Open Association of Landscape Industries
Forum presentation and spelling
Considering I spend a lot of my time writing (professionally??) I do make lots of spelling mistakes and grammatical errors.
However, I do strive for the best possible result I can and I constantly review my work and make changes, add content or improve layout all the time.
Many people see a forum as shorthand - a bit like text messaging slang. It seems that a quickly fired off message, without capitals, punctuation or formatting is acceptable - it's an instant way of making a point.
However, stop and think a little; this forum, in fact the whole site, is a shop window for 'you'.
I understand that in the garden you might be a different person and literacy skills don't come into your daily work but as far as impressions go, what a client might read here, does count towards them making their decisions - rightly or wrongly - about you and/or your business and service.
Before you post into any of the forum or blog topics, have a little think about how your text reads, how the spelling looks, how the page is laid out etc.
White space (the buffer between paragraphs) is your friend - use the white space to separate long blocks of text. Make sure that capitals are in the right place too.
If you are starting a new post in the forum then you will always have editing permission for the initial post (like the one I am writing here) so you can go back at any time and edit the text, add further info or pictures.
There is however, less flexibility when adding a reply or further information using the text box below the main forum post.
The author of the text has fifteen minutes in which to make changes (hover the cursor over the text and you will notice the whole text block turn yellow, double click on it and you can return to the editing box.
Make any changes and press save.
There are a number of spell checking add-on's for web browsers which underline wrongly spelt words, right clicking gives the author the option to change the erroneous word to the right one.
Tags: presentation, professionalism, spelling
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Geoffrey King North Yorkshire on -
Not if, as a consequence your meaning is lost or misunderstood.
One of my constant responses to 'no not now' for example is, so do you mean, 'yes now' or 'not now'.
I just can't help responding that way.
Ian @ redbarrow.com said:Thinking about it, as long as you manage to get your message 'over the net' i.e. it is received and understood by the recipient; shouldn't the odd typo, or poor grammar, only matter to the pedant or the grammar stasi??!!
I expect you recall this old nugget doing the rounds a few years back :)
Olny srmat poelpe can raed tihs.
I cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was rdanieg. The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid, aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoatnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae.
The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit a porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Amzanig huh?
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Permalink Reply by David Channon on -
I agree up to a point Phil.
However, I also know that what's important here is the message itself and not the quality of the medium used to transmit it. The plant and not the compost!
A lot of those visiting here are stronger in the more practical arenas of life than in the written ones. But Landscape is a largely practical trade.
I would rather read a good point badly written than not have that point made at all.
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Permalink Reply by Rhianne Griffiths on -
Best advice - only takes a little longer but so much better than leaving silly errors!
Kerrie John-The garden design Co said:I make dreadful mistakes!
If wanting to post a long discussion reply or sometimes a blog, I write it in Word first, correct it then copy and paste.
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Permalink Reply by Rhianne Griffiths on
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Ian - Reminds me of the 'secret writing code' my 14 year old developed, so that she and her pals could communicate in private in chat-rooms. LOL!
Ian @ redbarrow.com said:Thinking about it, as long as you manage to get your message 'over the net' i.e. it is received and understood by the recipient; shouldn't the odd typo, or poor grammar, only matter to the pedant or the grammar stasi??!!
I expect you recall this old nugget doing the rounds a few years back :)
Olny srmat poelpe can raed tihs.
I cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was rdanieg. The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid, aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoatnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae.
The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit a porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Amzanig huh?
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