your - you're - their - there - wrong usage makes for hard reading.

I see this a lot. I am confident that English is a 2nd language to a lot of people. This must be why these are so intermingled. And of course spell check will not catch it.

petty on my part.

Personally, I don't think that is so petty.
How you appear to people is very important, that's why we dress for success.
If you appear to be uneducated, I don't think that will help in the corporate world, or the worldwide market (internet).

There IS a lot of 'dumbing down' in todays society, and there is a time and place for slang, vernacular, and sub standard English, but that has to come naturally, and still only appeals to a limited group of people.

High brow language with lots of multi-syllable words can also alienate.

English is not an simple or easy language to master and mistakes are common, even among the most articulate.
But obvious mistakes and poor grammar devalue what you are selling and undermine your credibility.
At least that's what I feel when I have to struggle to understand
common use language that should be easily understandable to a wide range of people.

I am quickly turned off, feeling that this person hasn't taken the time to make a decent presentation. I can only assume what he or she is selling is also substandard.

If someone has trouble with writing for ANY reason, they should seek the counsel of a person who is fairly competent with the language you are using - give a college kid a job!

My only excuse at dead bad granmar..grammer..gramar ... is that I went to a comprehensive school in the uk..in the 70's.. they stopped teaching spelling, maths etc we had to 'experience' and 'feel' things.. .. so cant spell but there is more to life..me thinks!

I agree 100% - but it is so common - I thought I was just being a bit petty. I see these mistakes used by people who are saying they are very successful etc.

Sad.

No its not sad

I'm just envious of those who understood their 'First Aid inEnglish' and finished all the 'Nip and Fluff' and 'Janet and John' books.. not to forget 'Dick and Dora!' (think you probably have to be british to get the references..but thanks asebf for taking me down memory lane...

South

It was Dick & Jane here on the west side of the pond.

Well, I admit I also respond better to perfect gramar and spelling. (Does 'gramar have two m's or one? And is there an apostrophe between 'm' and 's' in 'm's?' And do you put the '?' before or after the last apostrophe in 'm's?' (?) And is that how you spell apostrophe?) I can drive myself crazy with having to always be syntaxically correct. (Is that a word? More importantly, is it even applicable to the idea I wanted to convey there?) I am my own worst critic, as you can see. (Is there really a 't' on the end of 'worst?' Doh! There's that '?' question of proper placement again. And shouldn't 'as you can see' be placed in from of the sentence, "I am my own worst critic" instead of at the end of it?) Sheesh. It's a wonder I ever get a sentence written and completed!

Rob

That being said, someone who works online could have the best suit and tie on and the best of writing skills. But if their business oportunity is a scam, those things won't help them much.

Rob

Success in network marketing does NOT depend on personal perfection. If it did, nobody would succeed because nobody's perfect. And yes it's very petty of people to be so petty. Personally, I wouldn't like to work with someone as petty as that!

Rob

How do you like me now?

Sounds like you do a lot of good writing! I didn't have a problem reading all that convoluted convolutions...

I think the problem is the obvious grammar problems though. Spell check, dictionary and now, thesaurus' on computers mean certain problems just shouldn't be!
Then, a simple proofreading, by the writer, and/or his distinguished counsel should eliminate problems that adversely affect your credibility.
I mean, bad grammar or mistakes missed on an email, or forum post, is one thing. But an advertisement? I wouldn't risk losing a customer over it.

Sorry, but my online dictionary says there's no such word as syntaxically!
But it came in handy for me trying to spell 'thesaurus'!
Also, I found out that 'convolution' IS a word (after I used it!).

And I KNOW I wouldn't be able to type worth a damn without word processing software (thank goodness for that delete key!).

BETTER LIVING WITH TECHNOLOGY!!!

Quoting: TheGuild
That being said, someone who works online could have the best suit and tie on and the best of writing skills. But if their business oportunity is a scam, those things won't help them much.

Hmmm...
If you were scamming, wouldn't you be most effective, wearing your best attire, and/or using your best language skills?

Quoting: TheGuild
Success in network marketing does NOT depend on personal perfection. If it did, nobody would succeed because nobody's perfect. And yes it's very petty of people to be so petty. Personally, I wouldn't like to work with someone as petty as that!
Rob
How do you like me now?

Still like you Rob - I have no reason to hate you!

I don't think we are talking about being perfect. Just making a good impression. You know, looking and sounding your best.
If you are in doubt, or want to be sure, ask someone who knows more than you, even if they TOO are not perfect!

That's what my imperfect ass would do.

