It is hard to read.. Why??

TXBobcat

Fulltime
Ok.. I will probably get bit for this one but here goes.

I am not... Repeat NOT pointing a finger at any specific person... OK..

I read this forum every day. Actually at least twice a day. Once in the morning and once in the evening at least....

I have found that a number of posts are one large block of words all run together. I find that if I copy the post out to the Notepad and separate it into short groups of words I can read it better and understand what that person is saying with out having to find my old school ruler and hold it up against the screen to keep from jumping to the wrong line and reading the same line over and over.. I guess it is that I have my bifocals set wrong and I loose the location of the next line and it seems like I have to take a breath just to read the post. Are you writing it in the forum or in another format and pasting it into the forum to make sure you can read your own post... Please do not get upset.. I am not trying to demean anyone but just make a point that it is hard to read someone’s post if they do not make paragraphs and seperate the text into groups of information that are referring to the same topic or part of the topic that the thread is about....

Do you see what I mean?? Am I the only one that has a problem reading one long paragraph... The one above is short compared to others I have resently read..

I enjoy all the threads on this forum. It is the first forum I read in the day and check at the end of the evening..

I have seen on other forums people for some reason must type in all caps until they learn that their post is considered SCREAMING at those that are reading it.

Ok... that is my rant.. Take it with a spoon full of salt and consider it a suggestion not a poke at anyone, just the act.

Thanks
BC
 

wyleyrabbit

Well-known member
While we're at it, how about the good old ellipsis? What's that? The "..." used in place of a dash or to indicate missing words.

Some people use an ellipsis in place of all other punctuation, which tends to make their posts very difficult to read.

Also, it's only 3 dots, not 2, not 15, and not any other number.

While I realize a forum is not an English classroom, and therefore many formal writing conventions go "out the window", following some guidelines can significantly improve readability.

Cheers!
 

TXBobcat

Fulltime
Well I guess I am guilty of the ....

The only reason I can give for using the .... is to express a bit of hesitation, Nod of the head, pause, take a breath expression.

It is difficult to place expression into text and that is one of the reasons we use emoticons.

Thanks for the response.

BC
 

jbeletti

Well-known member
You guys are funny :)

You're right though, on both counts. Forums and Chat Rooms typically use a less formal style of writing. And some people are more sensitive than others to ALL CAPS, lots of .......... and no paragraph structure. And I do understand that some styles are harder to read than others.

In all of this, I feel it's the risk the person making the post takes. If he chooses styles that some have difficulty with, responses may be not what he expects.

It's my hope that we can all be gracious and do our best to take it all in stride. Read what you can read, skip what you cannot.

I know neither of you were being personally critical of anyone - just observations.

Is it spring yet!!!

Jim
Sitting in an airport :eek:
 

SilverRhino

Well-known member
Proof Read Please!

I too am guilty off the "......", that said, my biggest frustration with all Internet correspondence is that it seems no one knows how to spell!

Many time the spelling and or typos are so bad, you really can't understand what the individual is trying to say. This forum has a great spell checker, that is fast and easy to use.

Just my observations.


Travel Safe!
 

wyleyrabbit

Well-known member
I should have mentioned that I am a recovered "..." overuser myself. I didn't even realize how bad I had gotten until someone in a chat pointed out to me how difficult my writing was to understand. I re-read my post and was shocked at how right he was, and resolved to change.

:)
 

wdk450

Well-known member
How about a little computer help?

Gang:
Is there some way we could change the maximum line length on the forum to about 2/3 of what it currently is?
 

SilverRhino

Well-known member
When the line length is a problem, I just adjust the size of my browsers viewing window. It is not a complete fix, but it does get it down to "book page" size, while not losing anything.
 

TXBobcat

Fulltime
I never use the spell checker on the forum. It keeps asking me to download ieSpell from ieSpell.com which I don't want to do.

At times I rewrite my posts to keep the spelling, grammar (need help on that) and content understandable. I will write it in Word, spell check as I go, then copy it into notepad to remove all the text formatting, then paste into the thread reply text area.

I write my posts with the intent to be legible and readable. I hope to continue to do this even if at times I have a laps in memory.

BC
 

2010augusta

Well-known member
IE 8 and FireFox have spell checkers in the browser for any input that is being typed in an active text box. This makes it real easy to get the spelling thing under control.
 

wyleyrabbit

Well-known member
Agreed. I love this forum. Jim and Heartland have created an incredible online community that has me hooked. A big thank you to all involved!

I believe that so many of us have established friendships with like-minded people, before we've even met in person. I, for one, can't wait to start meeting some of the people here on the forum. :D

Cheers,
Chris
 

talley

Well-known member
BC, thanks for pointing out the "runon" paragraph pit which I too had fallen into. When first posting I noticed the lack of breaking the paragraph into proper form and fell into the same habit.

I did a lot of writing in pervious "employed life" and I guess that upon retirement really let that slide. I had previously downloaded the iespell check, but when trying to use it I believe I lost connection. I will forthwith break paragraphs and use spell check..., but will still use "..." for pauses :D:eek:. Give some, take some.

Thanks for your constructive post.
 

SouthernNights

Past South Carolina Chapter Leader
Ireallydontseewhattheproblemisihaveneverhadaproblemreadingthepostsithinkmaybesomepeopleliketocomplainevenwhenthereisnothingtocomplainabout
 
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