I can’t get over the number of VA forums I belong to where members don’t appear to check what they’ve typed before publishing it to the (board) forum. Or make use of the Edit function for corrections.
Or, do they think that in a closed community it really doesn’t matter? If that’s the case, I beg to differ.
Many VAs outsource to other VAs and the way you present yourself in the typed word is the very first impression others get of your abilities.
How often do we see typed VA’s instead of VAs when writing in the plural?
And what about there being used when it should be their if speaking of the possessive?
Do you know the difference between lose and loose?
There are many more I see almost daily and it makes me wonder if spelling (and grammar) was being taught in school when these individuals attended? It’s beginning to look like it wasn’t.
If you do something often enough it becomes habitual – and if that thing is a ‘bad habit’ it is going to spill over into your working life too. Make good spelling and good grammar a daily good habit and you won’t struggle when looking after clients who need you to be accurate in these things. It will actually make your job and your day much easier.
Kathy Colaiacovo says
Kathie,
Great minds pick similar topics 🙂 but maybe a little different viewpoints – I do agree with you here, but funny thing is I wrote a post today about how I have given myself a little slack when it comes to my blog and proofing and editing my posts.
We are both talking about the same topic but when using two different platforms – forum vs your own blog.
I used to be so worried about making grammatical mistakes and writing properly that I found it hard to write and was avoiding my blog. It was taking me too long as I agonized over what was correct and what needed fixing.
Once I made the decision to ease up a bit and write more as I speak – to get across my personality, then it became more enjoyable. I started to write more regularly and it was no longer a task I dreaded.
What are your thoughts on this? I’d love to know.
Viki says
You’re so right about the spelling errors!
I see them every where, and it drives me nuts! 🙂 The number one error I find is the improper use of ‘your’ and ‘you’re’ – I even saw it on an local event’s banner!
I think people are starting to think it’s okay to use the wrong words since they use them when texting to save space…
Pam Hower says
I did a blog post on this a few months ago. It is amazing where you see things written incorrectly. On TV the other night Fox News gave out their email address as fownews.com. Pretty bad advertising if you ask me. It doesn’t take that long to proof your work. And it is so much more professional when it is done correctly.