From the Observation Deck

If you haven’t yet visited the FAIL blog, then shame on you. Not only is it hilarious, it’s a wonderful example of the need for all of us to think about how we communicate. Every time I go into the local Shoppers Food Warehouse I get a laugh. And not just because they have an awesome ad for their donuts. (These donuts eat other donuts for breakfast.) I laugh when I’m in the check-out line where I see an instruction fail on their credit card machine.

Instruction FAIL

This is a good example of the need to have editors look over your work before launching a product. Strict attention to detail can be a pain to some—especially in our fast-food, texting, road rage society—but I think it’s about time to break out the pencils and teach our kids how to use them.

I’m going to have myself a little rebellion—you may even say tantrum—against laziness. I realize that languages evolve, new words get introduced, and with some technology there is a need for brevity (Twitter anyone?). But trying to decipher some of the e-mails I get or the notes on my Facebook wall from people who really aren’t paying attention is just plain annoying.

Okay, tantrum over. But seriously folks, I know that even I don’t catch everything in my own posts but please, before sending your message, click on the little icon, you know the one with the ABC check mark. It won’t catch everything, but it could help your reader’s eyes a bit. And if you’re a marketer or communications professional, or just someone selling content, you most definitely should be checking your work. The fastest way to lose credibility and loyalty is to show you’re lazy or don’t care.

 I know all you texters out there are calling me a dinosaur. Don’t care—it’s my blog. If you have something to say about it, then please make a comment. And try to spell out your words if you can remember how.