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Bad spelling on cache pages


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I appreciate that the mods do a great job in the little time they have and I don't expect them to correct spelling mistakes on new cache pages, but could I ask that some of the horrendous spelling which has been seen of late is pointed out to the setter and corrected before a new cache is published? Just one of my pet hates - sorry.

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I appreciate that the mods do a great job in the little time they have and I don't expect them to correct spelling mistakes on new cache pages, but could I ask that some of the horrendous spelling which has been seen of late is pointed out to the setter and corrected before a new cache is published? Just one of my pet hates - sorry.

 

not everyon has the ability to spiell it may be that they have leerning difficulties - we are nit all purrfect, as lung as the main gist of what the page says is what is untented why worry?

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Just one of my pet hates - sorry.

 

I get infuriated, on this and other forums, by the bad spelling, horrendous grammar, and lack of punctuation.

 

People wonder why unemployment is as it is...............

 

Ditto here, some caches don't even start with a capital letter!

 

I get the sense that if a cacher can't be bothered to construct a coherent listing, it doesn't bode well for the cache itself!

 

On a more constructive note, my suggestion is to write the listing in Word (or similar) and spell check it then copy and paste it into the listing.

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On a more constructive note, my suggestion is to write the listing in Word (or similar) and spell check it then copy and paste it into the listing.

 

Sorry, but I have to disagree. People should be taught spelling and grammar. During the years I have reviewed many a CV and requested candidates for interview only to find that they had "created" their CV by electronic means, and in actual fact they could hardly write and spell their own names correctly!!

 

To "Old F****s" like myself these people that cannot be bothered with the correct use of the language have no self pride and do not realise how much this can affect them.

 

Rant over.

Edited by Lost in Space
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On a more constructive note, my suggestion is to write the listing in Word (or similar) and spell check it then copy and paste it into the listing.

 

Sorry, but I have to disagree. People should be taught spelling and grammar. During the years I have reviewed many a CV and requested candidates for interview only to find that they had "created" their CV by electronic means, and in actual fact they could hardly write and spell their own names correctly!!

 

To "Old F****s" like myself these people that cannot be bothered with the correct use of the language have no self pride and do not realise how much this can affect them.

 

Rant over.

 

I see your point, although the comparison of a CV and a cache listing is a tad extreme.

 

You are correct that people should be taught to spell, but geocaching is not just an activity for the educated. I was merely offering a solution to help those who may not have our advantage of an excellent education to prepare a "better" cache submission.

 

Mind you, it does wind me up as well I must admit, I get "letters of introduction" from suppliers on a regualr basis, and the ones with bad spelling and grammar.....guess where they end up?

 

(edited to correct spelling/ grammar.....easy done isn't it?)

Edited by Stokesy
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I appreciate that the mods do a great job in the little time they have and I don't expect them to correct spelling mistakes on new cache pages, but could I ask that some of the horrendous spelling which has been seen of late is pointed out to the setter and corrected before a new cache is published? Just one of my pet hates - sorry.

I doubt very much if this will happen. The UK review team have a difficult enough time coping with the level of cache submissions they have without taking on this extra role. As a reviewer the cache page is checked for guideline compliance only and so far poor spelling and grammar aren't covered by the GC.com guidelines

 

:D

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I appreciate that the mods do a great job in the little time they have and I don't expect them to correct spelling mistakes on new cache pages, but could I ask that some of the horrendous spelling which has been seen of late is pointed out to the setter and corrected before a new cache is published? Just one of my pet hates - sorry.

 

I aggre holehartidly ;-)

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To be honest I'm less likely to be irritated by poor spelling and grammar than I am by people banging on about how awful it is that the standard of spelling and grammar isn't what it was in their day.

 

There may me many reasons why an individual isn't able to construct a sentence as well as you, which you may be totally unaware of, and if that's all you've got to get angry about then you're one very lucky chap.

 

It's a topic that seems to crop up frequently in online forums and to be honest it gets very boring hearing the same old nonsense trotted out time and time again.

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i hope you enjoy this little playground how i used to remmber it and it why i picked this spot for my 20th cashe happy casheing xxxxxx

 

cashe look like a small black box !!!

 

the cash will be near by ( tree cover)

 

make sure some one in your crew is wearing jeans and if there name is eagle eyes it helps

 

with this one watch out for muggles priyeing eyes from a reflective shiney transparent surfaces ..... uumm think the could windows mark uuumm

Edited by keehotee
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Bad spelling and grammar winds me up too, mainly because people just don't seem to try sometimes. Everyone should be able to grasp the concept of full stops and capital letters – this is primary school stuff after all, not rocket science!!

