To what extent does writing style impact the advice you give here?

[IMissVino]

I think, for me, it has more impact than it should.

If an MN post is a wall of text or hard to follow (we’ll call him ‘X’ and call her ‘Q’), I tend to just give up. If multiple exclamation marks are used, I often flee. That sort of thing.

Conversely, some OPs come across as delightful funny people with whom I’d quite happily be friends. In those instances, I’m pretty much on their side from the outset.

This isn’t great on my part, as it’s unfair to the posters. Some people have difficulty expressing themselves in writing and penalising them for that is crappy of me.

I’m trying not to do it anymore, but was just wondering if anyone else was guilty of this?

I’m far more judgemental about maudlin sentimentality

Good yes! Horrible.

fairislefandango: I also think that the vast majority of posters who claim to be unable to read OPs with poor SPaG or no paragraphs are lying through their teeth and saying it simply to demonstrate their own supposed superiority.

Indeed. It never seems to occur to them that they're actually demonstrating their own inabilities. Finding it annoying is one thing (though seriously, just have some compassion and click away if you can't say anything helpful) but anyone who's really good at the language should be able to work out what a passage is trying to say even without the helpful pointers of orthography, punctuation, and structure.

God not good (autocorrect)

Do you mean that you think posters' poor grammar, spelling and punctuation is caused by not having had these errors pointed out to them?

No! People's poor grammar, spelling and punctuation are mainly caused by copying the poor grammar modelled by their parents, a lack of encouragement to read, not having books at home, poor teaching in school (or poor access to education for whatever reason), a learning difficulty or simply being a person who finds grammar, spelling and punctuation rules hard to remember.

I find it hard to believe that anyone who's given the matter more than 30 seconds' consideration could possibly think that poor SPaG happens as a result of laziness as an adult! Or that the pointing out of mistakes at random by angry people on the internet will help.

So that warrants horrible comments, does it?

I actually disagree with you though, the most hateful responses are found in threads where the OP is professionally successful and earns her own (good) money.

I think the poster means the commenters (dragging down the professionally successful women) are the ones that married into money.

Oh god, I’ll shut up now and get off your thread!

The utter irony.

If you read my OP and subsequent comments and think they had anything to do with SPaG, people being ‘too emotional’ and/or needling posters, then I’m not the one who would benefit from a spot of self analysis.

The fact that you apparently AS my posts adds an additional layer of weirdness. Crack on with judging people, yourself. 😊

Once again my Alanis bell chimes when someone misuses irony @NurseBernard

The OP said writing style impacts the advice they give.

that’s a judgement. They are being judgemental.

CuriousCatfish is making a pretty sound observation. They can make that observation.

Are you now saying that no one can ever state an opinion about the writing judgements made by the OP , because that’s falling into the “judgement trap”?!

Ridic…

Do stay. It was an easy mistake to make! 😂

Oh, stop it - CuriousCatfish is doing nothing more or less than making a judgment. In fact, she made two of them in that post alone.

So why not just write “I wish people knew how to use the return button and write in paragraphs” …

jeez.

If an MN post is a wall of text or hard to follow (we’ll call him ‘X’ and call her ‘Q’), I tend to just give up.
Me too. I am an over user of exclamation marks though!!

So…having attacked me for acknowledging that I do the same, you’re now complaining about the style and content of my OP (which you apparently initially hadn’t read properly)?

Jeez, indeed. Please see above re self analysis.🤣

I'm extremely judgmental of people who are judgmental about how others write on here. I can't help thinking that people with poor writing skills probably know they have poor writing skills, so to write and post is courageous and it's really shitty of others to smugly point out their mistakes or make out like they don't understand.

I had a friend whose writing was very, very poor. But she'd been in and out of care throughout her childhood and been physically and mentally abused. She missed out on most of her education. She needed a lot of advice when her son was born as she had had no parenting role model herself. It would have broken her to come on here asking for help to give her son a better life than she had, only to be torn down because she couldn't write as well as others.

If it’s a huge wall of text, more than 6 lines I’d say, I just scroll on by. I’ve seen people acknowledge that it’s ‘long’ but still do it 🤔

Then people that say they’ve given false names…why? I then get confused with who’s who. I don’t know why as I don’t know who they are anyway but someone it makes it all the more clunky. As soon as ‘false names/pseudonyms’ are introduced I also scroll on.

Also, when it gets very complicated knowing who’s who when people say he said/she said all the time. FGS, realise that occasionally you need to drop in a name or title (auntie etc) to keep things flowing or it gets confusing.

More often than not as soon as SAHM is included in a sentence all hell is going to break loose .

No, I like to read all view points regardless of grammar or writing style.

The only exception to the above are long posts without any paragraphs. I don't bother to even read the first line.

I'm not "qualified," but I can boil an egg!

Just saw this thread and thought about this conversation: www.mumsnet.com/talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/4675308-husband-expects-same-level-of-holiday-for-his-50th-that-i-got-for-my-40th

They are furious!

Did you read the OP's OP?

You did exactly what you're accusing the OP of, even when that's not what they were doing at all.

You know, I come on here for a bit of nosy escapism, not to do homework. If someone puts up a wall of badly written text, I am likely to decide that I can’t be bothered to read it. I’m not the only one, poorly written posts hardly get any responses.

If someone uses multiple exclamation marks, they probably won’t have the same outlook as me and may not enjoy my replies … so I’ll often skip those too.

Enjoyable threads are those where the OP has considered the reader.

People are foolish if they don't believe we ALL make subconscious judgment here and anywhere in life. All the posters calling you a 'judgmental idiot' are just proving that exact point!
I certainly recognise I make assumptions. That doesn't necessarily means negative ones. Or inaccurate. Also the questions themselves; nub theory seems ridiculous- it's only one of two choices and no one cares! (Well I don't, but plenty seem to, and I probably judge them too). What name shall I choose - last people I'd ask are strangers who will have as many opinions as names.
But writing style; if it's one big huge unpunctuated block of text I stop reading. If it's sooooo long full of unnecessary detail I stop too. If it's too pathetic 'my husband cheats and lies and shouts at me but he's a really good father...' I'm out.
My own style I'd say is quite blunt. Ask the question or give an answer. I am ''guilty' of cutting the 'niceness' out. For example if someone is bereaved snd asking a question I don't start with flowers and 'hugs' - I just answer. I often rewrite my posts if too blunt though. And often get bored with my answer and think I'm not adding anything. And with that in mind - I'm done here.