Re: where are the proofers???

["Shel Swartz" <shel@lotsofun.com>]

>>PS:  Then again, I am amazed at horrible consistent mispellings on much of
>>the e-mail I receive, notwithstanding mistakes I often make.  But at
least,
>>I usuall spell-check, and try to abide by the standard rules of English.
>>
>Spell checking is only available if you have the right software. I use
>Eudora Light and it has no spell checker. If I want to continue using a
>product from this family, I must upgrade to Eudora Pro

I love Outlook Express - a part of Internet Explorer 4.1, and it has spell
checking and a lot of other goodies - and it's freeware.  This version is
incredibly powerful, offering so many great features, I haven't had a chance
to use all of them yet.

My spelling certainly isn't perfect.  Often, even with spellchecking and a
personal once-over, my wife discovers an error, and even after she's done
with it, my editor finds one!  But we all learned to spell in the first few
grades of school, and we are often judged by the words we use vocally, and
how we spell them.  Bad spelling often is a reflection of uncaring, and as a
writer, people expect accuracy and a good presentation from me.  I do the
best I can, imperfect as I am.

Consider when you surf to a "professional" business Web Site and find
misspelled items such as, "you can make use of this products many
features...." "Its a great day today...."  "I love sherbert..."  "In the
absence of wind, my kite finally found it's way to the ground..."  These
errors do not make the writer appear to be credible.

However, we must be tolerant of anyone's lack of skill in certain areas.  As
a wordsmith (also a professional copywriter and consultant), I tend to
notice more errors than most, and must guard myself against them as well.

:) shel

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