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What does your writing style say about you?

Philip Marlowe

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I'm no Shakespeare but I wanted to offer my opinion on writing to some aspiring entrepreneurs (and reveal by own bias).

I generally break writing online (so, e-mail, forum posts, etc.) down into two buckets: those with punctuation and those without. It's that simple. I'm not the grammar police and couldn't be if I tried but a lack of punctuation kills me.

It's probably not fair, but when I see a post that says: "hey is my idea fastlane thx", I immediately skip it, and not even because of the question. The person couldn't even find time to use the shift key or a question mark.

Am I alone on this one?

Similarly, if I'm reading a thread and the response looks similar to the above, I automatically skip what has been written. And maybe it's gold!

Anyway, take the above as you would any anonymous comment on the Internet but I thought it was worth sharing as in my brief time here I've seen a distinct difference in the quality of certain posts. If your questions aren't getting answered, maybe the structure and style of your prose is to blame?

-PM

P.S. - And proper punctuation shouldn't necessarily be impacted if English is your second language, so that's definitely not what I'm getting at.
 
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Sully1994

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I totally have the same natural bias, however I'm trying to eliminate it. I've met quite a few individuals who are brilliant business people, and far from eloquent writers. Your ability to string a coherent sentence together is not tied to your ability to make F*ck tons of money.

The only time I face-palm is when it's a thread about copywriting- and their writing is atrocious. I get that freelance writing is like the new big thing- but shit- you don't HAVE to be a writer. Plenty of other skills out there to be learned- and ones that pay better right out of the gate too.
 
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fresh

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Funny that you should mention this. I write full-time. On message boards or chat, I tend to be informal because I'm usually buried in edits and the sort during my work. I get lax when I'm on "me" time. You're right though, others reading my posts don't realize that I'm slacking for whatever reason I am. Thanks for the reminder that people might judge my competence based on my moments of laziness!
 
G

GuestUser450

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"Business communication" is bullshit.

I made money my freshman year proofreading and editing (and to be honest, writing) papers. I've had to unlearn all of it. And I still tend to overwrite. I still worry about grammar and punctuation and it's a weakness, not a strength. I wrote that way because it was rewarded in school but it's been nothing but a hindrance in real life and business. If I had a dollar for every time a partner or boss told me "Get. To. The. Point!"... I don't even want to think about it.

No one cares about punctuation or typos, only the return. When you do your first handshake deal over coffee or at a dog park, you'll see that people only care about what you can do. In fact, they're put off by Shakespeares because they're usually complete frauds; smart people speak simply and clearly, not eloquently.
 
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OldFaithful

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I understand that this is "just a forum", but it's a business forum. And yes, "business communication" is a real thing.

The following is merely my opinion, disregard if you wish:
If you want to make the best impression on your customer/vendor, then speak and write professionally...all other things being equal. Speaking & writing professionally will vary with each profession, as one might imagine, so it makes sense to match the tenor of your industry. I've seen people lose business opportunities because they didn't "appear" as professional as a competitor.



How you present yourself is entirely your choice. Feel free.
 
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Philip Marlowe

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Thanks for the responses.

@TeveTorbes - Ironically, I thought your response was exactly the type of well-written prose I had in mind. I read the entire response! And I do agree that people ultimately care about the return more than anything, but I think strong written communication skills (when using e-mail) help you get there.
 

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