Typos on Websites
 

Today I came across a typo on a website. It was not just in the body of the text on the website, but rather, it was in the midst of a rather complex diagram. It was an otherwise beautiful diagram for a topic that I plan to address in the class I'll instruct tomorrow. I considered using the image for my lecture anyway, but decided against cropping out the offending text.

I was startled by the typo. At first, I didn't think that I remembered the spelling of the word correctly. I double-checked the spelling, confirmed that the diagram was indeed inaccurate, and decided to contact the company.

So, what do you do when you see a typo on a website?
Do you grumble and move on?
Do you assume you're wrong and double-check?
Is your response different depending on the type of website?
Will you lose any respect for a company if you notice an obvious typo in the
product description for something you are planning to purchase?
Do you have any particularly juicy experiences to share about typos?

A few broader questions:
What weight do you place on spelling accuracy?
Do you feel spelling should be taught in school, or is it something one should "pick up" naturally?
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Do you grumble and move on? No.

Do you assume you're wrong and double-check? Yes. Usually.
Is your response different depending on the type of website?
Heck yeah. I won't blink if I see a typo on a forum, blog, etc. But if it's a website that I think people might trust, I'll try to set the record straight.
Will you lose any respect for a company if you notice an obvious typo in the product description for something you are planning to purchase?
Yes, depending. If it's a personal item like a pair of shoes or a new coat, I might not care. But if it's a scientific tool, I'm going to think twice. Poor spelling is a sign of weakness, and I want to purchase my supplies from a company that truly understands my scientific needs. If they don't notice a typo, what does that say about their quality control?
Do you have any particularly juicy experiences to share about typos? Nope, just boring ones. Though I'll never forget all of those e-mails my mom would send back with spelling corrections my first year away at college.

A few broader questions:
What weight do you place on spelling accuracy? It's important, but not essential for most casual settings.
Do you feel spelling should be taught in school, or is it something one should "pick up" naturally? Spelling is not something that I just "picked up", though I can't honestly say that I took spelling tests seriously in elementary school. As an adult, I've found a renewed interest in spelling. It leaves a good impression to have tidy penmanship and accurate spelling on notes and e-mails. There's a solid professionalism that comes along with accurate spelling. One misspelled word or poorly-constructed phrase could leave a bad impression on an associate, and I might not be happy with the consequences. I don't know if spelling should be taught in school or not. People are either going to care about the details, or they're not. It's entirely up to them. I suppose it doesn't hurt to show people how to find properly-spelled words, but I don't think it should infringe upon time that could better be spent on science and math.

I hate seeing typos on websites, or in print, or, even worse, on signage. Occasionally, if the typo is particularly egregious, I might contact someone; but for the most part, I just seethe a little and chalk it up to the increasing illiteracy of America.

Spelling ought to be taught rigorously in schools, as should grammar. And, while we're bitching about what ought to be taught rigorously that isn't any more, so should Geography, History, Current Events and Civics, and great works of literature.

/rant.

Usually.

Usually. It's in my training as an editor.

Yes. Corporate websites should take great pains to ensure their sites are perfect.

Not if it's a reputable company. If it's a company I haven't heard of, perhaps. I'm forgiving normally, because I know how easy it is to let errors slip. But still, you're trying to sell something.

Not personally, but I've read about some doozies (i.e. the unintentional sexualization of text).

Quite a bit. I am an editor, after all. But my weight shifts depending on the context. Internet forums aren't the same as trade books or newspapers.

As an editor, I also place weight on typography in general. As an editor, it's difficult for me to "turn it off." I'm currently reading George R. R. Martin's Game of Thrones, which is a best-selling fantasy novel published by Bantam, a division of Random House. The copy I have isn't the first printing. I'm about midway through the book, and I've already spotted a number of typographical inconsistencies, mainly dealing with the use of italics on punctuation. And if I remember correctly, I found at least one compound term that was set as a single word, which is a common error. But, I admit, it could also be set as one word in the dictionary the house uses, so it might be okay.

There is no excuse for the inconsistent use of italics, however. Pick a style and stick to it.

For the record, I can't remember a book I've read in the past five years where I haven't found at least one error or inconsistency. Most books have several. There is no such thing as the perfect book. Books are curious like that.

It should be taught in school, but we should continue to ensure we use an adequate vocabulary suited to our careers, which may require continuing education (including self-education).

