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Have you ever noticed that on social networks the spelling can become, well, a little sloppy?
What does this mean to you? Does it tick you off? Or do you believe that it’s part of the fast-paced, casual atmosphere of the social media environment?
With tweets, I can forgive a typo – particulary if it’s from a mobile application. Those tiny keys on your mobile aren’t always your friend, are they?
But it’s absolutely unforgivable if somebody creates a Facebook group and has mistakes in the group name. So I’ve very happily joined the Facebook group: I’d join your group but there are spelling errors in the title.
Now, I’m no grammar queen. I’ll leave that to my good friends at Leviathancomms. Heck, I know I shouldn’t have started a sentence with ‘but’ (as I did earlier in this blog).
But spelling when you’
re creating something, when you’re promoting a business online, when you’re writing about yourself and building your own personal brand? Come on!
I’ve noticed that age makes no difference. I looked up a former colleague on Facebook and read her profile. She had listed her children’s names without capitalising them. She’s in her 50s. What had possessed her? She wouldn’t have let happen in an office document. Why let it slip through on the internet, where people search for you and, frankly, judge you?
It gets worse when texting lingo and shortcuts enter the fray. A family member’s status updates are barely decipherable. Take these examples:
Wld lyk 2 know wtf....happend 2 my hotmail n facebook accounts, it said username/p-w unknown..lyk wtf...so i had 2 reset em both
OMFG..Im getting SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO frustrated, trying 2 load a pic bt its taking 4 eva cuz everytym I load a pic frm my dig. Camera its huge..YYYYYYYYYYYYYY????????
One final thought: social media is about sharing. You’ve joined in because you’ve got something to say. If you want people to read your message, slow down and get the spelling right.
What does this mean to you? Does it tick you off? Or do you believe that it’s part of the fast-paced, casual atmosphere of the social media environment?
With tweets, I can forgive a typo – particulary if it’s from a mobile application. Those tiny keys on your mobile aren’t always your friend, are they?
But it’s absolutely unforgivable if somebody creates a Facebook group and has mistakes in the group name. So I’ve very happily joined the Facebook group: I’d join your group but there are spelling errors in the title.
Now, I’m no grammar queen. I’ll leave that to my good friends at Leviathancomms. Heck, I know I shouldn’t have started a sentence with ‘but’ (as I did earlier in this blog).
But spelling when you’
re creating something, when you’re promoting a business online, when you’re writing about yourself and building your own personal brand? Come on!I’ve noticed that age makes no difference. I looked up a former colleague on Facebook and read her profile. She had listed her children’s names without capitalising them. She’s in her 50s. What had possessed her? She wouldn’t have let happen in an office document. Why let it slip through on the internet, where people search for you and, frankly, judge you?
It gets worse when texting lingo and shortcuts enter the fray. A family member’s status updates are barely decipherable. Take these examples:
Wld lyk 2 know wtf....happend 2 my hotmail n facebook accounts, it said username/p-w unknown..lyk wtf...so i had 2 reset em both
OMFG..Im getting SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO frustrated, trying 2 load a pic bt its taking 4 eva cuz everytym I load a pic frm my dig. Camera its huge..YYYYYYYYYYYYYY????????
One final thought: social media is about sharing. You’ve joined in because you’ve got something to say. If you want people to read your message, slow down and get the spelling right.
Spelling mistakes can be frustrating, but it is also amusing to see who makes them. I often catch myself writing posts on Facebook with "you're" instead of "your"...I mostly manage to delete and repost them before anyone notices.
The thing is though, I don't think many people (except us brilliant professional comms people) do really notice...or care. I think it's the substance of the message that really matters, not the way it is written.
Lol, mybe u lyk jst need 2 get bettr @ readin genY txt ;)
That's what I was afraid of ...
'way to make me feel old Sam. :)
Your Facebook example would make me cringe. I think if you have the opportunity to spell correctly, then you should.
I think in twitter though, the character limit can sometimes force you to cut the odd corner here and there. Sometimes, no matter how economical you are with your words, there's no other option but to be economical with your letters. So 'to' can become '2', 'at' becomes '@' and vowels start to get dropped until you're <140.
Then there's the slang element. L337 speak carries its own social connotations so may be the preferred choice for some exponents as it identifies them as being part of a certain clique. Language is like that, and I see L337 as being a bit like a written accent.
Ultimately, I think there's a clear distinction to be made between deliberate alternative spelling choices and plain sloppiness. The former can be socially relevant, the latter is unforgivable.
Yes! Socially relevant spelling: love it.
I do laugh when people misspell on social media platforms and end up using the same number of characters as they would, had they spelt correctly in the first place! :) That's just trying too hard ...
Michelle, I do like the examples used.
Or shld I say i rlly lyk d xampls u usd..LOL :p
Ha ha! Is that you Karen? Or should I say: is that you, our Karen?
Yes, it is Your Karen..lol