Why Editing Web Content Is So Important!

So often web users launch web sites, blogs, etc. with content that is packed with errors such as spelling and punctuation. Some sites offer a spell check before you publish your content, which is helpful. (wordpress.com) Disregarding proper grammar on your website will only harm you, as it limits your credibility and perceived intelligence amongst readers. What do you think? What is the easiest way to catch errors on your web site?

Ahem :rolleyes:

whoa!!

FAIL! FAIL! FAIL! FAIL!!!

:smiley: :smiley: :smiley:

  1. write your post.
  2. correct any spelling/grammar mistakes.
  3. read it again to make shure it makes sence.
  4. (If you are not totally shure that everyone can understand your post then have someone near you read it and say what they think about it.)

Noone is perfect, not even on the internet. A spelling mistake is not the whole world, but sometimes it can mess up the whole point of your post. Attracting unrelated comments and arguments.

I think it depends alot on how many readers you have. The more readers, the more you have to check for errors in your text.

That’s quite a creative idea. How do you suggest checking words like “wait” and “weight” or “their”, “they’re” and “there”?

Using an automatic spell/grammar checker should be your first step in proof reading your work, certainly not your last step before publishing.

I believe that changes is a signal for SE, mens that your web site is developing and I have heard SE especially Google can rank your web site higher due to that.

I would suggest before publishing content on the site, Go for a spell & grammar checking in the word itself with the geographic dictionary keeping on for whichever country you are writing content for.

Something else I do to help find mistakes is to put the work in another format. It’s surprising how quickly a typo left in word jumps off the page in a PDF! Even copy and paste into notepad can help you find errors you’ve otherwise missed.

It’s always harder to spot mistakes in your own writing - not just because there are some things where you might not know the right spelling or construct - even where you’ve made typos that you know are wrong, if you wrote it, you know what it should say, and there’s a tendency to read what you expect to read.

If you can’t afford a professional proof-reader, it may be worth trying to find a “proof-reading buddy” - someone who can proof-read your work, and you can proof-read theirs. You both get the benefits of having your work checked, without the same up-front expense - and by reading someone else’s work in that kind of detail, it can give you tips and pointers to improve your own writing.

You didn’t make at “terrible gaff”, you made a typo. Sometimes when the fingers do the walking, they trip.

Irony, oh the delicious and wonderful irony of it.

ok, dad :smiley:

Web Content and check the spell is important usually.because you may wrong spell some words which made some misunderstand,which may give some bad effect for readers.

Good example. Running up the post count much?

Web Content and check the spell is important usually.because you may wrong spell some words which made some misunderstand,which may give some bad effect for readers.

Oh, we notice alright.:rofl:

It’s prevalent right across the media just now, not just on the web. If any of you watch Sky News regularly, you’re bound to have seen spelling mistakes on their captions and tickers. It happens daily.
My favourite is works vans. On my morning commute I sometimes see three vans, from three different building firms, all advertising to build me an extention. They must have all gone to the same place to get their vans lettered.
I used to also pass a car quite often parked by the side of the road that the owner had obviously spent some money decorating with decals and in 8-inch letters along the bottom of the doors was written ‘Alpha Romeo’.

Edit: sorry, also forgot about the boy racer at my work who had a custom sun visor made with Citreon in big letters across the windscreen. Laugh, I nearly clocked in.

:slight_smile: I didn’t dare to even refer to grammar - I know I’m not fireproof on grammar! :wink:

Paul

Authors lose credibility big time, in my eyes, if they can’t spell their native language. Countless English people don’t know their ‘compliment’ from their ‘complement’, their ‘principle’ from their ‘principal’, or indeed their ‘their’ from ‘they’re’ or ‘there’.

The funny thing is, of course, that when us Spelling Kings write ‘The curtain fabrics complement the wallpaper’, the Spelling Dunces point and laugh because they think they’ve spotted a spelling mistake! :slight_smile:

Paul

Spelling and grammar mistakes are all over the web - it’s one of the reasons that my company just started doing editing/proofreading services. It’s actually kind of shocking that people are so sloppy.

I guess I shouldn’t be surprised, though. I spent a few years editing scripts in a newsroom, and you wouldn’t believe the poor writing I encountered!

That’s a great idea. I think the main idea behind excellent web content/grammar, etc. is that you are communicating something about yourself through the material you post on your website. I am immediately turned off to an article and begin to question the credibility when the author misspells throughout his entire content. Sure, the idea behind an article is still sound regardless of menial errors. However, I believe words hold power, and behind every good website is a considerate writer.