I can overlook the occasional typo (we all do that), but if you know you have poor spelling, it’s easy enough to run your text through a spell checker.

 

My spelling and grammar can be ropey at times, but as a matter of personal pride I pay attention when I go wrong and teach myself how to do things properly. I don’t try and find excuses – I do something about it.

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i hope you enjoy this little playground how i used to remmber it and it why i picked this spot for my 20th cashe happy casheing xxxxxx

 

cashe look like a small black box !!!

 

the cash will be near by ( tree cover)

 

make sure some one in your crew is wearing jeans and if there name is eagle eyes it helps

 

with this one watch out for muggles priyeing eyes from a reflective shiney transparent surfaces ..... uumm think the could windows mark uuumm

 

A good example of a badly spelt cache page, but I'm not likely to see it, as I rarely read the cache page. As long as the co-ords are good, I really couldn't care less if someone is either dyslexic or uneducated.

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There is more to life than spelling :laughing: remember it a game for all :)

so stop :) and keep your prejudices to your self! as no one is perfect, I use a dictonary all the time, I have met people that use this as an "I'm better than you" excuse! and there NOT

 

Sorry but it gets MY goat. and play the game :D

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Just to say from someone who has dyslexia I think that the way this thread is going is extremely insulting - I try to spell correctly and NO amount of being taught to spell correctly will help me, I do copy my cache listing into a word document however if a word is spelled correctly but isnt the word I am meaning it will not be picked up. To say that bad spelling is linked to unemployment - I can't spell but have never been unemployed

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Just to say from someone who has dyslexia I think that the way this thread is going is extremely insulting - I try to spell correctly and NO amount of being taught to spell correctly will help me, I do copy my cache listing into a word document however if a word is spelled correctly but isnt the word I am meaning it will not be picked up. To say that bad spelling is linked to unemployment - I can't spell but have never been unemployed

 

Starbugs,

I'm a new guy and maybe speaking out of turn, but I seriously doubt that anyone on this forum would intentionally insult anyone. Looks to me like your doing a fine job. :D

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It would be interesting to see the ages of the various people on this thread. Language is a constantly changing thing. The current language is vastly different from only a few decades ago. The context is much more important than precision answers.

I speak in a different style to friends in the pub, my boss or my Gran. A CV or job application is different from a hobby and the language used differs accordingly.

I think I may write my next cache entirely in text speak, it wud b gr8 2 c u stress wif it lol !

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i hope you enjoy this little playground how i used to remmber it and it why i picked this spot for my 20th cashe happy casheing xxxxxx

 

cashe look like a small black box !!!

 

the cash will be near by ( tree cover)

 

make sure some one in your crew is wearing jeans and if there name is eagle eyes it helps

 

with this one watch out for muggles priyeing eyes from a reflective shiney transparent surfaces ..... uumm think the could windows mark uuumm

 

A good example of a badly spelt cache page, but I'm not likely to see it, as I rarely read the cache page. As long as the co-ords are good, I really couldn't care less if someone is either dyslexic or uneducated.

 

Just to say from someone who has dyslexia I think that the way this thread is going is extremely insulting - I try to spell correctly and NO amount of being taught to spell correctly will help me, I do copy my cache listing into a word document however if a word is spelled correctly but isnt the word I am meaning it will not be picked up. To say that bad spelling is linked to unemployment - I can't spell but have never been unemployed

 

Starbugs,

I'm a new guy and maybe speaking out of turn, but I seriously doubt that anyone on this forum would intentionally insult anyone. Looks to me like your doing a fine job. :D

I agree.

 

The example I posted wasn't specifically about the spelling, but the grammar, and I apologise if it upset anybody. That wasn't my intention.

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My typing sucks, so does my sentence structure. I know cpr, first aid and can fix a car to get ya home. Do you really think spelling is important! I wouldn't trade my other talents to be good at a keyboard. My fingers don't always do what my mind wants, that doesn't mean I can't enjoy this game. So it is an insult when I see more educated folk point out others deficitcies. I can find alot of people with degrees unemployed, but don't know many plumbers outta work! See we can all rant alike :D

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...I speak in a different style to friends in the pub, my boss or my Gran. A CV or job application is different from a hobby and the language used differs accordingly.

 

I agree. However in a CV, a job application or a cache listing one is usually trying to convey some interesting or important information to a another group of individuals. I feel this is best done by using accurate spelling and correct grammar, as far as possible.

 

I think I may write my next cache entirely in text speak, it wud b gr8 2 c u stress wif it lol !

