Is the glut of online writing lowering writing standards?

LeJayJ Level 1

September 15, 2017, 10:00 pm

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Is the glut of online writing lowering writing standards?

Anyone can publish on the web. And because of that the internet is now congested with everything from the very sublime to the very worst of bad writing, with most of it fitting the latter description. On any given subject I can look to the internet to provide me with some of the most inane and grammatically incorrect information this world can provide, as well as some of the most pretentious rhetoric anyone could think to want. This is not to say there is no good writing on the internet but with the proliferation of it these days, we are forced to pick through a great deal of mediocre to downright terrible writing. I am tired of seeing articles full of grammatical errors, inconsistent logic, and generally watered down content that has nothing new to say and says it poorly at that. And because that is the type of fodder that is readily available to us due to the gross amount of it, is it not possible that we will lower our expectations when it comes to the quality we expect from writers? Or will the increasing number of people publishing on the web force writers to be more competitive for their reader's views?

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iamawriter

iamawriter

Even here, after writing those 10 posts that are expected to be of high quality , good grammar and spelling which qualify one to be a member of Postloop I see so many badly written posts. Those posts get accepted and paid as well.
You are right - the good old English is hardly seen anywhere.

7 years ago

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DarthHazard

DarthHazard

I felt really bad for thinking this but I'm glad that there are other people out there that think the same as well. I was so nervous when I applied for sites like PostLoop and TheForumWheel even though I consider my English to be very good (it is my first language after all). But after seeing some of the content that other users are posting, it's a surprise that I was so nervous. Most users are actually good but there are some that just have awful grammar yet still get accepted.

7 years ago

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iamawriter

iamawriter

Before registering we read their rules and one of them is about posts having perfect grammar and spelling. I therefore wonder whether the standard has gone down that they have no choice but to ignore the lesser crimes (lol)

7 years ago

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DarthHazard

DarthHazard

Maybe. I think the fact that earning money online is a lot easier now as well so people that tend to have perfect grammar and spelling may be doing other online activities rather than going down the route of paid posting. And because of that, the standard of users applying for paid posting has probably gone down drastically and they probably have to ignore it since they need members (not necessarily about PostLoop but for paid posting sites in general)

7 years ago

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iamawriter

iamawriter

My advice to anybody would be even if the sites in question do not call for perfect English individuals should strive towards producing state of the art posting in their own interest. Once one gets into the habit of writing in a slipshod way that will stay.

7 years ago

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DarthHazard

DarthHazard

Definitely. Just because the site does not require perfect English, it does not mean that you should be sloppy and not careful with what you are typing. It's always great to try to write your best content because it can help you improve your own writing and it can make you a better person. It will also help you to get rid of some bad habits like you said.

7 years ago

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iamawriter

iamawriter

The shortcuts that one uses while sending sms messages contributes to producing half baked content and time is not far when people would have forgotten what grammar and spelling is all about

7 years ago

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JoeMilford

JoeMilford

I totally agree with you here. You should never lower your standards when it comes to writing, or standards when it comes to anything else, for that matter, just because your peers may choose to lower theirs. Writing is also an exercise, and you have to continue to exercise your writing "muscles" properly in order to constantly improve and to hone your skills with language. I also agree that without practice you can lose your good writing skills, so you may as well do your best every time.

7 years ago

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iamawriter

iamawriter

Those who take advantage of the leniency of sites will soon lose their command over the language and if they decide to write a book for example, that will be difficult to say the least.
As you have rightly said we should always strive to be at the helm of affairs whatever they be.

7 years ago

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JoeMilford

JoeMilford

I guess it's like they say...if you don't lose it, you lose it. I think that is true of writing. It is a practice and a discipline to be a good writer, and it does take care and patience. Anyone can just bang out a bunch of words without editing them or revising, them, but good writers care about their content and about presenting their thoughts with precision, grace, and clarity. If you are going to do something, you may as well do it right, I say.

7 years ago

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iamawriter

iamawriter

This writing fever let us admit has become so to say an epidemic thanks to online opportunities that one sees in abundance. In my entire life I have ever written so much as I have now with all these writing sites that promise to pay us. (lol)

7 years ago

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JoeMilford

JoeMilford

Right! And if only they paid more! My roommate calls us "paid writers" the 50 cent Army, and she says we are all basically working in an intellectual sweatshop. I see her point, but I have had some good earnings here and there with my writing, and the earning are enough to keep me coming back to certain sites in order to make money. I can't live off of this money by itself, but it does help to supplement my income; that is for sure!

