. You may be the smartest person in a ten-mile radius, but all people have to judge you on is what you write, and if it’s misspelled and poorly punctuated you don’t come across looking very good.

@cwilbur
I totally agree with that, I DO use proper grammar and once in a while don’t. I just want to know why people can be so extreme sometimes, like I last stated I just said “jk” once (and I was new at the time too, so didnt know people would get sooo upset) and got attacked!!! I was like “oh my.. I’m kinda reluctant on stating my opinion on here”.... :(

I dont really care about my grammar online. I’m not writing a paper for class, in fact I’m probably in class most of the time on my iPhone trying to type with my little finger as fast as I can. I type things like idk/idc and u and jk because its the internet. I’m not going to get fired from my job for using shorthand. All u can do is complain and all I can do is ignore ur complaints.

@nayeight: you won’t get fired from your job, but you’ll look like an idiot in public. Your public image, your call.

nayeight’s thinking is exactly what I was talking about. That generation sees the Internet as a place to be whatever and not care.

But the Internet is a social place, it is still a public arena and the way you carry yourself does matter.

The upside is that nayeight’s generation is producing great blackmail material. Start collecting today so that you can influence people in dark and devious ways tomorrow!

@squirbel – What does it matter since most people are dishonest about their identity online? Is their online identity truly a representation of who they are?

I dont really see the internet as public. I mean, I could ask a really embarassing question on here and I wouldnt really care what people thought of me, as long as I got the answer to the question. I dont care what people think of me on the internet. Its so big and there’s so many other screwed up people on here that most of the time nobody cares

I don’t think it really matters unless- your on more of a public place such as a facebook or myspace kinda website were a manager could see a picture of you doing something innappropriate. I’ve heard about people getting fired from that sort of stuff .. But on here, your identity is more concealed

Exactly, but I dont really care about my grammar on facebook or myspace either. Its the internet people, not a job interview

you don’t care about that either? Do you have a job?

It is not difficult to discover who you really are.

For example: fluther more private, no names have to be displayed, etc
myspace or facebook: your name is displayed in big letters with pictures of yourself for the public to see, so your saying that It wouldnt matter If you had a picture of you doing crystal Meth or something and your say…. An elementary school teacher?

@ccatron: You have made a faulty generalization in saying that “most” people create false personas. If you want me to even begin debating there, cite some sources to prove you are serious and I will meet you.

y do u think there’s so many more people doing porn on the internet? They think with all the other porn out there its a pretty slim chance that dear old dad will stumble across dirty diana giving bjs to big black men. And if he did, the real question would be what was he doing on the site in the first place?

Ok whoa. I dont do crystal meth and if I did y would u post that on facebook? There are boundaries people I was talking about grammar. Geez. And yes I do have a job & I’m friends with my boss on myspace

@squirbel – you’re right, I chose the wrong word…I should have said “a lot” instead of “most”.

@theHaight – you only have to post what you want people to see on social networking sites. Obviously, someone would be a moron to post a picture of them self doing meth with their name posted on their myspace. Sadly enough, I guess there are people who do this.

even if someone did find out who I was online. What are they going to do? Show up at my house and tell my family that I have herpes because I asked about it in a forum…..yeah right

exactly! And people DO post crazy things like that and SAY crazy things as well. You should watch what you say sometimes or how you say it. Which leads to correct grammar at certain times.

I’m just saying that maybe some people make a big deal out of the incorrect grammar thing.

I think they kinda do on here, but at times it is important. I think it is important on myspace or facebook, because I do have managers as friends as well. But like I said, on here your more concealed

Well what better place to ask a question about herpes when u have herpes & ur horrible at spelling and grammar than fluther? Lol JK , guys, JK

yeah, like I said for the third time.. All I said was jk and its like all hell broke loose.

and fyi, I do edit my responses if I see that they dont make sense

lol I know people who literally say JK when they’re just joking

Because people can’t spell or use grammer. The fact they are on Fluther makes no difference.

Grammar :D

(hides in a corner)

Laugh out loud.

yup I’m an idiot

were all idiots in our own way :)

sweet of you to say

For @#$% sake, can you people get a chat room or a myspace page or something?

Haha I thought you were the same person because of a glance of the same picture. Cwilbur, are you ok?

