to think that mumsnet should be a website for all mums regardless

[tittytittyhanghang]

of literacy and the way they speak/type and should be welcoming to everyone? I cant fucking stand this perceived superiority over certain posters that use text speak, use of hun, lol, x's etc or the suggestion that they are somehow unsuitable for this forum and should bugger off to the other one.

As as for the fucking grammer police, fuck the fuck off. Just because someone maybe didn't use capitals, or misspelt a word, or hasn't posted perfect english, doesn't open their post to ridicule.

[hortensemancini]

Sugarmouse You've got to be really sure you've spellchecked posts like that before you hit send...

[exoticfruits]

It is for everyone-not just mums.I would agree that if someone comes on with a real problem it isn't helpful to point out mistakes in grammar. Having said that, there are some OPs that are just too long, with no paragraphs, to read.

[manicinsomniac]

YANBU

I find lots of things on mumsnet annoying. It doesn't mean it shouldn't be allowed, it just means I have to deal with it or not read it. Same for anybody with any pet hate (unless it's actually harming someone eg personal threats)

Textspeak is vile, childish and annoying imo - but it's a free country, some people prefer it.
Poor spelling and grammar grates on me - but that's my issue and mine isn't perfect either.
Swearing is (imo) over the top on here. I have no problem with the odd fuck and shit in a post but the other word that seems so beloved on here is one I have very rarely if ever heard an adult use and couldn't ever bring myself to say. I find it genuinely offensive. But again, my issue to deal with, not the poster's.

Far worse than either of those (again imo) is the constant use of DD3, DH, DM etc. Ugh, drives me up the wall. Still doesn't mean it shouldn't be allowed.

I don't agree with censorship. I think people should post what and how they feel like. I even think racist, sexitst, disablist, homophobic etc comments should be allowed - they show the person up for who they are, there's no need to delete it.

[FellatioNelson]

I think perhaps MNHQ ought to have a sticky for newbies regarding the etiquette re: textspeak. Personally I cannot abide it (even in texts ) but I would not refuse to engage with someone who used it if they sounded like they needed friendly advice and some hand holding. I don't think many people would be scathing towards a poster who just sounded a bit fick but harmless, if they had a genuine problem that was no fault of their own and they sounded very low. When peopledo get a bit arsey is when a poster sounds fick and wiv attitude. Then the daggers come out.

[Viviennemary]

I think it's extremely bad manners to draw attention to somebody's spelling and grammatical errors. So if I've made any in this post I don't want to know. I'm not keen on text speak. But I've been told it's the way things are going and I must get over it.

[MissCellania]

Anyway, I don't think its true that people often comment on spelling and grammar etc, unless OP is being a prick anyway. I've just read a post that was very badly spelled, sparse punctuation, etc etc, to the point where I didn't know the main thing that was being talked about, but not one person on the fairly long thread said a word about it. Thats the norm.

[MurderOfGoths]

"I particularly hate it when I've read an op perfectly easily and people start claiming it's "impossible" to read without paragraphs, then someone comes along and puts the op into paragraphs to "help" the op. How incredibly rude and patronising!"

I actually like it when people do that

I do find it incredibly hard to read posts without paragraphs, and often those posts are written by distressed posters. Surely it's better that someone makes it easier to read so that more of us can help?

I apologise to everyone else for what follows..
sugarmouse Firstly, well done for being so clever. But here's a few things you might want to think about before slating others.
a) Your username shows a lack of imagination, as evidenced by the fact you need the number 1 after it. That's a sure sign that the only way you could find a novel username was to add random numbers to it.
b) Spell check? Would spell check have caught this? "Eye halve a spelling chequer, It came with my pea sea, It plainly marques four my revue, Miss steaks eye kin knot sea."
c) Education would tell you that people can be on benefits due to health problems, disability, redundancy or just plain bad luck. You might want to look into education for yourself.

?Some cause happiness wherever they go; others whenever they go.?
― Oscar Wilde

[echt]

Clear communication is very important. If an OP's in textspeak, unparagraphed or garbled, I just don't read it, though I wouldn't make a special point of posting to tell them so.