7 years ago

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iamawriter

iamawriter

I have yet another strong reason to be online and that is I hardly have anyone in my real life that share my interests. It is not just those pennies I get but the interaction is what I look for with those who share my interests.

7 years ago

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JoeMilford

JoeMilford

I would say that that is the most positive and beneficial reason to be here, but if you can make those pennies online, as you say, then you may as well get paid while you are learning and having fun, right? As long as you are contributing to the discussion in new and insightful ways, I would say that you have earned that compensation!

7 years ago

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iamawriter

iamawriter

Atleast in some forums we do contribute but a site like myLot we get paid for having fun sometimes even just exchanging pleasantries. There the more followers we have who interact there is scope for earning

7 years ago

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Painterly

Painterly

I'm honestly far more concerned with the criteria by which we are rated by our clients than by the non-standards of the management. They have a vested need for volume to make this business model work. They may DESIRE quality, but at the end of the day this is a numbers game. Our job isn't to be lil'Shakespears. It's to generate search engine traffic. Quality certainly does play into that, but ultimately this is still a keyword/search-terminology game, and that means quantity.

Unfortunately, the ratings we receive are entirely based upon unscientific notions the individual forum owners have about us and what we've written. Half of them blatantly have no idea what they're doing, don't bother to purchase enough of the service to matter, and then give us low ratings based on criteria that have nothing to do with generating traffic to their site! This can quickly lock you out of posting on other forums which then necessarily hurts PostLoop's profitability! It's a blatantly asinine system that is designed to fail.

I say all of this as a person who has a relatively good score at the moment. I am rated about 4.6 and, while I am decent at what I do, I'm not the best out there. I've benefited from a few kindly forum owners who made the opposite mistake: they liked me as a person and so rated me maybe a little better than I merited. I try to deliver 5 work, but I'm not a professional writer yet. Not really.

The rating system is utterly broken from top to bottom and is a threat to the continued stability of this business model.

7 years ago

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iamawriter

iamawriter

The best for any site would be quantity with quality but they over look quality as these days not many writers are equipped with perfect English. Longer the posts longer will be the time available for Ads to be noticed.

7 years ago

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JoeMilford

JoeMilford

I have to admit that there are plenty of times I make mistakes, typos, or misspellings, and I am an English teacher, so I REALLY have no excuse. People are gonna make mistakes, and it is so hard to edit our own work with any kind of objectivity. I do notice some "English as Second Language" issues on our forums, from time to time, but that is to be expected in an international and global environment. Still, like you guys, I think that some posts really could have used a good proofread before they were released to the world forever, but, considering my own mistakes, I do not want to sound like a hypocrite.

7 years ago

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iamawriter

iamawriter

A word about those who have English as their second language. I belong there but must admit we get a good grounding in comparison. Native speakers learn phonetically from their parents before they are admitted to schools and that is why we often see the mistakes they make.

7 years ago

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JoeMilford

JoeMilford

That is an interesting point, and thanks for sharing this with me. I taught in Japan once for about two months, and I witnessed some of this myself. I was teaching simple "conversation classes" to neighborhood kids, and you could see the generational changes and differences between the children and the parents and uncles, etc. It is fascinating how language develops in all of us. My Japanese was terrible--I must admit that their English was a thousand times better than my Japanese.

7 years ago

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iamawriter

iamawriter

I have often seen the mistakes that native speakers make. They will say 'I use to' instead of 'I used to' and this extends to 'suppose to' and so on. The other place they get confused is when they use the word 'their' and 'there' 'to' and 'too' , 'then' and 'than.
Have you noticed this too?

7 years ago

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JoeMilford

JoeMilford

Yes! All of the time. These are called "homophone" errors--words that sound alike and mean something different. The two most notorious issues I run into in my reading are the uses of "there", :their", and "they're", and "its" and "it's". Such common errors can be easily fixed with a good proofread and edit!

7 years ago

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iamawriter

iamawriter

I am so grateful for the exposure I have had while at school as I am quite clear on the use of all these words which many here get confused. My memory took me back to our English teacher who was very strict and you must know English is not our first language.

7 years ago

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JoeMilford

JoeMilford

I also think that, even for native English speakers, that the English language is a very difficult one. I have heard that the only other language on the planet which is tougher to master than English is Mandarin. In any case, I have been an English teacher for over 15 years, and I see people from my own country struggle with it all of the time.

