(Misspellings in title are intentional...for those that are incapable of irony.) Since the dawn of word processors, computations devices, and mobile spell checks (that never work!) - we are increasingly seeing a culture of slang, short form words (like THX), and grammatical errors that would make our 3rd grade teachers weep and tear their garments while rolling in ash (however, they are also morning the loss of cursive writing… when will the madness end?). So, I’d love to hear your thoughts on this matter as a leader. I am probably the world’s worst speller, and it started well before I became dependent on devices to “catch all my mistakes” for me. I’ve gone back and forth between the need for proofing everything or just allowing mistakes to happen and for folks to catch them and let me know (you know who you are). There are many who struggle to read anything with misspellings in them or poor use of grammar, because they see it as unprofessional and sloppy. There are extremes in every case (like the grammar Nazis or the never ending argument over single vs double space after punctuation). I even read a post not that long ago entitled “15 Grammatical Errors That Make You Look Silly,” so that I could better pay attention to what I’m doing as I produce more and more written content.

However, I know several professionals who treat certain forms of communication as “error dependent” and refuse to fix, polish, and proof their written content in certain mediums. Michael Hyatt is one of them. He chooses to not fix every error, mistake, or double space when it comes to BLOGS, Social Media, or transcripts from his audio podcast. WHY? Because he believes that it’s a part of being in a community driven forum to not strive for perfection. It’s hard for him, because he’s a perfectionist by nature. People who argue for this can also go the extreme and just use it as an excuse for improper grammar and sloppy writing. Most people fall somewhere in-between. I know that I see the value in proofing what I’ve written, but I also am not horribly bent out of shape if misspellings or improper grammar happens to slip through the cracks. The world will keep going, and I’ve never really cared that much about what people think about me…especially if they’re judging me based on my written content. I’m not a perfectionist at all, and yet I like my stuff to have a second pair of eyes look over them for many reasons (not just spelling errors). I’d love to hear your thoughts on this. Where do you land on this debate? Is proofing necessary in everything? Should there be forums where it is more acceptable to have errors than others? (Blogs vs Printed Books?) Share your comments below.