To think poor spelling/grammar/punctuation gets you less sympathetic advice on MN?

[FermezLaBouche]

Ok, a thread about..... many threads, really!
I just notice that when there's an OP where the spelling is not so great, the punctuation is less than perfect and there's an abundance of "txt spk", the original poster seems to get much more blunt comments in response than someone perhaps more articulate.

agree completely OP

Lolz. I fink dat u may b rite.

YANBU. But then I cannot be arsed to decipher what some posters are trying to say when their spelling, grammar and punctuation is completely shit.

If I have made any errors in my snotty post - so the fuck what! I have had shit day!

Agreed.

There are two posters I can think of off the top of my head whose posts I used to ignore due to poor grammar and punctuation. I then actually read a bit and had to do a quiet backtrack...

using proper words instead of text speak isn't being more articulate though, is it?

I'm a pedant who doesn't even use it in texts, mind you.

I don't know which thread you're on about, but you may well be right. I have to confess that when I see very badly written posts or ones that use txt spk, I give less credit to their opinions. I'm not sure I'd give less sympathy though if someone was obviously distressed.

I make plenty of typos, and have multiple auto correct failures myself, but I think you can tell the difference between those and purposeful misspellings.

Yanbu. I find most threads with poor spelling and grammar end up being focused on the grammar rather than the topic. Personally I'm rather loathe to reply to text speak posts. I also refuse to talk to anyone who refers to sex as baby dancing!

jaggy it usually is when you consider the crap grammar that usually accompanies text speak.

I don't know. I admit when I see a huge, paragraph-less post - minus punctuation - I do click away... I think many people probably do, as AllIWant says.

I also have to admit, I do judge by Sp/Pu/Gr.....but probably more when combined with content.... I'm quite cowardly on MN - I form my opinions pretty quickly then let other posters say it, at which point I agree.

Just pondering, sorry...

As this is a site where spelling, grammar and punctuation are generally agreed to be important by the majority of users it isn't really surprising that posters who don't have that same view are likely to have that pointed out.

Horses for courses and birds of a feather etc, if you want to use a forum effectively it's only sensible to choose one whose style suits yours IMO.

I can't read a post full of paragraphs and text speak. I just can't.

I wouldn't give an op less help for it though. Unless they were rude. I do find it hard though. To take someone seriously who uses text speak.

That said my iPad pushes out some great errors. So people probably think likewise.

I think you're right, on the basis that such posts are often hard to read, and i do think that if someone genuinely wants people to take up time considering a post and helping threm with something, there is a bit of a responsibility to set it out in a way that shows courtesy to the reader rather than spitting out a stream of consciousness. That's not to say that all grammar and spelling must be perfect, but that the post should be reasonably clear so that we don't have to read it 5 times to understand the issue.

Personally I feel less sympathetic towards posts that contain a lot of swear words. I think it's partly because I feel like the person is being angry and ranty at me not just their situation, by expressing themselves in such a way, and partly because, if it's an AIBU that is asking about another person's conduct but referring to that person using a swear word, it feels like the poster has already made their mind up rather than being ready to hear other views.

I really try not to hoick the judgement pants if someone is obviously upset and needing a bit of sympathy ( I can hardly write when I'm stressed, that part of my brain just goes off line under pressure ... ) but a whole block of misspelt text-speak does my head in, I keep losing my place and then give up!

So OP 'fraid it probably does, sad to say.

Is this a good time to point out an error in the thread title?

Icnnt rgu! I r rte!!

Silly you're more than welcome to. Although I'm clearly not talking about obvious typos.

I agree.

I think it's a little mean when posters (although I rarely see this) pick on an OP for a couple of spelling errors.
But I do hate trying to decipher text speak or one huge paragraph. That should be avoided however good/bad your spelling or punctuation is IMO.

Oh, so that's what baby dancing is... I'm confused by trendy terms as well as text speak!!

baby dancing [verb] to have sex in order to conceive --and make anyone who reads your post want to vomit!

It's true OP, and it's something that really pisses me off at times.

I don't like text speak, find it really hard to understand and I prefer a lot of space in a post.

BUT

I bloody hate it when posters get snippy about it. I haven't seen it for a while now but there was a faze when posters would be climbing over each other to get the wittiest and most acerbic put down in.

It was really horrible and you could tell the OP's were only getting defensive because they were embarrassed.

I do judge text speaky OP's but purely as being by younger posters, a sweeping and probably incorrect assumption I know so I do try not to.

I think I'm more sensitive about it because I have a close, extremely intelligent, friend with really bad dyslexia and I know how embarrassing she finds it. She would never dream of joining an online forum of any kind for exactly this reason. She also uses text speak sometimes just to avoid having to spell check everything.

Yes, I thoroughly agree mydog. Whilst I like a clear post, pointing out the mistakes of someone who's asked for help is just plain mean and I'm glad that I've seen hardly any of it in my short time here.

If you use text talk I will ignore, it makes my eyes hurt and my head ache.

I would not say i am old (26) and i know my spelling and grammer at times are not perfect, but please try and keep text talk to when you are talking to friends who like and understand it

As if to prove my dopey status, it took me three reads to realise that havealittle wasn't saying that my post made people want to vomit...

I've been pleasantly surprised by how sensitive and lovely some responses have been to some appalling txt-speaky/badly spelt and punctuated posts. I think it's to do with the context. If someone's being an arse, their grammar will be picked up on.