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The English Guru

Monday, March 9th, 2009

What’s Up, Wordy?

I’ve had this happen to me on numerous occasions, but last week’s occurrence made me question why it transpires. Due to the fact I have an English degree (or that some consider me a writer or editor), I have to be able to recite every single rule of grammar, know how to spell and remember the definition of every word, and never mess up while writing or speaking. Why?

Now, don’t get me wrong. I’m flattered that most of the people that know me come to me for advice about these things or expect this kind of perfection, but from time to time I might not be able to come through. I know, I know…I can feel your disappointment via the Web.

So, I’m not so much upset at this (unless you want to tell me, “But I thought you were an English major?” after I mess up), but I’m more curious. I’m curious to know if there are any other industries or professions that generate the same type of you-need-to-know-everything mentality from others. I thought about this for a while and came up with a small list of vocations that, if someone were to do for a living, I would expect near flawlessness (with my letdown in parenthesis).

  • The psychologist/therapist/counselor (who will not follow their own “good” advice)

  • The dancer/choreographer (who is clumsy while walking down the street)

  • The fitness personal trainer (who loves to eat junk food)

  • The artist/painter (who cannot tell the difference between pink and magenta)

I know there are others, but these examples are loosely based on individuals I’ve met in life. However, I would like to hear your experiences with this topic. Are you a writer that has others expecting you to be a cross between Merriam-Webster and Google? Are you within a different industry with similar expectations of excellence? Please leave a comment below and tell us your story.

P.S. One great thing about my trade is that I can mess up two plus two and say, “Sorry, I’m just an English major” and people will nod their head affirmatively and respond, “Oh, okay” and all is forgiven. Wait. That’s not a good thing, is it?

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Luis D. Bonilla
luis@wordszilla.com
Wordszilla, LLC

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Typos, HTML Mistakes, and Your Website

Monday, March 2nd, 2009

What’s Up, Wordy?

I’ve noticed that some websites have mistakes in their text, but it doesn’t have to do with the person who wrote it. Many times, it seems that the webmaster or individual who copied the text onto the actual webpage is the one who made the wrong keystrokes.

Perhaps there are two or three spaces in between words or you have an incorrect HTML code for a symbol (i.e., the ampersand or a copyright character). Items such as these may not derive from the writer of the content, but they will still be flaws when read by your website’s visitors.

Here are some tips that I’ve come up with to help prevent typos and mistakes in HTML:

  • Brush up on your HTML knowledge and understand what each tag is capable of doing.

  • After you make changes to your webpage, save it and then refresh your website to view the updates. You’ll then be able to see exactly what has occurred and fix the errors.

  • Have someone else read over the webpage. After staring at the website for so long, you might not be able to catch mistakes. Fresh eyes and another point of view are very helpful.

Do you have any other ideas on how to avoid HTML code mistakes? Leave a message below and share your thoughts.

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Luis D. Bonilla
luis@wordszilla.com
Wordszilla, LLC

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Does Professionalism Cross Over from Print to Internet?

Monday, February 16th, 2009

What’s Up, Wordy?

I was talking with a colleague last week about how frustrating it is for me to be reading an article (i.e., ezine.com), a “professional” blog post, or anything else online that is written with the intent of being considered reputable and finding a considerable amount of errors or jumbled thoughts. It’s not only the fact that many online articles contain mistakes and are poorly written, but that people don’t seem to care that it’s happening.

You wouldn’t expect to read newspapers, magazines, books, or other forms of media with misspellings or broken English, so why is it okay for the Internet? I understand that basically anyone with an Internet connection can write and “publish” online articles and not everyone can clearly state ideas. And I’m not saying that I’m for the regulation of online material.

I suppose that I’m so used to reading articles from respectable sources (both online and in print) that when I come across someone trying to teach me something online but can’t convey the message effectively due to the ineptitude of basic English, then I struggle to take what is said seriously.

Am I the only one who feels like this? Should printed articles and online articles be read with different expectations? I’d like to hear your ideas. Leave a comment below and let me know how you feel about reading printed materials and online articles.

Ghostwriting Service - Copy Editing Service
Luis D. Bonilla
luis@wordszilla.com
Wordszilla, LLC

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