7 years ago

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mildredtabitha

mildredtabitha

I doubt if allowing everyone and just anyone to post on internet is lowering writing standards. This is because, we can't expect more than half of the population in the world to be perfect in English. As long as you understand what is written, then it is your choice to continue reading the poorly written work or look for high quality work.

7 years ago

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Painterly

Painterly

Standards are standards no matter how many people are writing and no language is without fluctuation. It's more about where you expect to find truly professional content. You won't get that from PostLoop, and it's in that company's best interest to not demand it. Populist business models rely on a mix of quantity and quality in which quantity is the more important metric. These are forum posts, after all, and there's something to be said for the "authenticity" of having the occasional error in your post if you want it to appear genuine.

7 years ago

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mar06

mar06

I guess its not doesn't matter to write in online as long as you have the talent of writing you may have high standard. Depends upon a writer whether where he or she is comfortable.

7 years ago

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Martinsx1

Martinsx1

I have this feeling that the reason why most people are now having badly written articles made is because of the quest to rush post and meet up ones daily post numbers. This makes it impossible for these posters to relax and write high quality content, it's just a shame that there is absolutely nothing we can do about it.

7 years ago

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Kakashi2020

Kakashi2020

It really depends on the platform and the geographical location of the poster. If the platform is social media like Facebook, then be prepared for the worst English you'll ever read. But you can also find great articles in it. So it's normal to see good writing along with bad ones. When it comes to paid postings it also depends on the platform, topic and the amount they're paying.

6 years ago

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JoeMilford

JoeMilford

I would say that the freedom that the Internet offers, with its undisciplined wild west wastelands of data and fodder, as you called it, does result in a lot of sloppy and ridiculous writing and content in general. There are trolls out there, imposters, nutcases, and charlatans, and this environment can really give them all a bully pulpit. However, I have seen a lot of good writing, especially in some of the forums I frequent, and if you look in the right places, you will find TONS of great content on the internet. I guess the lowest common denominator might outnumber those of us who try to use good grammar, mechanics, punctuation, and spelling, but a lot of us are still out here trying to use proper English while communicating with valid meaning.

7 years ago

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iamawriter

iamawriter

There are exceptions where perfect grammar and spelling could perhaps be ignored specially where sites do not mind, such as myLot. The posts there are so badly written and we are not supposed to correct anyone there and that is a violation of rules.

7 years ago

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JoeMilford

JoeMilford

That's funny. I have never seen this site, but for it to almost establish an anti- proper grammar culture is interesting. It would probably drive me a little bit nuts, though. I can see why certain sites would protect people from being corrected, but I don't see any sites purposefully encouraging bad grammar and language usage.

7 years ago

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iamawriter

iamawriter

If they discouraged those with poor grammar and spelling then half of the members would not be there. This site wants members at any cost. I never entertain posts that do not appeal to me specially when they are written badly.

7 years ago

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JoeMilford

JoeMilford

I see. I just went over and checked out the site. I am interested in signing up. Would you recommend it? I love writing and posting, and if I could make an extra buck or two out of being part of some interesting online communities, then that's a bonus too, of course. I might sign up today, actually.

7 years ago

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iamawriter

iamawriter

It pays slowly but it is a reliable site. Just go through FAQs and then start your work there. You get paid for what others comment and respond on your work. I think you will do well there.

7 years ago

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JoeMilford

JoeMilford

Thanks so much, and I appreciate you saying this. I could use the encouragement here because my freelancing success is a bit sub-par these days. Any new idea is worth checking out, and you never know which one will be profitable to you until you try. So, thanks again for the suggestion and the compliment!

7 years ago

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iamawriter

iamawriter

One has a choice to go for what is considered well written content and certain sites do insist that only those writers that pass their test could join their sites.
Good writers and speakers are still there. Obama for example was a great speaker with impeccable English.

7 years ago

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Martinsx1

Martinsx1

Without passing the writing test of some sites, there is no way that such site would approve such writer to be a paid poster. It's never done before and I'm sure as hell that it's not going to start happening today or tomorrow.

Someone have actually confided in me that after his test post, his writing didn't meet the requirements of being made a paid poster but he was told that he could just post for fun but he wouldn't earn any points for such posts.

