Originally Posted by patmas57
LOL!! I've been a professional editor for over 20 years now, and I have to say that no spell checker will save you. I see so many wrong words even in printed books these days because spell check recognized it as a real word---it's just not the correct one. And forget about grammar checkers; grammar is apparently too complicated for any programmer to figure out how to account for everything. Maybe I'm just feeling a little under appreciated in my profession, but it seems that with that advent of email and the web plus cost-cutting measures at publishers, spelling and grammar are no longer as important as they used to be. Sigh. (BTW, I personally find spell checker annoying because I know many more words than it does!)
I too find spelling and grammar important. Not to take away any thing from your profession. However, for most of the time when we are posting to the web, it is not a work of art or literature. Misspelled words grate on my mind, as do misused words like mixing up boarder and border, or non existent words like irregardless or regional nonsense like using ideal for idea. Having said that I am a terrible speller, I often use what I call personal spellings, like my trouble with necessary and some other words. I use spell check to find my most egregious errors and then try to self edit as much as I can. When posting however, sometimes correctness is sacrificed in attempt to communicate emotive states like anger or humor. I am not writing a book here, just trying to use this medium to connect with people I will probably never meet in person. Books are different and I have seen those typo/errors in print. It is irritating. I do write, just for myself, not for publication. I find it very hard to self edit. I am so familiar with the material that I tend to overlook the obvious. Lacking a professional editor I just put things away for a while and then go back for a re-check. That is not an option however when posting to a message board. Please pardon us all for not being erudite as you.