Chatter is considered private here, I think that’s what he’s getting at. Fluther.com has its customs – the best way I can explain it is that questions and answers need to be well-spoken and on topic – almost like a wiki. :)

I would love to be able to type at a moderate pace with correct grammar, but with the ipod’s keys being so small, and the auto-correct feature oftentimes changing a slighty misspelled word to something entirly different it has become very challenging.

Note: this took approx. 5 minutes

there is a new language evolving. languages do this. some of us are left out because we can’t text or read text messages, so we try to get snooty, but really we’re just bewildered. for example it took a long time for me to read through this exchange – one of my favorites ever – to teach myself what jk means. but now I know. Ta da. We learn as we go.
We need to be bilingual. Would someone who does a lot of texting be willing to give us a little glossary? so the old folks can begin to catch up?

I am young – I grew up with texting. I am also a gamer, and I talk gamer. It has its place, and this is not it. If Fluther goes down and starts accepting just any grammar, I know for sure that I will leave. This is what attracted me in the beginning.

@susanhc: it’s not a new language. It’s a different slangy register of an old language.

When you have dinner with the Queen, you speak a different register of English than you do when you have dinner with your parents; and both of those are different than the register of English you speak when you’re out on a Friday night with your friends.

SMS-speak and k3wlt0k gibberish is the wrong register of speech for Fluther, just as it is the wrong register of speech for school and most workplaces. It’s not that I don’t understand SMS-speak and MySpace-caliber shorthand, it’s that I think it’s inappropriate here and using it shows that the person using it is ignorant, disrespectful, or lazy.

@cwilbur

I’m not sure one person can really decide what register is correct and which is not. If the majority of fluther users use l33t txt skills then that will be acceptable. I’d even say there can be a range of registers
accepted on fluther.

And the issue is not only one of register but mode. We have several modes that we as a modern Internet connected society use, each with its own registers. Speech, handwritten, and typed on a full keyboard are the three people quickly identify.

Buy we have to include thumb keyboard, phone pad. They are their own mode. These two examples are a change is mode but not register:

Wd u like 2 goto dinnr?

Would you like to go to dinner?

When fluther opened it self up to mobile users with it came different ways of communicating. And the point of communication is not to point out how much better you are at it, but to be understood. And we as humans have the amazing ability of being able to understand things that aren’t presented to them in the “standard” way.

That’s an understandable point, Noon. But the iPhone, the mobile device in question [other mobiles can’t handle the ajax well enough to be functional, much less data costs], has a full keyboard. Granted it is small, but when you get used to it – it is as big as you need. My posts are made on it…. not much trouble there.

Txt talk is obsolete on the iPhone – that’s my point I suppose.

/sigh

[Just thought about this] It takes twice as much effort to try and type text speak on the iphone because you have to erase all the corrections it makes automatically. The iPhone automatically makes the changes – you have to consciously refuse its suggestion to negate the correction.

@Noon: the problem is that there are two channels in the conversation. One is the message you’re trying to send; the other is the means you use to send the message.

When you don’t use proper English in the right register, you look ignorant. If you don’t care, by all means, carry on; but arguing that the medium you’re using prevents you from being correct doesn’t do anything to dispel the perception that you’re lazy.

And if, as squirbel notes, you have to actively refuse autocorrection to use SMS-speak, it seems that you’re actively volunteering to be seen as ignorant and lazy.

If that’s the image you want to project, by all means, carry on.

@cwilbur
I never said that the medium hinders it, I’m saying that it influences it. I too post most of my answers with my iphone (hence most of my spelling mistakes not being corrected)

My iphone cuts my wpm in about half without me going back to correct it. That is a huge difference in the way I can communicate.

As far as viewing someone as ignorant because of an inappropriate use of register, that is your choice. I’ll go on reading the meaning of what they had to say, and judge them on that. Assuming someone is ignorant based on an accent, grammar, or register is elitist. If you want to do that, fine, but you may be missing out on some amazing questions and answers.

Actually on that note, the majority of questions on fluther I would classify as “ignorant” and “stupid” have been written in perfect English. And judging by your answers to these questions, you would call them ignorant as well ;-)

Of course I’m an elitist; I want the best things I can get with my time and money. I want to associate with the most interesting people and have the most interesting discussions.

It doesn’t seem to me to be reasonable to want anything else. Why settle for second-best when the best is available?