How important is grammar?

For me, it depends on a number of factors. Among them: what service I am hiring the person for, what context their writing was in, and whether or not they were expressing a personal style or voice.

Dan has a journalism degree. He and I have very different styles. I wrote very well in college and loved pouring out lengthy analyses in the 30 page writing assignments I was given.

Dan criticizes my writing now because he says it often sounds too academic. I have to very consciously add a voice to my writing and that usually means I have to not be so uptight about my grammar.

There are many opinions out there about writing styles in blogging. Generally what I've heard is that blogs should be written in a casual, personal voice, like the kind you use in emails with friends. When I write in that voice, I'll use run-on sentences and a lot of dashes.

All that aside. I think spelling is VERY important and regardless of their style and whether or not they're following the basic rules of grammar, if their writing and emails are full of misspellings, I assume that they aren't very good with details.

I am a writer, so I celebrate "imagenarry splng" -- a focus on correct spelling and grammar can stymie the flow of thought. I encourage everyone to silence their internal spelling and grammar police and just write.

As well, I know that some people just cannot spell, rather like I just cannot sing. So, I make large allowances for incorrect spelling and grammar.

That is not to say that I do not notice them, or condone such things in "professional" writing. Nor is it to say that I blanketly "forgive" them. I tend to be very aware of details, and I do make assessments based on the little things.

Further, for those whose profession is about crafting and distributing images for business -- copy writers, graphic artists, even bulk mailers -- I am quite disinclined to allow for any errors in business communications.

This also goes for the products that business people send out to promote themselves, like the mailer that JUST arrived, touting a new carpet showroom, and with no clues at all as to its location. Oops.

It is important to recognize that while I and my peers might be willing to be casual in our business missives, there are many, many from earlier generations and other pods who will quickly judge us too casual, and boldly toss us aside.

It's a delicate walk, that between "professional" writing and having our voice shine through.

Most of the amazing artists and other professionals I know, have one weakness or another. If I took them to task for each one id quickly be removing some very useful talent from my personal network. Plus it rarely effects there ability to do what there true skill is.

As for grammar, as long as that person is not my proof reader it's not a problem. I suffer with grammar problems myself so it would be silly of me to knock anyone else down for it.

I think everyone has different skills, some people can spell, punctuate, and structure sentences perfectly. But put an un balanced check book in front of them and without a calculator they are lost.

I think as a one man operation we push ourselves to fill all the needed roles within our company to save a dime or two. This pushes us into areas we may not be experts in, for me that?s writing profiles and marketing pieces.

I know it's important when marketing myself to at least look as intelligent as possible, So everything from my website, to mailers is going to go through a proof reader. This helps with the static marketing pieces. I don't feel odd about this false front in the least, every fortune 500 company iv ever worked for employs a proof reader in there marketing department. This is simply because very few individuals have perfect grammar. No marketing piece I know of ever went out without at least three sets of eyes on it and multiple rounds of revisions. and some of them still go out with errors even after all that.

Everyone has there strengths and there weakness, no man is an island jack...

I am a little frustrated about the comment that anyone in the communications field even graphic artists need to have perfect grammar otherwise they are not a professional communicator,.. (please correct me if i took you wrong)

There are many forms of communications, written, vocal, visual, tactile, and even olfactory. While one person may be an excellent writer he or she may not even know how to us a simple point a shoot camera, and while one person may be an excellent song writer, they may lack the skill to actually sing there own song. I think its unfair to say a graphic artist cant communicate through there field of visual communications if they can not also communicate perfectly through the written word. Just like it would be silly to judge a journalist through there ability to paint a still life.

Alex =)

Oh Alex, I didn't say that all such folks are required to have perfect grammar -- just that I am "disinclined to allow" for such things, in professional communications. Meaning, I don't just overlook them as I might in a more casual forum, or as I might for say, someone who wants to clean my kitchen, work on my auto, or style my hair.

By the same token, I would notice if a house-cleaner arrived in muddy shoes or my hair stylist had grubby fingernails.

I would not necessarily rule out working with such people for these little things, but I would take note.

I just think that each "profession" comes with certain expectations. If someone is in a communications field, it's not unfair to hold them to high communication standards. If someone is in a detail-oriented field, be it housecleaning, law, or medicene, it's fair to anticipate they will tend to details in their "professional" transactions. This is not to say I demand they be perfect!

And hey, I'm the first to reveal that the mess of my apartment is in dire conflict with the precision of the documents I produce from 9-5.

You say it well. I have a lot more trouble spelling than I do talking so prefer that. There was an English teach I had once in college though who conveyed the lighter side of how to write; and I've notice a lot of top notch folks flub up a fair amount. So now I don't sweat it too much.

I do notice an appreciate good writing though, mostly because I am jealous.

I hired a recent high school graduate once to work on my fire truck and I noticed that he couldn't spell August, but I let it slide. Later he was able to McGyver a pump into working when no one else could.

A receptionist/college student I hired once had me review a paper that she was writing for a History class. In it she phonetically used the "ph" to get an "f" sound in a misspelled word that she should have known how to spell. I don't know if anyone ever noticed or cared - because she is otherwise a very good writer (she has the creative head for it, I mean). She will go on to become a teacher of first grader... my sense is that the creativity, etc. that she brings to the job will far outway her lack of rote memory discipline.

DD