[EdgarAllanPond]

it is easier to get your point across if you write in clear English.

you switch off some people through poor grammar

some through swearing

some people if you just aren't that interesting to read.

so although i think goading posters who swear, make spelling / grammar errors etc is wrong, i think posters will get their message across to more people if they try to put it out in as easy to read a form as possible.

that said, i recently destroyed another PC and am yet again typing on a tiny one which i find it really easy to mistype on...so my posts do go out with mistakes - but it's a forum, not a workplace, so sue me...

[LadyIsabellaWrotham]

I think it's very arrogant to assume that acceptance by MN is the be all and end all. There are several perfectly good online fora. Some you can hun, lol and 4get to your heart's content, and ascribe your DP's behaviour to the fact that he's a Leo, but may not say norty words. Some you can say cuntybollox but need to use capital letters and apostrophes, and may be told that "the plural of anecdote is not data" on a very regular basis.

There is room for both and that is just fine.

[wheresmespecs]

YANBU, YANBU, YANBU.

Threads where the sneery and aggressive snobby Alpha mums rock up and start telling someone they'd be better off on netmums ("hun") are just vile. I'm not sure it matters but it does skew people's view of MN, IME. Which is a shame given that there are some sensitive and sensible people here. I suppose those jeery sneery threads and responses just make lively reading.

Interesting to see someone dismissing netmums as being full of illiterates on benefits. I often feel that sort of attitude lies behind the wafting of scented hankies whenever someone uses text speak or an iffy apostrophe.

btw, I'm an Oxbridge English graduate and educated up to the gills. I want to see good literacy (and numeracy) achieved at school. I never want to see it being used as a stick to beat someone with.

[KellyEllyChristmasBelly]

All you are proving with you're incoherent posts not sure of they difference between your and you're eh sugermouse ;)

[sunshine401]

I think it's extremely bad manners to draw attention to somebody's spelling and grammatical errors

Couldn't agree more :) Not everyone is good at everything you know. By correcting someone based on their spelling/grammar just shows there are some really bored people out there that feel it is alright to pick up on silly things to put someone down.

[psychomum5]

Text speak is in itself explanatory...it is for use in TEXTS.

I am a stickler for paragraphs, but that is because I always use them however I type.....I even text in paragraphs as my phone is fabulous and allows me

I am very pedantic when it comes to my children texting me. They hate it, but I pick them up on it as, being their mother, it is my job to teach them. They can use txt spk with their friends, not me.

I also hate the use of short hand on here. We have a HUGE space to type in, use it, fill it up, explain yourself properly.

I can ignore typos if they are phonetically correct. I have a dyslexic husband and two dyslexic children, I cope with their writing, I cope here. Unless of course it is a poster I know well....then I can tease .

If someone comes here being a knob however, I either play along or get irritated. I feel it goes with being here tho....we all have moments like it. In RL we can go and move on. Here though, well.......surely as adults we can play occasionally.

[LadyIsabellaWrotham]

I agree that the pedants normally bite their tongues unless the poster is either totally incoherent or being an arse. If you do have a go at an innocent poster for spelling / grammar you will get flamed.

[catgirl1976]

I hate text speak. It's wrong and it's intentional. Therefore, IMO it is ok to pull people up on it. It's awful, awful, awful and it makes people sound like idiots.

Bad spelling or grammar is unintentional and therefore, IMO is it not ok to pick people up on it.

The only time I have made an exception to this is the time someone said, "catgirl your a cunt". Had to really on that one.

[notnowImreading]

There's a village in Turkey called Belend. Dogus Belend. Made me pmsl every time we drove through it. Maybe you were being a dogus belend...

[MurderOfGoths]

Oh I remember that one usual!

[ConfusedPixie]

YABU. I can't read txt spk without really concentrating and have no intention trying to learn how too.

As for hun and bubz, I don't want to be called hun, I am not anybody's 'hun' so why would I want to be called it by a stranger online? And Bubz is just awful, it's four letters, not cute, call the child baby if you have to ffs.