7 years ago

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DenisP

DenisP

I can't say that I've really had an issue with this. I certainly do agree that the internet is insanely saturated by mediocre writers and so called "journalists," however I haven't found poor content to be a reoccurring problem for me. I think this is mostly because I don't really roam around the internet all too much. I have my reputable sources that cover a spectrum of content that I'm interested in, and thankfully they consistently put out reliable, quality content. Even when I Google a niche topic that might not be covered by my sources, I just stick to sites I know have a reputation for giving a damn for quality.

7 years ago

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JoeMilford

JoeMilford

I think I am q lot like you in this respect. The places I tend to frequent, because of my own interests and sensibilities, tend to be frequented, for whatever the reason, by people who use proper grammar and punctuation. I guess you and I both tend to gravitate towards "reputable sources", as you said, and because of my own academic background, I too can sniff out a poor source or site pretty easily and quickly.

7 years ago

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DenisP

DenisP

Simply put, like minded people will congregate towards certain sites because they meet their qualifications and standards. Once enough people have gathered, the community becomes closed off to people who don't adhere to those standards. If proper grammar, spelling, and referencing reputable sources is required, then you'll either be reprimanded or banned for not meeting those requirements. And that is how sites gain a good reputation. For those who don't care about any of those things, there are sites like that for them as well, you just certainly won't find me there.

7 years ago

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Martinsx1

Martinsx1

I think that the only one gets to maintain a good work output is by keeping his engagement average and not too overloaded because this would make the writer have a lot of work to take care of and this means rushing the work and it only results in getting the job done haphazardly.

7 years ago

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DenisP

DenisP

"I think that the only one gets to maintain a good work output is by keeping his engagement average and not too overloaded…"

I definitely agree with you in that regard. It is simply a matter of quality over quantity. The fact is that we humans aren't robots. We can't constantly output the same quality content over and over, quickly and efficiently. We will either burn out or our content is going to experience a dip in quality. The only way to avoid this is by managing our work and respecting our own limitations. Pushing the limits is fine sometimes, but not if it is going to cost you the value of your work.

7 years ago

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Martinsx1

Martinsx1

"It is simply a matter of quality over quantity. The fact is that we humans aren't robots. We can't constantly output the same quality content over and over, quickly and efficiently. We will either burn out or our content is going to experience a dip in quality"

You said it better than I could ever put it, we are humans and not robots. There is no guarantees that we would keep getting the same work output when we over push ourselves. Definitely, it would get to a point where we would experience diminishing returns because we are no longer in the right frame of mind to offer our very best.

7 years ago

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zollynash

zollynash

It is true though I have only come across such in bits and pieces. Though with the strict rules and "tests" in some sites you'd expect to see some pretty good writing skills. It also makes it a little bit harder when you are doing searches online.

7 years ago

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Baburra

Baburra

I think it is similar in writing as it is with music, which is that since everyone can just make their own works on a laptop and publish it online instantly, there are more people who are able to do it, and with that you get a lot of mediocre content. However, with the same breath you can also argue that a lot of the exceptional works that people are able to come up with in modern times wouldn't also have come about if resources weren't as easily accessible, so I really can't complain. Ultimately, I think it's just a tool like any other and there will always be a positive and negative side to everything.

7 years ago

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Painterly

Painterly

I think we have to be careful about giving this a pass by comparing it to other craft-forms. Where this argument breaks down is that music is inherently a subjective practice. There is musical theory to serve as a guideline, but it's not a body of objective fact. Writing, on the other hand, does have an ethics component in that the author of a piece needs to speak honestly about the topic. Facts can be distorted, ignored, or outright misrepresented and this is the real issue with allowing just anyone to say anything online. Grammar and spelling are the least of our worries in a world in which yellow journalism is the default mode. Partisan propaganda and warmongering are commonplace now. People tune in to their favorite sites to get high on self-righteous anger, not to be informed and have their biases challenged. This is dangerous beyond reason!

7 years ago

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Baburra

Baburra

Good point. I guess my argument can only be considered partially applicable, then. I agree with you that there are a lot more factors in article writing than in song writing such as biases and fact checking. These days, I've seen a lot of supposedly objective articles that are selling themselves as neutral when there is a lot of underlying opinion laid in subtly by the author.

7 years ago

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JoeMilford

JoeMilford

I think that this is a really great argument. With greater freedoms, such as the online world offers, there are less restrictions, so more people, regardless of their "skill level", can show up for the experience. However, we can always pick and choose who and what we respond to while respecting one another's space here online. If content is too un-edited or too illegible, I just skim over it or avoid it altogether. No harm no foul done there.