 

Sounds OK to me... Would it be a puzzle cache? :D

 

MrsB

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The information being understood is based entirely on the person “deciphering” the message. A cache written in French would be a puzzle in the UK. One written in text speak would not be a puzzle for you average 15 yr old. Try writing in Latin and only a few people worldwide will get it. Ever tried to read “Trainspotting?” Granted for the type of person geocaching in the UK “Queen’s English” is probably going to hit most people. I believe it started in the US, maybe we should all write caches in American? If geocaching is truly a global sport maybe we should use some form of visual symbols that are understood by all people.

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...but as a matter of personal pride....

 

My point entirely!

 

If you do not have a sense of personal pride as to how you "present yourself" to the outside world what are others going to think about you?

 

The personal sense of pride and presentation you are talking about is based on YOUR values though, not the values of the person doing the writing/presenting. They may have their sense of pride in a completely different thing. e.g. they may value their individuality, regional identity, the speed at which they can get a message across, or something different entirely.

Edited by Bland by name
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...but as a matter of personal pride....

 

My point entirely!

 

If you do not have a sense of personal pride as to how you "present yourself" to the outside world what are others going to think about you?

 

Anyone with any sense of personal pride should wear top hat, white tie, tails, white gloves, and patent leather shoes when out in public. Anyone who doesn't do so does not know how to present themselves, so what are others going to think of you when they see you out in the countryside wearing jeans/cargo pants/shorts/whatever........

 

Then again you may think that my opinion as expressed above is just a tad old fashoined........

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...but as a matter of personal pride....

 

My point entirely!

 

If you do not have a sense of personal pride as to how you "present yourself" to the outside world what are others going to think about you?

 

Anyone with any sense of personal pride should wear top hat, white tie, tails, white gloves, and patent leather shoes when out in public. Anyone who doesn't do so does not know how to present themselves, so what are others going to think of you when they see you out in the countryside wearing jeans/cargo pants/shorts/whatever........

 

Then again you may think that my opinion as expressed above is just a tad old fashoined........

 

LMAO!!

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Maybe Groundspeak should come up with a new volunteer position--Volunteer Grammatical Reviewer. The person would have to have access to edit each cache page. Can I volunteer for that job? :laughing:

 

Seriously, I'm quite obsessive about proper spelling and punctuation, but I also know that not everyone is as great as I am. :D When I see the cache pages that seem to be written by those that pay little attention to what they write, I just roll my eyes. And then I go find the cache. I'm not going to NOT search for a cache just because it was written up by someone that might be illiterate.

 

I wish more people were more detail-oriented, but it's just that--a WISH. It'll never happen.

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I understand that some people have great difficulty putting a few sentences together so that a cache description is reasonably clear and easy to read. I really don't have a problem with that.

 

Although TBH I can't understand how someone can fail to notice that a sentence doesn't start with a capital letter, and that when read out it doesn't make sense. I take it that someone who has such an affliction will read it out to someone else and ask for comments?

 

But if the end product still looks like gobbledegook (like the example above) then cache owners should bear in mind that a lot of people will simply avoid the cache. I don't think I would be alone in assuming that if the writing is so sloppy that it's an effort to make sense of it, then it's not going to be much of a cache either. So, on to the next one instead.

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Jeez, there's some rather old-fashioned opinions being expressed here this week! I must confess that I find it hard to understand why folks would form an opinion about a cache based solely upon the spelling and grammar on the cache page. Can I assume that these folks would carry that same opinion through into other, more important, areas of life, such as refusing to be treated by the paramedic with dyslexia, (a good friend of mine) who can't spell for toffee - on the basis that if she can't spell, she obviously can't treat anyone either! Where's the correlation?

 

There are relatively few jobs/hobbies/interests where the ability to spell can affect the ability/enjoyment of the job/hobby. Indeed, I love seeing some errors in documents - references in computer studies papers to hard diks, floppy diks, and 3.5 inch diks are always good for a giggle!

 

Cheers

 

Dave

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An interesting thread to which I would just add a thought or two. I appreciate correct spelling and reasonable grammar but I do understand that some people may have a medical/psychological condition which causes them varying degrees of difficulty when trying to construct a sentence. However to try to defend the majority of cases of sloppy writing by suggesting that the writer may be dyslexic is missing the point.

 

Yes, there are cachers who suffer from dyslexia but I suggest the majority of "poorly written" cache pages are the result of plain old lack of education. Whether this is the fault of teachers, parents or individuals is debatable but it is a fact. Let's not excuse sloppiness in the majority because of a genuine excuse in a minority.

 

(Any spelling or grammatical errors contained in the above message are down to my own sloppiness for which I apologise.)

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An interesting thread to which I would just add a thought or two. I appreciate correct spelling and reasonable grammar but I do understand that some people may have a medical/psychological condition which causes them varying degrees of difficulty when trying to construct a sentence. However to try to defend the majority of cases of sloppy writing by suggesting that the writer may be dyslexic is missing the point.

