Does Staff's Poor Grammar & Spelling Reflect Poorly on a Forum's Image?

[Cedric]

I've been bouncing around various online communities and forums. One thing that caught my attention was the occasional spelling or grammar mistake by the staff members. This got me thinking... How important is it for the staff (admins, mods, etc.) of a forum to have impeccable spelling and grammar?

On one hand, the staff represents the image of the forum. Errors might make the platform seem less professional or trustworthy. But on the other, everyone's human, and typos can happen to anyone, especially when someone native isn't English. Plus, a community is built on more than just words; it's about the people, the shared knowledge, the spirit of helping, and understanding.

So, what's your take?

1. Do you feel it's vital for staff to have perfect grammar and spelling?
2. Would it discourage you from participating or trusting a forum if you saw mistakes from the staff?
3. Or do you think it's a minor detail and we should be more understanding?

Eager to hear your thoughts.

 

[Ravenfreak]

I think if the staff member's first language isn't English I usually like to give them a pass, however if the person's first language is English it looks bad to have terrible spelling, bad grammar, etc. I usually won't join a forum if the staff has terrible grammar and spelling issues. It's sort of a pet peeve of mine, especially when people spell lose as "loose" or balloon as "ballon" that drives me crazy lol.

 

[kensonplays]

I agree with @Ravenfreak - if their first language is not natively English, I will give them a pass. But if their first language is English, I would prefer that they have at least proper spelling and punctuation. If the grammar is not 100% perfect, then I am okay with it. But I do want them to spell things correctly, of course.

 

[Al]

if the person's first language is English it looks bad to have terrible spelling, bad grammar, etc. I usually won't join a forum if the staff has terrible grammar and spelling issues. It's sort of a pet peeve of mine, especially when people spell lose as "loose" or balloon as "ballon" that drives me crazy lol.

But if their first language is English, I would prefer that they have at least proper spelling and punctuation.

If English is their first language but they have a learning disability which means they struggle with grammar and spelling, what then? How do you tell the difference? How do you know if the staff member comes from an English-speaking country? I look at your postbit as I type this; it doesn't say which country you are from.

 

[kensonplays]

If English is their first language but they have a learning disability which means they struggle with grammar and spelling, what then? How do you tell the difference? How do you know if the staff member comes from an English-speaking country? I look at your postbit as I type this; it doesn't say which country you are from.

If that is the case, and they let me know (privately in DM) then that's another exception. It doesn't show yours, either, so they may not have enabled that in the postbit.

 

[Al]

Why would they let you know privately via PM? It's not your business. The matter under discussion is if grammar would deter your from joining a forum. They're not going to PM every potential sign up or advertise it in their signature so that you can give them a pass. If we're talking about errors which make somewhere seem less professional:

What's going in with the broken image in your signature? Does that suggest that Admin-Junkies cannot handle attachments or that the user cannot effectively use BB codes in signatures? There are many things going on which can make or break a successful forum. Spelling/grammar/language in an international setting isn't one of them; at least not to me.

 

[kensonplays]

Why would they let you know privately via PM?

If they volunteer it? I wouldn't ask for it.

What's going in with the broken image in your signature?

The image is hosted by AJ, so I can't do anything about its permissions.

 

[Al]

Does it present a professional image?

 

[Mike30]

This is my humble opinion.
Let's say there is a forum for lawyers; of course, it will be detrimental to see misspellings from anyone who is supposed to be "professional." In that case, the forum admin must ensure they hire professionals who are impeccable in the subject matter.
Anyone hired to serve the public should be fit for the position and exceed expectations. So, misspelling should be a serious thing to consider, not just to look professional but also to show respect for the position ( specially native language speakers are more criticized .) I mean, you can have an error here and there, but it should not be the norm.

 

[Empire]

English is the number one I say nowadays ;P poor grammar and spelling are not good on any sites but then again I can't complain since most people even myself can't do the right grammar and punctuation, I'm worse Even if I learn, not easy for me as I have a learning learning disability error. Just who I am.

but with tech and great software, there are ways to improve and help, like using the free Grammarly extension. A lot of people use it. Anyone can join no matter how good or bad, I mean that's crap BS if you do not allow to join based on you can't spell.

