Genealogy Chat

thanks for your nice massage ann
sally

I don't think Allan has set out to hurt anyone. He is just making a valid point. Requests ARE easier to read if they are at least spaced out a little bit. I am not worried by bad spelling, punctuation etc but even someone with poor literacy skills can hit the return key a couple of times to at least spread the message out a bit - makes it easier for everyone that way.

Chins up everyone!

Jill

Dear Sally,

Please do not be put off from using this board by someones thoughtless comments, because I think that is what they were, I am unable to imagine that they were intended to hurt anyone, and I hope not the writer of the 88 worded e-mail! Enjoy your genealogy Sally and keep well.

Ann

thanks david i will
sally

hello just come across this and i am cross i am pleased that alan is able to spell and tippe axpertly i hope he thanks god every day for his good fortune

i have had a stroke it is dificult to hold too keys down together also the bit of brain cells that died must be memery ones as sometimes i canot spell

but my computer gives me a lot of pleasere being almost house bound so i am sorry if i do not get itright all the time i am sure i there are many people in similer positions

i do not want simperthy but please remember that some of us struggle sally

I do understand Allan's frustration and have noticed that several helpers actually re-type some of these 'block' - type posts to make them more legible.

This is better than someone missing out on advice because of the difficutly in reading their post.

I find I really have to concentrate with text type messages in order to understand them. Must be an age thing, but I hate spoiling the English language!

I think Im getting old and impatient. I'm afraid if I see a posting like that now, I just cant be bothered to read it through.

I do understand some people have a problem with reading and writing.

Yes I agree too. However, perhaps AllanC's posting did come across as just a bit too aggressive.

I would also say you can often tell if someone is doing their best to get their message across or whether is down to sheer laziness.

I agree with Janet. We all like to try and help others with their research, and the poster is more likely to get a response if their request is easy to read. I know I have started to read a request but found it so dificult to read I have gone on to another. I have also seen where another member has re-typed it in their reply to make it easier to understand.

Just a couple of sentences saying what it is you want to find and then perhaps using seperate lines with name year and place of birth for each person.

I think this post is more to do with advice than critisism.

Chris

I think the emphasis is a bit wrong - the advice is good from the point of view that an easy-to-read post is much more likely to get a response, rather than being for the benefit of the reader, as we can just move on.

It's better to write in lower case, short sentences with just essential information. A list format often works well, and if you have trouble with grammar should be easier.

Jan

Sorry but I am with Allan. I hope none of us would criticise a person with poor spelling, grammar or punctuation - heck, even some top professors and doctors can't manage it! But I do think a lot of posters are not really lacking in basic writing skills at all, but simply lazy - as is the modern trend.

There are too many posters using 88 words with no capital letters or punctuation for them all to be accepted as struggling with reading or writing.

Most people, if they take the time, can start a sentence with a capital letter, and put a full stop, or at least a comma, at the end of each main point.

There are too many who simply do not appear to bother, so we can't understand them and they don't get the help we would like to give them.

Margaret

Allan,

Please remember there are some people who are unable for whatever reasons to deliver your request re the above, a lot of us struggle with reading, writing etc.......and really do not want reminding of the fact.

If you are struggling reading some of the posts, then please just move on to another post.

Ann

Do not slag off other members.
The Rules
Please don't communicate anything that is, or could be considered, abusive, vulgar, offensive or threatening – your behaviour must be polite, patient, and not intended to cause (or capable of causing) trouble or offence to other members.

PLEASE when you are posting or replying to posts write so that others can read it easily. I've just been looking at a thread where one post was 88 words long with NO punctuation and NO capital letters. Honestly, it was a pain to read. And it took a lot longer to understand than if it had been written in proper sentences.

There are plenty of people willing to help, but please help us to help you by taking a little bit more time to organise what you write.