7 years ago

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Corzhens

Corzhens

I think mediocrity is the effect of excessive work or no work. Just like an athlete who came back for a long layoff, you cannot expect him to perform at par with his usual level. And if he is overworked then the same thing happens, his level of performance sags. With writing, it is best to always have a balance of work and rest, work and rest. Continuous working can give you mental fatigue and too much resting can make your mind rusty.

7 years ago

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LeJayJ

LeJayJ

I think what my original concern was when I posted this question was, will people just start to get slack about their writing because of the proliferation of writers? Will writer's with less talent start to become the norm and our staple fare simply because the huge numbers vying for the same jobs will allow people buying content to pay less? Will the fact that anyone at all can publish drive quality down? Anyone can write and publish now. Will this cause writer's to get lazy or will it force us to strive for even better crafted work in order to stand out from the crowd?
Personally, though I am appalled by the quality of grammar being displayed in many web articles, some barely even being coherently readable, don't care so much about the grammar as the quality of what is being said. Is it being written in a style that is innovative and makes me think? Is it written in so compelling a manner that I feel as if I am there? Is it something that I want to know more about now because that writer has made me see its importance in my life? These are the things that I think create quality writing and what I am afraid will be lost in the masses of amateur writing finding its way into mainstream paid for works. I do constantly find amazing examples of really thought provoking and compelling writing all throughout the web and they are written by people who expect no compensation whatsoever for their words. My hope is that these will continue to be the voices that reign supreme and get valued for their talent and that content buyers do not overlook them in hopes of finding someone cheap.

7 years ago

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JoeMilford

JoeMilford

This is an interesting question, and I can only answer it for myself, but when I see poor writing online, it actually reminds me to keep editing and revising myself and my own writing and to stay sharp. I do not want to be perceived as a poor writer or as someone who does not really care about he is writing in the first place. The way I write is a reflection of how I think, and I am proud of that and want it to reflect my ideas well. I also hope that content buyers keep their standards high, just like the content writers should as well.

7 years ago

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Tronia

Tronia

I have also noticed many articles and blogs with many, extremely obvious grammar mistakes. While I do understand and fully accept that we're all human beings, none of us makes zero mistakes but still. I think things like tenses, you're/your, their/there and so on is just such a big mistake that it shouldn't be overlooked.

I do think that such flood of online writing also lowered the writing standards and overall quality a bit but hopefully not too much. There are still great writers that do daily online writing. Sadly, they don't get enough recognition and pay compared to the worse ones.

7 years ago

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JoeMilford

JoeMilford

I am sure that I have made some dumb mistakes in my writing in the forums here and elsewhere. It is easier for us all to see the mistakes of others rather than our own. That being said, I do try to edit things before I submit them, and I still miss things. In any case, editors at major publishing houses would not have jobs, I guess, if this type of thing was not so common.

7 years ago

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treecko142

treecko142

Well, the internet is available for everyone and anyone who has a device that can connect to the internet and basic skills can post comments or start their own blogs, no matter their educational attainment or English-speaking skills. I can forgive bloggers with grammatical errors or poorly thought out posts since they can be just someone who wants to practice English or share his/her life without caring about others (although I probably won't read it), but it's a different matter when it comes to news articles. Of course, the more respected websites/news agencies have higher standards, so you also expect the same in their writing.

7 years ago

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peachpurple

peachpurple

As a writer , one should not lower his standard of writings in order to be part of them, the odd ones. A post with grammatical errors and spelling mistakes are not tolerable towards readers. It put them off at once, inducing down in traffic which the writer themselves were the ones who had created the low traffic. I write posts as I had did 9 years ago. I don't lower my standard because I will not improve myself and downgrade my work for nothing.

7 years ago

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Soulwatcher

Soulwatcher

Its society in general, people are lowering their standards for everything. And I will be the first to admit I am not the most skilled writer out there. But I do the best that I can. However you have people that flatout don't care and they publish anything no matter how sloppy the writing is.

7 years ago

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Judas2018

Judas2018

Not really. The more there is of something - the more options it gives people. Variety is good. Every market normally corrects itself. When it's flooded with new material, things always boil down to winners and losers eventually. People who have bad or poor writing standards, will receive little to no traffic. Which means no profit. They'll vanish for awhile to sharpen their skills or quite altogether. Thus at the end of all of these new writing spaces, the cream of the crop will rise to the top as it always does.

7 years ago

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