What I dislike more so as a member and it has happened to me on another forum in the past that I had a PM via a staff member complaining about how unprofessional my posts are and that the fact that I can't grammar right, that staff member was really reaching out and gave me so much negative to the point that I received a warning.

 

[JennyorAlice]

While I don't expect anyone to be perfect, I do expect staff to have good grammar and spelling.

How do you expect staff to act professional if it looks like they can't spell or have good grammar?

I'm not trying to be mean or anything but I just don't think it looks professional if the people within the community can't understand you to begin with if you're spelling/grammar is bad...

 

[Cedric]

If they volunteer it? I wouldn't ask for it.


The image is hosted by AJ, so I can't do anything about its permissions.

It’s hosted in the staff room, anyone without access will not see this. It needs to be hosted somewhere else. I’ll take care of this later.

 

[kensonplays]

It’s hosted in the staff room, anyone without access will not see this. It needs to be hosted somewhere else. I’ll take care of this later.

Could do what I do with my sig images, I just put it in a /subdirectory on the site via cpanel.

 

[Cedric]

Could do what I do with my sig images, I just put it in a /subdirectory on the site via cpanel.

Well, you could easily save the image and re-upload through the signature settings. That does the trick too. 😊

 

[kensonplays]

Well, you could easily save the image and re-upload through the signature settings. That does the trick too. 😊

True, but that doesn't solve it for the other banners, unless they host it on imgur or their sites, etc.

 

[Debashis]

Q1. Do you feel it's vital for staff to have perfect grammar and spelling?
A1. I think if the staff can clearly and respectfully convey the message they have, then it is okay. They just should keep actively learning and improving more on their grammar & spelling. Nobody is perfect. But we can always work to get close to perfection.

Q2. Would it discourage you from participating or trusting a forum if you saw mistakes from the staff?
A2. No. I don't think it will ever be a major factor in trusting or not trusting a forum for me. A forum is built with its community not staff. Staff is just 5 - 10% of it. The remaining 90 - 95% are the members who actually are the pillars of the forum. It's them who are responsible for the vibe the forum carries with it.

Q3. Or do you think it's a minor detail and we should be more understanding?
A3. Yes, definitely. As mentioned earlier, if the staff is able to convey their message and communicate well with the community, it's not a problem at all. With time, people improve, and hence they would as well.

 

[Mike30]

Anyone can join no matter how good or bad, I mean that's crap BS if you do not allow to join based on you can't spell.

I think this thread refers to staff members But I know what you mean. I have bad grammar as well. I am lucky these days to have good tools at hand It was not that easy 15 years ago

 

[Empire]

I think this thread refers to staff members But I know what you mean. I have bad grammar as well. I am lucky these days to have good tools at hand It was not that easy 15 years ago

Same, people can join staff team via joining, But end of the day also if you only had two people join and both are bad at spelling just give them a chance you know

 

[Reverie]

I think admins need to be held to the highest standard in this regard. Guideline topics with mistakes drive me insane, but it does happen. I know managers sometimes make these guidelines as well - but regardless an admin should give that the go ahead.

Staff members I would prefer spelling to be correct. Grammar is not big to me, but typically if you are on your phone or computer you either have suggested words, or you get the squiggly line to fix things. I also know there are extensions such as grammarly for those that struggle with grammar. Typically - not always, but typically, people with a disability use accommodations for themselves and you can barely tell they struggle with writing. I also think people with a disability in writing may be less inclined to post on forums in the first place though because they may see it as a struggle. However, the topic of the forum may be enough of an interest and they may not know of such extensions. Gives me ideas for new topics to create!

That is an interesting angle to look at it from though. At the end of the day I just want people to try. I don’t want the text speak where everything is in shorthand.

 

[Ken]

Come on, y'all. Staff members make spelling and grammar mistakes all the time and we always correct ourselves as staff members. It happens a lot, okay?