I too make a lot of errors in spelling and a few in grammar. I’ve redoubled my efforts to track them down before sending out things like blog posts or comments that may have a life of years in the blogosphere. Apparently, I need to increase my efforts even more.

The Guinness Book of World Records listed Joe Girard as the “World’s Greatest Retail Salesman” for 12 consecutive years. He holds the singular distinction of having sold an average of six cars a day over his career. In several of Joe’s books he makes the point that his experience indicates the average customer or potential customer influences 200 people (family, work, church, social contacts, etc.) So that little innocent mistake on the sign negatively influenced as many as 600 potential clients of the hairdressing salon. Sure puts proofreading in a different light.

A fellow I follow in the online business world makes a lot of money from AdSense and other online ventures. He writes an interesting blog. His writing often jars folks though because he can’t even follow standard rules of English such as knowing when to use their, there or they’re. I wrote to him about this and he came back with an wimpy sort of comment about how he had not had the opportunity for a decent education.

In my view, a such excuses won’t cut it. You are what you write in this mainly text-based world. If you want to be taken seriously you need to take your reader seriously. Personally, I plan to do better.