Forum Etiquette is a tough subject for many administrators and users alike. What is the right way to discuss topics with people? What slang of typing should we use?
I am one of the people who you’ll always see use proper (or what I consider proper) grammar and spelling. I find it almost tough to take someone who spells horribly, uses tons of internet and leet (1337) characters in their posts.
Not only is it a bit annoying for me to read on my forums, I get worried it may detract from older, experienced members of a niche from registering when they see childish “text talk” on a forum where real ideas and problems are being exchanged.
I have guidelines in my forums to discourage people from talking in many of the common short-character languages that the internet has created. I don’t want to hurt these people’s feelings, but it’s not professional or entertaining to me or many others who want somewhere they can read sentences, not a paragraph with no punctuation or periods. It’s actually come to the point where I notice that users who use proper grammar and spelling get helped much easier in my Camaro and Firebird Forums. Why would my other users waste time on attempting to read something that is more of a strain to them when they can just move on to the next post and help someone who put some time into their thread knowing that people are there helping them for free.
I guess that’s the end of my soapbox rant for the day.