Hello TJ,

I accept the belief good grammar and spelling are highly important, effective and more persuasive than poor grammar and spelling. If one's livelihood depends on perfect writing skills, then so be it. Perception is everything in the art of persuasion and people are, indeed, quite fickle creatures when it comes to most things in life. And so, it would appear we must do what is necessary in order to win them over to our viewpoints if we desire to succeed in the business world -- including dress well and tastefully. If good grammar and spelling are the "honey" to attract customers and influence their buying decisions, then it would seem it's critical to hone our writing skills.

One last thing though: Some are of the opinion that deliberately letting a few errors slip into our sales pages have a strangely positive psychological effect on readers. I believe that's because it puts them at ease and subtly let's them know the author is human, too, putting him or her on a more equal footing which many average people can better relate to.

Something to think about.

Your friend,
Rob

Quoting: TheGuildOne last thing though: Some are of the opinion that deliberately letting a few errors slip into our sales pages have a strangely positive psychological effect on readers. I believe that's because it puts them at ease and subtly let's them know the author is human, too, putting him or her on a more equal footing which many average people can better relate to.
Something to think about.

True.

That goal, of relating to average people, is what I meant by refraining from the use of hi-brow language.
Personally, I think I make enough mistakes accidentally, without doing so purposefully!

But good writing or speaking I am told, takes into account the audience you want to reach, and how you want to impress them. I'd be a little more hi-brow, if I thought the audience was that way, if I thought that type of presentation would be most effective.

And isn't effectiveness the bottom line here?
Slang, vernacular, and poor grammar can be effective sometimes too!

Yes, absolutely. That's why it's essential for anyone who aims at persuading others to learn how to communicate effectively with the four different colored personality types. Our mentor taught us that art. When speaking or writing to a green, for instance, it's important to eliminate all traces of hype and excitement from our communication. Greens are easily turned off by that. They are the sticklers for detail. They want all the information they can get about a thing, and they then proceed to systematically analyse everything sometimes to death. They arrive at decisions at a painfully slow rate of progress. But once they have decided on something, they will NEVER quit. I love greens. I rely on a few of them to help me sort through the tedious details of how to figure something out. I'm a blue. I'm all about fun, fun, fun. If it's not fun, I probably won't do it. I'd be very poor on follow through if I weren't so red, too. Reds are the highly motivated, driven-to-succeed people. We're all a mixture of these colors but we tend to have one predominant one. My wife is a yellow. They are very loving and nurturing people. They'll give you the shirts off their backs. But there's a trick to identifying peoples' colors and knowing that trick will help you know how to communicate with that person in his or her own language style in under 5 minutes.

Rob

OK - good replies all. How do I choose an attorney? I interviewed one in a small town in N. CA who was just getting started, and had a heater on his meager desk warming his hands in a rented upstairs room that looked like it belonged in a 1920 era movie. I did not hire him. He may well have been the best divorce attorney in all of Sonoma County. But I was not impressed.

How do I choose a doctor? I'm sure you get the point. So would I send you money and want to do business with you if you write in an uneducated manner - when it is so easy to check for spelling and grammar errors?

I believe people like to do business with successful people. When all I have to look at is how you write - I think that making a good impression could be important.

In addition, in this medium, English may well be not the first language of your client. Using bad grammar can only confuse them. Hell it confuses me.

Quoting: TheGuildWhen speaking or writing to a green, for instance, it's important to eliminate all traces of hype and excitement from our communication. Greens are easily turned off by that. They are the sticklers for detail. They want all the information they can get about a thing, and they then proceed to systematically analyse everything sometimes to death. They arrive at decisions at a painfully slow rate of progress. But once they have decided on something, they will NEVER quit. I love greens. I rely on a few of them to help me sort through the tedious details of how to figure something out. I

I am DEFINITELY green Rob. I hate the ad hype. Just give me all the details and tell me what the bottom line is!

I don't know if my post made it Bob (I tried to answer both you and Rob at the same time), but I'd probably go with that lawyer you rejected, if I thought he was hungry and/or aggressive, and that I'd be an important client to him.

Quoting: asebfHow do I choose a doctor? I'm sure you get the point. So would I send you money and want to do business with you if you write in an uneducated manner - when it is so easy to check for spelling and grammar errors?

But I see what you are getting at here. Good communication skills
(like your school teachers told you!).
I'd expect that doctor or lawyer to have a competent secretary though!

That's my take on this. There are lots of skilled professionals, from all over the globe. They might not be competent in the language of their clients, but they should know enough to consult someone who is.

Quoting: TJamMoneyManThat's my take on this. There are lots of skilled professionals, from all over the globe. They might not be competent in the language of their clients, but they should know enough to consult someone who is.
.........
Good point. I have two sons is totally different professions. One is a producer of TV commercials. The other graduated med school 16 months ago.

Obviously the producer MUST watch all communication as he interacts directly with people. The medicine man never communicates directly outside of one on one patient visits.

However, I contend that in this medium we must hold ourselves to a higher standard in communication skills.