Spell Corrector

In one of our previous articles, we talked about the undesirability of spelling fascists among online communities. Now, what if it is your friends who are making the spelling mistakes in their Facebook status posts? You find it difficult to ignore the spelling mistakes and at the same time, you feel the obligation to enlighten them about the correct spelling. Hold it! Before you press on the ‘enter’ button to educate your friends about the spelling mistakes they have made, you may want to factor in their feelings.

There are various reasons why people make spelling mistakes. It could be a mistype on the keyboard, or a dyslexic user behind the desk, or simply, a lack of knowledge of the correct spelling. Before you make a folly of pissing your friends off with your insensitive comments, it is best to put some thoughts into drafting an appropriate comment.

It does not help that individuals tend to show disinhibited behavior when communicating online. The lack of social cues creates a buffer zone where communicators are unable to tell each other’s responses. With this dis-inhibition tendency in mind, one can only assume how easily a flame war can be ignited.  So, how do you correct spelling mistakes without losing friends?

First of all, it is easier to embarrass your friends for an easy laugh than giving them a long serious lecture on the importance of using correct spelling. Choosing to make light of the situation will never go wrong. Try avoiding impersonal tones and give subtle hints of the spelling mistakes instead of a blunt remark. For instance, you may want to direct them to a proofreader website or suggest to them that they need a spellchecker. Your comments should not suggest flaws in their intelligence level, but rather it should focus on the misspelled word. Remember, the next time you see a spelling mistake on your friend’s Facebook status, don’t be too eager to put in your 2cents. Correcting your friend’s spelling mistakes is an art.

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