{"id":340,"date":"2019-08-28T01:18:18","date_gmt":"2019-08-28T01:18:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/suny-eng-101-college-writing-i\/chapter\/outcome-proofreading-2-7\/"},"modified":"2019-08-28T01:18:18","modified_gmt":"2019-08-28T01:18:18","slug":"outcome-proofreading-2-7","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/suny-eng-101-college-writing-i-lynch\/chapter\/outcome-proofreading-2-7\/","title":{"raw":"Outcome: Proofreading","rendered":"Outcome: Proofreading"},"content":{"raw":"\n

Analyze proofreading activities<\/h2>\nYou know that mistakes in grammar, punctuation, and spelling will negatively impact your grade on school assignments. They have larger-world implications, as well. To see more of this in action, read the following blog post from Melissa Culbertson:\n
\n

\"Why Poor Grammar and Spelling Are Bad for Your Blog\"<\/span><\/h2>\n

I know you\u2019ve been told this before but I\u2019ll say it again: proper grammar and spelling matter, even in the blogging world. If that\u2019s a little short on the dramatics, then pretend that statement is in neon-flashing lights for extra emphasis.<\/span><\/p>\n

Just to be clear, bad grammar and spelling is WAY different than using conversational style or slang. For example, while you may have gotten in trouble in school for starting a sentence with \u201cand\u201d or \u201cbut,\u201d it\u2019s NOT grammatically incorrect. It\u2019s just informal. So while your teacher may have scoffed at this in school, I\u2019m all about breaking the rules you learned in English class<\/span><\/a> regarding formalized writing.<\/span><\/p>\n

When I\u2019m talking about poor grammar and spelling what I mean is the clear-cut, no-way-this-is-right type of errors that crop up in blogs all over the web. Things like saying \u201ctheir\u201d when you mean \u201cthey\u2019re\u201d or spelling receive with the \u201ci\u201d before the \u201ce.\u201d Or my least favorite: using a random apostrophe in a word (like \u201cDog\u2019s run.\u201d)<\/span><\/p>\n

So how can poor grammar and spelling hurt your blog\u2019s likeability? Like this:<\/span><\/p>\n\n

YOU SLOW DOWN YOUR READER<\/span><\/h3>\n

Think of each mistake like a speed bump. Each time a reader notices a grammar or spelling error in your post, it slows them down. It may be a small bump that makes them say \u2013 \u201coh she meant this\u201d \u2013 and then move on. Or it may be a larger one and your reader has to re-read it just for your words to make sense. Either way, lots of errors means lots of speed bumps and your reader probably won\u2019t take that \u201croute\u201d again.<\/span><\/p>\n\n

YOU MUDDLE THE MEANING OF YOUR POST<\/span><\/h3>\n

Picture the most beautiful story you could tell. Now add in some bad grammar or misspelled words. Kinda loses its luster, right? Sure some stories are hard to ruin but a polished post sure sounds a heck of a lot better. With a post free of mistakes, you keep the reader\u2019s focus on your overall story, not individual words that are incorrect.<\/span><\/p>\n

Same goes for blog posts that aren\u2019t<\/i> based on a story. Say you\u2019re writing a tutorial. Well, if it\u2019s full of extra-long, run-on sentences, it may be harder to understand your tutorial.<\/span><\/p>\n\n

YOU COULD MISS OUT ON BRAND OPPORTUNITIES<\/span><\/h3>\n

Most people who are looking to work with bloggers are in PR or Marketing. As a marketer myself, we\u2019re picky when it comes to writing. PR and marketing people want the brand they represent to have top-notch bloggers writing about them. This means you could get picked over if your blog posts are riddled with errors.<\/span><\/p>\n

So, treat your blog like your resume. It IS your resume. (The only difference I\u2019d argue is that an occasional mistake shouldn\u2019t dissuade a brand from working with you whereas a single mistake on a resume could get yours tossed into a \u201cnot interested\u201d pile.)<\/span><\/p>\n\n

SO WHAT\u2019S THE FIX?<\/span><\/h3>\n

People on the Internet have short attention spans so the fewer grammar or misspellings you have, the more likely someone will enjoy that phenomenal blog post of yours.<\/span><\/p>\n

The fix is simply to proofread your posts. If you\u2019re someone who knows grammar and spelling isn\u2019t your strong suit, then make it a point to work on improving those skills bit by bit. Yes, we all make mistakes but we can always improve too. And yes, I proofread this post like a gazillion times so I wouldn\u2019t endure the irony if I indeed made a mistake.<\/span><\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n

What You Will Learn to Do<\/h2>\n