Is spelling and grammar in chat/forums important?

I've seen this topic come up a few times, usually OT in a thread, so I'm asking it here for personal advice on how much time someone should spend spelling, etc.

Some of you already know English is not my 1st language. It takes me a long time to reply to a post. I use 'spellcheck' and reread everything, and I'm sure I still make mistakes. I often have to use my translation Widget 'cause I get mixed up with certain words. Sometimes I have to rewrite a whole sentence because I just don't know how to spell a word and can't find it in the dictionary (because, of course, I can't spell it, lol) I'm starting to think I'm wasting my time - no one probably cares one way or another as long as my point comes across...

Inworld, it makes chatting really hard for me. I end up only typing very short comments and wonder if people think I'm dense, with nothing substantial to add to a conversation.

What do you think? Should I just relax my standards a little? Any advice?

*Edited the title because of, you guessed it, grammar!

I only find it important in intimate times or when dealing with business.

However, using 'u' '2' 'r', etc annoys the hell out of me in any medium.

It depends on the situation I think. If you ask a question in the forums about something technical, it might help if you pay attention to grammar and spelling. In SL itself... well... I try to get spelling and grammar correct (english isn't my 1st language either), especially in RP setting with more emotes than actual speech. I can imagine though that when it comes to quick responses spelling and grammar aren't your first priority.

And, to be honest, the way people write in chat does have influence on the way I view them. I have noticed that I am less inclined to start a conversation with people using MSNspeak or whatever it is called.

To some degree, it is extremely important.
However, the odd mistake does not really matter as long as the post is read how it should.

If you miss out a piece of punctuation which changes the meaning of the sentance, then that is not good.

No comment on the "is it important" question, or the forums.

But for inworld, let me share something I used to do when I was working with a German company, often in IM, and spoke only the lamest tourist German.

I kept a text file around with common German phrases, and just quickly cut-and-pasted them into the IM whenever I needed. So, I could very quickly say "forgive my bad german, but ..." and "I have a comment, let me take a moment to figure out how to say it in german!" and "Pardon me, I don't speak German, could you say that another way?"

You could do the same with a notecard that you just always keep minimized on your screen, might speed up some common inworld interactions, and make folks more understanding.

Spelling etc is usually important to me, even in chat rooms and forums. I too get really irked by 'r' and 'u' etc but I have used those myself at times. It all depends on the situation. Sometimes I am in a real rush to say something witty or to help and I shorten my words but always try to make sure it can be understood by all involved. I've been out of the 'chat' world for quite some time so I am trying to get my typing speed back up so I can use full words even when in a hurry!

It's each to their own really.

I'll be honest.. I usually mix "chat speak" and correct spelling..But it doesn't bother me that others use "chat speak" with me. As long as i can figure out the meaning of the letters mixed together...lol

I think my annoyance level is pretty tightly tied with the apparent effort somebody puts into making themselves understood. If somebody makes some mistakes but is trying, it's all good. If they're just being lazy, that's annoying.

In the forums, I think people forget too often that English is not everyones first language. I don't get worked up about spelling, but I do get frustrated when there's a huge post with no spaces or paragraphs.

In chat, I am a big user of chat speak such as y and r and u. I make no defense other than it makes sense to me. I don't get upset when people make spelling errors either. It's going to happen. We are all frequently chatting very fast. What bothers me more actually is when people see the need to correct their spelling errors when it was obviously what they were trying to say to begin with. Here's an example:

Chat: My fahter and I went shopping yesterday.
Chat: *father

To me it was damn obvious they meant father. There was no need to correct it. It throws the conversation off by doing so.

Just my opinion.

I do think there's a difference between in-world chat and forums posts. On the forums, spacing your post might be more important than spelling since even if a 10 paragraph post is perfect, noone can make much sense of it if it's all in a single block of text (or would bother trying to read that).

For me personally, things like "u" and "w8" are just intolerable. I just can't get myself to want to talk (or "listen" for that matter) to someone who can't take the trouble to spell three letter words.

Beyond pure laziness, I don't think grammar and spelling are really that important as long as people can still make sense of what you're trying to say . Especially for in-world chat you can err on the side of making a mistake versus having to stay quiet or fall behind on the conversation because you're looking something up.

If you're hesitating on a forum post you might want to occasionally take the time to check a word though (or copy/paste your post into Word or something similar), if only for your own benefit rather than other's .

If the spelling / word choice / sentence structure / formatting /or grammar makes it so readers have to noticeably slow down to read a post, then it matters.

That person is very unlikely to get people to take them seriously or to understand what they have posted.

Especially if they started a thread, since those people are looking for feedback.

Being able to spell well and compose a thought with correct grammar is always important. I'm not one for those short hand things people use either. I really try not to use them at all. I enjoy writing out my thoughts, being clear and concise. Words are beautiful, I want to use them, and use them well.

