Chances are, most of you post to social media. I know I do: Facebook, Google+, Twitter, etc. I’m all over the place. Most of my posts are just random stuff. What am I up to, upcoming events, what’s going on, pictures, etc. With those kind of posts, your spelling and grammar aren’t as important. There are always exceptions of course, if you are a politician or any type of public figure, you get judged on your character. Right, wrong, or indifferent, that’s just how it goes. I’m not trying to talk about public figures so much, although it would benefit you to consider these things as well. I’m definitely not talking about casual, fun posts – my thoughts don’t necessarily apply there either, although it doesn’t hurt.
So I see folks posting political posts, or conspiracy posts, or any kind of opinion post. What’s your goal? Do you intend to change minds or actions? Well, what have you posted that would alter my way of thinking or acting? If you reach someone receptive to change, how do you think they judge you? The only thing they have to go on is the content you are providing. So think about that content. If your content is full of spelling or grammar errors it is distracting. I personally don’t bother reading. You need to establish credibility, convince me that I should be paying attention to you. I do not feel you are credible if you are posting about something you take seriously and you don’t bother to craft a decent post. I’m not talking Master’s level spelling and grammar, just an honest effort – read your words before hitting post. What about fact checking? Do you just believe everything you read and hit share because something made you mad? Did you fact check? If you post something that you wish to have an effect and I hit up Google to find out more and immediately discredit the point you are making or some of your main facts, well your post is a waste. I often interject into threads on Facebook, not to disprove someone’s opinion or argue opinion, rather to demonstrate facts. I do the research before I post, you should too. Without establishing credibility, you’re just another nut on Facebook.
So there we are. Stop blindly posting the random crap of other people just because it hits your emotions. Fact check, do ten minutes of research, think about what you want to say, establish the actions you would like others to take, and put a little effort into spelling and grammar. Everything here is just my personal opinion, of course. But I feel like these posts are made for a reason. Take the time to ensure your message is received. Besides, when you do the research you might find out that the issue you are pissed off about is a non-issue. It’s really silly to have someone fabricate an issue and to have so many people share it and get mad when the whole thing has been completely invented!