Only slightly related... but I feel like Baraka is constantly judging me.

...

Also: I feel that the TFP has increased my writing ability significantly... kinda like osmosis or something... must be from rubbing elbows with all you smart folks.

Typos drive me nuts, but homophone errors drive me bonkers.

Yes, spelling should be taught in school. Reading is also essential in building vocabulary. I believe that my strengths as a speller can be attributed to my voracious reading habit.

Even I make those sometimes. The brain is an imperfect machine, and sometimes multitasking is to blame. We aren't really wired for multitasking. I correct them here when I reread my posts.

There are so many common grammatical errors out there. I'm sure I break many myself, especially while speaking.

* * * * *

9er, I keep telling you that you could be an incredible poet, but you keep ignoring me. I want to edit you.

There is just no reason for spelling errors these days. Spell checkers abound in just about every product that has typing as an entry method.

Here in the city there is a great number of signage that is misspelled. I find them irritating. As far as websites, I see them all the time, and again, there's no reason for them to be misspelled when all one has to do is click SPELLCHECK. Heck you can even make it do it just before you save the document.

I always hated finding them in newsprint and now I hate finding them on news websites.

I really hope that's a euphemism...

Unfortunately, a spell checker is only one part of the puzzle. e.g. You could try to type "seem" and end up with "seen". Both are words but the context would be screwed. A spell checker won't pick that up.

I find it rather unfortunate when the school newsletter comes home with spelling and/or grammar errors - it doesn't reflect well on the learning institution :(

incorrect spelling/grammar/usage makes me crazy!!!

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Spelling typos don't bother me on forums and social media type websites as long as there are not too many of them. Misspelled words bother me on corporate websites just because it shows a lack of attention to detail. Incorrect usage of a word that has several spellings, such as their, there, or they're bothers me much more. I do think spelling should be taught in school, but it should not be a major emphasis. When I was in elementary school we would have a short spelling test every week. We spent maybe fifteen minutes of class time a week on spelling, and I think that was adequate. I excelled at spelling as a kid, getting a perfect score on every test and winning every time we had a spelling bee. The only spelling bee I ever lost was the state spelling bee when I was in eighth grade. While I do think spelling is important I think more emphasis should be placed on writing effectively. I know I struggle at times to adequately convey the point I'm trying to make in writing, even though the words are spelled right.

True, but I know many editors that still don't pick up on such mistakes.

Their is naught a spellchecker maid that wood correct this state meant.
MS Word would give you the green grammar underline, but we've all learned to ignore that as yet another Microsoft nuisance, right?
That's why we have brains.

As to the original point of the OP, I find that it is a rare website that does not include typos, misspellings, or bad grammar.
The same goes for crawls along the bottom of news broadcasts. Give me three minutes of crawl; I'll show you a typo. Typos are accidents, though, and we all make them occasionally; misspellings are a sign of the times and reflect on poor schooling and lack of professionalism.

Despite my signature, I'm quite used to seeing and ignoring poor spelling and grammar in internet forums and personal emails; it's quite another thing, though, if it's a business brochure or website. I would definitely think twice about paying someone to perform a service if they don't seek excellence in their own work.

Here's a worst-case scenario: I was once refused a job interview because in my cover letter, I claimed that "my design skills complement my technical abilities." After emailing the HR manager as a follow-up to a phone call, I received an email indicating that I was not considered for the position because I misspelled "compliment" in my cover letter. :rolleyes:

One thing I will do to correct someone, though, is to email the publisher whenever I discover a typo or misspelling in a book I'm reading. Other than that, I rarely bother.

Actually, MS Word 2007 identifies "their" as a possible homophone error with a blue squiggly line, and correctly suggests "there" to replace it. However, the rest of the sentence remains unnoticed.

I helped teach writing to 8th graders last year as part of a practicum. Homophone errors were one of the things I emphasized most, precisely because the spellchecker frequently does not catch them. MS Word 2007 does have a homophone error checker, but it does not catch them all.

I guess I need to catch up. I'm still using Office 97.

Finding spelling errors may be irritating but isn't it also slightly pleasurable because you feel cleverer than the person who wrote it?

The mention of homophone errors reminded me of this poem by Thomas Hood (1799-1845):

Sometimes is more about being less rushed, distracted, and overworked.