 

Yes, there are cachers who suffer from dyslexia but I suggest the majority of "poorly written" cache pages are the result of plain old lack of education. Whether this is the fault of teachers, parents or individuals is debatable but it is a fact. Let's not excuse sloppiness in the majority because of a genuine excuse in a minority.

 

(Any spelling or grammatical errors contained in the above message are down to my own sloppiness for which I apologise.)

 

Just to clarify my own post, although I don't think this was particularly directed at that, I agree, and wasn't attempting to use dyslexia as an excuse for all badly written cache pages. Indeed, we all know that there are people who can't spell, can't do maths, can't draw or paint, have no hand/eye coordination, or are tone deaf! This doesn't make them less educated, less proud of themselves, or less able to do any particular job or participate in any particular hobby. (with obvious exceptions of tone deaf conductors, for example!)

 

My point is that everyone is different, everyone has different skills, and so long as an inability to spell (or whatever) doesn't affect their ability to do a job/enjoy a hobby, then that's fine by me! I've always thought of geocaching as a very inclusive hobby, more so than many, and I can honestly say I've neevr cmoe arcsos a chace pgae taht is SO bdlay wirtetn taht I can't atcaully go and look for the ccahe! :ph34r:

 

Dave

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I must confess that I find it hard to understand why folks would form an opinion about a cache based solely upon the spelling and grammar on the cache page. Can I assume that these folks would carry that same opinion through into other, more important, areas of life, such as refusing to be treated by the paramedic with dyslexia, (a good friend of mine) who can't spell for toffee - on the basis that if she can't spell, she obviously can't treat anyone either! Where's the correlation?

There are a lot of caches out there and it's quite usual to have a quick look through the cache descriptions to decide which to put on your shortlist.

 

Now it might be that the cache owner is very bright and it's a great cache, but how would you know that if the description is poorly-presented indecipherable text-speak? It might be that the cache owner has taken great care and effort in putting the description together, but if the end result looks like two minutes work it's reasonable to assume that the cache hide also took about two minutes.

 

Your comparison with a paramedic is poor. AFAIK you never end up in a position where you select paramedics only from their command of the written language. But in such a hypothetical situation, if you know nothing about any of the paramedics in a group of (say) 100 and all you can judge them on is a few written sentences in a CV, why would you put the one who doesn't seem to make sense at the top of the list? Particularly as you'd take it that the bright but dyslexic would get the wording checked and revised if they care about their work.

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There are a lot of caches out there and it's quite usual to have a quick look through the cache descriptions to decide which to put on your shortlist.

 

Now it might be that the cache owner is very bright and it's a great cache, but how would you know that if the description is poorly-presented indecipherable text-speak? It might be that the cache owner has taken great care and effort in putting the description together, but if the end result looks like two minutes work it's reasonable to assume that the cache hide also took about two minutes.

 

granted, and with the number of caches available, we HAVE to be selective about which ones we do - ignoring certain cache types, or circuits, or drive-bys, or micros or whatever. I know that you are an advocate of reading cache pages, logs and so on and trying to determine which caches to do - I suspect everyone does it to a certain extent, especially when away from home ground and can't do everything! My point (I think!) is that with all the other guides to which caches to do, I don't think I've ever used the written skills on the cache page to help decide, as I don't believe there is any correlation between that and cache quality. I do agree that a bare bones description may put me off, but not the writing ability. But thats not the same thing - I can place a p**s poor cache with one line of description - the grammatical correctness of that description could be perfect, but the cache itself would still be useless, and probably rightly ignored by visitos (such as yourself when you're visit the reigate area!).

 

Your comparison with a paramedic is poor. AFAIK you never end up in a position where you select paramedics only from their command of the written language. But in such a hypothetical situation, if you know nothing about any of the paramedics in a group of (say) 100 and all you can judge them on is a few written sentences in a CV, why would you put the one who doesn't seem to make sense at the top of the list? Particularly as you'd take it that the bright but dyslexic would get the wording checked and revised if they care about their work.

 

maybe so, but it was the best I could come up with! Lets take a different hypothetical situation of looking for a good plumber! I could examine all their CVs and ask them to produce an essay on how to replace a radiator in a closed heating system, but it probably wouldn't mean much, and I'd rather get recommendations and see some examples of their work instead! I don't expect my plumber to have good English skills (or any other language skills in this day and age!) :ph34r:

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How about a completely different approach?

 

If poor spelling grammer or sentance construction bothers you to the extent you find the need to start a forum thread. Why not contact the person and offer assistance, you never know you may learn something at the same time.

 

Surely this would be a more positive approach.

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