I don’t visit many message boards. I have a handful I check out on a regular basis and a couple that I’ll post to on a regular basis. If the ones I’ll post to on a regular basis are: mine, a Phillies one if there’s something to post about and a mod site.
Of the others I visit, I’ll post when I feel I have something to add or when there’s something I think I can add to.
But there’s one thing that has been bothering me lately — the lack of using English when you post (or chat) on the Internet. It’s not even shorthand (as I’ve already covered HERE), as my feelings on that are already known.
But it’s the lack of basic grammar that really fires me up. Or the lack of wanting to use it and make sense. The post that drove me over the edge was the following:
hey there is no mods at all for if i don’t know why this guys crying lol
Care to explain that one?
This was just the one that made me realize I had a good blog entry idea. But this is far from the only time this happens. It’s all the time. I won’t even rip that statement apart because it shatters about every rule that you could.
Look, I understand everyone isn’t a writer and doesn’t look at things as close as I might. Or other writers might. But I also understand people should at least have a basic concept of communication and grammar. If these people are looking to ask a question or get a point across, you have to write so others can actually, I don’t know, understand you.
The thing with the Internet is that people of all ages are using it. When you get to these computer sites — no matter mods, programming, HTML or whatever — there are a lot younger people posting to the sites because they are learning a lot younger.
Funny thing is this — these kids, probably as young as 14 or 15, could program a seriously in-depth mod or computer program, but couldn’t write something to explain what they have, or spell for that matter.
Case in point — the casino mod. It’s a GREAT mod. The person who wrote it had a spelling error easy to the eye. At the top of the main page is shows the top winners and losers. Problem was, “losers” was spelled “loosers.”
Someone had fixed all the spelling errors in the code and posted the file upgrade, so I changed it. Although I have noticed “loosers” is more times than not used for “losers.”
I don’t know if it’s our education system, the age of those posting or just plain ignorance, but it’s rather annoying. I can live with misspellings because you can understand what people are saying. It could be a typo, someone might not be a good speller and truthfully — not many people are going to spellcheck a message board posting. But basic grammar rules should apply and at worst, learn to use a period here and there!
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