Here on the forum, most especially, I find it necessary but I would never point out a small mistake. We all make them now and then.

When conversing in large groups, or even between my friends, I certainly am not going to go ballistic for those small spelling errors either. I happen to type very well, but it's hard to go back and correct something in an IM window. I'm aware I typed it wrong, but I know the other person knows me well enough to realize what I meant, and vice versa.

When your thoughts are flying, you can't always be worried about how it looks. It isn't like here, where you have the time to reflect on what you want to say, how you want it to come across.

I do that all the time, I can't help myself!! I hate that I spelt it wrong in the first place and need to correct it for me!

Thank you for all the comments! If I understand correctly, I am NOT being anal if I recheck everything before posting on the forums. Inworld I don't use 'u' 'r', etc. I'm just not used to it... Nika, I love your suggestion,



especially the "...let me take a moment to figure out how to say it..." one. Ty

I agree with you completely.

If something is grouped together without any line breaks, I will skim through it or completely ignore it. If it has spaces between the relivent points, and has the significant points separated, I will notice it more and take it in better.

Typos = okay.

AOLSp34k = BAD.

Ha ha, by the time I replied, 7 other people posted

The pace of the forum is extremely frustrating!!

I was raised so that grammar was just as important as breathing. Perhaps this was because my parents were English teachers?

In my own opinion, good grammar is important to communicate effectively with others who are speaking the same language. If one does not know the language perfectly because it is not their first language it is always polite to say so at some point so the other person knows. It helps others to have more patience when trying to understand what you are saying.

When I go to Paris, I'll hopefully have a bit of the language under control. But I think it's important for me to know how to say "English is my first language I have just learned French, please bear with me." (Or something to that effect.) Otherwise, I may get ignored or misunderstood whereas if I had let someone know they may have had more patience and been able to help me find the right words . Of course I am sure that in France I would have a heavy English/American accent and it would be obvious lol...but this is just how I was taught and my own personal opinion.

So in writing on forums and elsewhere, you will find that there are tools to help you transalte your writing into English from most any language. My favorite is site Google Translation Tools. I use it often to communicate with others in SL who do not speak good English (and they usually say so too I'm sorry my English is bad" is what I hear a lot. So I ask to just type in their native language and I translate and type in their native language also. This may be a bit more work for me but it makes a lot of difference to folks who are looking for help.

I apologize if I wrote a book here, but I hope it I was able to give a different perspective. I wish you all the best!

~Maddy
oh, and ...
Anglais est ma première langue, je viens d'apprendre le français, s’il vous plaît garder avec moi

First off, your posts are alway a joy to read.You should be commended for the attention you pay to your writing. I set such a bad example at times. I am a sloppy writer myself, and a lazy proofreader I should take better notice before I hit send.

As the forum goes I think a reasonable effort to write coherently and intelligently, with an attempt at proper punctuation is appreciated. I don't care if it is the accepted from of communication, I have very little tolerance for posts that are nothing but chatspeak. and nothig will change my mind. Since these posts are archived and can be read by so many people, I think it's a nice reflection on yourself as to what you right. In world, I see it more as conversation that disappears once said, so making your points easily is important as opposed to keeping it for posterity.

One thing that amazes me and distresses me at the same time is how concerned and apologetic a lot of the non native English speakers are over their use of the language, and how a lot of us natives seem not to give a damn. I guess my answer is good for you for making the effort, but don't get too wrapped up in being perfect. It's the intent rather than the words.

If this is English as a second language, then good on you, its excellent! As I cannot speak any other languages, I applaud everyone who ever tries so hard with English.

I can manage two or three phrases in 3 languages is all, and feel guilty for that, but which language would I choose to learn fluently? My spelling is sometimes poor in my own language, so how could I ever complain?

I am sure that anyone who knows that English is your second language will be more than happy to wait for a response.

Katie and Brenda are right. Your English IS very good. If you had not said that English was your second languuage, I would have never known.

Neither would I.
Wow, that's amazing - I don't think I'd even be able to talk that fluently with no mistakes in another language like that...

Isabeau - you're fine. I wouldn't have guessed from your posts. My personal opinion is that people should make a minimal effort on the forums to make themselves understandable. Grammatical errors and typos are not a big deal. Completely ignoring basic rules of punctuation is much more of a problem. When people don't break their paragraphs up, use commas, capitalization or periods, it's very difficult to parse out what they are trying to say.

I know I make a lot of typos. I try not to, but I have big thick fingers and sometimes I get excited and post something without proofreading it as well as I should. In chat, I'm worse. I tend not to use the "u" "r" "y" stuff but I really don't care if others do. I just want to be able to understand what they are saying and make sure that I'm understandable. I usually make corrections only when I said something completely unintelligible, or my typo resulted in a different word being typed than intended. I typed "tits" for "its" once and was mildly horrified with myself when I realized what I had done. Luckily, the other person thought it was funny.