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Topic: Maybe MB should take their own advice
| Author | Message |
| Bistroid | Posted – 6/28/2007 5:09:05 PM | show profile Just started reading MB's latest article on proper reponses to Freelance Marketplace inquiries. You know, the one that ends with "Spell-check is not for losers?" & got to this whopper in the 2nd paragraph: "It also means you've made it passed the big dude" Made it "passed"??? I would expect that if I spelled like that in a response, that I'd be considered a moron, and wouldn't be hired. And I'm a designer! Maybe grammer-check isn't for losers either! |
| JimmyG | Posted – 6/28/2007 8:14:41 PM | show profile | email poster How did other posters feel about this article, which basically said that a lot of us don't know how to respond to FM inquiries when work literally falls in our laps? I, for one, always respond cordially whenever approached via FM. Still, I can't keep track of how many inquiries I've gotten over the last couple years from publications who want to leverage 20 years' experience for less than entry level compensation for whom my replies have been either friendly-yet-dismissive or tentative at best. I've had responses from ad or PR agencies looking to shore up content for a project without a client yet in hand, while others never responded back to simple inquiries about the nature of their otherwise unknown publication or what they intend to pay. Still, I'm not complaining, as I've gotten a decent amount of work for my efforts, but communication -- as always -- is a two-way street. |
| ejlyman | Posted – 6/29/2007 3:20:45 AM | show profile | email poster MB and ITS advice I don't think the original post was trying to say everyone's a moron, but I bet a lot of people do respond badly. Their loss. I hate getting into the idea of nitpicking grammar or spelling here, because -- even if a lot of us are professional writers -- it's good to feel comforable enough to just write what's on your mind. But I guess the staff should do better. But the title of this post abused one of my pet peeves: using "their" to refer to a single non-human entity. Should have been "Maybe MB should take its own advice" or "Maybe MB's staff should take their own advice." (Unless you're in England, where they say "Chelsea won their match...", which sounds weird to my ears). ------ Italy-based freelancer www.ericjlyman.com |
| Righter | Posted – 6/29/2007 10:00:07 AM | show profile I agree that on the forums we're all trying to have conversations without worrying so much about grammar, spelling etc. And I hope this is taken as constructive criticism and not me being bitchy, but it's not the first time I've noticed MB's errors. I would say that nearly 95% of the time, I find at least one or two typos in the HTP articles, Pitching an Agent or Book Editor. Common mistakes like their instead of they're, your/you're, or words like "the" and "of" are left out, or sometimes they're repeated. It does happen a bit more often that I'd expect, especially considering that this is a media site. At the same time, I guess internet content goes live very quickly, but I don't think a quick read through by a second or third person would hurt. |
| LoDo | Posted – 6/29/2007 3:12:36 PM | show profile I caught that and sent a feedback email informing them of the error...glad to know there are other "grammar freaks" like myself out there :-) ------ Lori |
| Village Gal | Posted – 6/29/2007 3:15:44 PM | show profile Omitting a word is one thing- that's a typo- but there is little excuse for bad grammar. That's bad writing. Using "passed" when you mean "past" is more than a spelling error. It is incorrect word useage. |
| seamus | Posted – 7/8/2007 1:37:44 PM | show profile I'd love to visit your fortresses of infallibility for drinks at some point. Make sure you spell my name correctly on the invitation. Seamus |
