Hey guys,
Some of this will sound familiar, as I posted it in a similar thread by Tanker.
First, let's start by backing off the throttle a bit. No one is roving the forum with a copy of the "AP Style Guide" or the "Chicago Manual of Style" in hand and clubbing transgressors for their misdeeds. (However, if someone was, I'd recommend the CMS, because it is a weightier tome.) Further, no one is getting banned because they misspell words or confuse commas and apostrophes.
Also, commas baffle many people, including experts. All you have to do is look up the argument over the serial comma. (And while I've driven this bus to Comma Town, let's not stay for a visit, OK?)
As I said in the other thread, we all come to the forum with different skill levels, no matter if it's modeling, typing, grammar, spelling, or nose blowing (which I am exceptionally good at). Sometimes we rattle off responses on the keyboard at 22,000 words per minute because we have only a short time to get an idea out before it's back to minding the store. It's not always possible to reread a post and go back and correct the little mistakes, nor do we always want to.
Don't worry about it. I look at the posts on forums, ours included, like normal conversations that we might have in person. Often, we don't speak in complete sentences. There are pauses and ums and errs. There are exchanges of ideas, modifications to earlier statements, and reversals in opinion.
We do prefer people don't SHOUT in posts as a normal means of communication. It is harder to read and is part of our forum guidelines. If it is a persistent problem, we will talk to a member about it. But it's usually self-correcting because you guys are good about letting people know proper decorum.
Can posts be too cryptic? Certainly. Can they be written that way on purpose? Sure. However, what's awesome is that if we don't understand something that another member has written, we can ask for clarification. If it remains cryptic, don't answer it.
So, everyone, from an editor at FSM, let's cut each other a little slack when it comes to spelling and grammar and typing. If something doesn't make sense to you, just ask for clarification.
We're going to let this thread ride for the time being. You guys seem to want to hash some things out and have opinions to share. That's cool. It's been civil for the most part. Let's keep it that way. Don't deride other members or toss around accusations. It's really not worth it and just gets everyone's dander up.
Oh, and let's not hack on the forum either. If you're posting here, it's obviously still a place good enough for you to hang your hat. If you've got concerns, PM Aaron or me and we'll do our best to work it out for you.
Tim