When I highlighted some spelling errors and typos that I see around town and online, Jocko left the following comment:
A couple of days ago when I read your “Crash Lessons” article the headline read: “Crash Lesons.”
I see you fixed it, but my point is we all live in glass houses when it comes to typos.
Don’t throw those stones too hard.
He is correct — sometimes I make mistakes and typos in my blog entries. But I’m not exactly “throwing stones” at the folks and businesses that sometimes get it wrong on their signs and websites. I’m not calling them names, or insulting their intelligence, or otherwise being malicious - at least, that’s not what I intend.
It’s more like a chuckle at something semi-silly, or sometimes ironic, such as the mis-spelled word on the billboard at North Middle School. I wasn’t trying to be mean-spirited; just pointing out the irony of a school spelling a simple word incorrectly. Hey, mistakes happen. But in my defense: when I make a mistake, it’s as a simple blogger, read by a few hundred people - not seen by thousands of people driving around town.
So I’m not trying to throw stones, and judging by the comments that people leave on such entries, I don’t think most people interpret it that way - they see them as humourous highlights of minor mistakes. What are your thoughts - am I too harsh? Or hypocritical?
February 15th, 2008 at 4:06 pm
I have spelling errors on my blog too. I had this really smart computer guy set it all up for me, but for some reason the spell checker never works! I wonder if he disabled it to try to make me look bad?
February 16th, 2008 at 12:40 pm
After reading your explanation, I have to say “throwing stones” was a little harsh. I, too, get a chuckle from typos when I see them. What irritates me is people who act as if they never make errors themselves.
Clearly, you’re — note that I didn’t even say “your” — not in that camp.