"You're Participation is Needed!"

[Nubo]

...I do think we should use caution when questioning someone's intelligence based on their grammar, vocabulary, or spelling. Sharon was attempting to respond and correct the questionnaire to the best of her ability.

Personally, I didn't question her intelligence at all. She may be highly intelligent. Maybe brilliant. But she is somewhat illiterate.

I thought that the response to her grammar skills could have used some compassion

Again, a separate issue. My compassion for her as a human being is not diminished by pointing out her illiteracy. I wish her well. But, anyone with a basic education and literacy (let's say a High School diploma), really should know what an apostrophe is for. It's not a failure of intelligence but of education.

Over 20 years ago I was looking for work. I had sent hundreds of resumés and got few responses. Finally, a nice gentleman granted me an interview. During our talk he pointed out a spelling mistake in my resumé. I was mortified. I didn't complain about his lack of "compassion" or villify him as a "spelling Nazi", or bemoan the unnecessary focus in our society on the arbitrary sequences of letters that make up our language. I was grateful. I fixed my resumé and was glad that subsequent recipients didn't have to wonder what kind of bumpkin would misspell the word "background" in their resumé.

...we haven't a clue why she was selected to perform the work. We also don't know if anyone at ecotality is more able to perform the work.

Oh, please! Just how rare do you suppose these "skills" are? We're not talking Dangling Participles or the Oxford Comma. We're talking basic written English and the difference between "your" and "you are".

Perhaps they need to hire an English instructor. I wonder if they placed this in the operating budget?

No, they simply need to have a policy of proofreading and reviewing public communications. Everyone makes mistakes. You just don't let them get out the door.

 

[derkraut]

Be happy you aren't talking to India!!!

Or Bangladesh!!!

 

[kentuckyleaf]

Oh, please! Just how rare do you suppose these "skills" are? We're not talking Dangling Participles or the Oxford Comma. We're talking basic written English and the difference between "your" and "you are".

I would never use "you're" in place of "your" The reverse might be possible. I do often use "ov" in place of "of", and when I proof, I read "ov" as "of". That doesn't mean that I can't spell a two letter word, that is just how my brain works.


I guess I have the same problem with people that somehow made it through high school science, but don't remember anything about valance, atom shell structure, ionization, and other basic principles of electricity and chemistry. Perhaps if you use this information routinely, you remember, if not, maybe it just falls out of your head. You would figure something that is taught in a general science class in high school would be common knowledge, and not at all unusual or rare, wouldn't you?

 

[Nubo]

Oh, please! Just how rare do you suppose these "skills" are? We're not talking Dangling Participles or the Oxford Comma. We're talking basic written English and the difference between "your" and "you are".

I would never use "you're" in place of "your" The reverse might be possible. I do often use "ov" in place of "of", and when I proof, I read "ov" as "of". That doesn't mean that I can't spell a two letter word, that is just how my brain works.


I guess I have the same problem with people that somehow made it through high school science, but don't remember anything about valance, atom shell structure, ionization, and other basic principles of electricity and chemistry. Perhaps if you use this information routinely, you remember, if not, maybe it just falls out of your head. You would figure something that is taught in a general science class in high school would be common knowledge, and not at all unusual or rare, wouldn't you?

Yes.

That's how I got into computers actually. The Chemistry professors at University were, even then, appalled at the plummeting knowledge levels of entering students. Rather than waste time on remedial instruction they developed a computer-based course that was centered around what they considered a prerequisite skill -- balancing chemical equations. You had to complete the online course satisfactorily by end of 3rd week of Chem101, as I recall, or you were out. It was my first exposure to computers and I found them to be much more interesting than balancing the equations .

 

[ERG4ALL]

I'm hear too tell u that I've hired many people over the coarse of my career and I no four a fact that spelling counts.

Usually there would be a hundred or more resumes for each position and those that did not take the time to proofread their resume were not considered. There were just too many applicants that had the attention for detail that got the interviews.

 

[kentuckyleaf]

I'm hear too tell u that I've hired many people over the coarse of my career and I no four a fact that spelling counts.

Usually there would be a hundred or more resumes for each position and those that did not take the time to proofread their resume were not considered. There were just too many applicants that had the attention for detail that got the interviews.

This post made my day. Thank you four posting!

 

[Rat]

That subject line is the subject line of the Blink (Ecotality) survey email I just got. The survey itself is equality moronic. ...

equality moronic?

Oops. I deserved that. A Type-O, ov corse. I've heard all the arguments that spelling and grammar really don't matter and don't buy them. I could give many examples but won't bother here. I read for the blind and dyslexic as volunteer work, so I am well aware of the problems many face in that arena and have great sympathy for them, but a well-run company doesn't put someone in charge of public communication who can't communicate well. It would be like a TV station hiring a news anchor who had a facial tic and bad stutter. He or she might be intelligent and all, but viewers are going to be disturbed and change the channel; nor would a well-run company hire an engineer who can't do math or write code to design their software.

I have a long history with Ecotality screwing up my membership, so I am not ready to give them the benefit of the doubt when I see mistakes. I was in their computer system as two different people for over a year despite at least three times complaining and being promised that it would be fixed by the next day (and I may still be in twice although at least I no longer get two emails for everything). They thought my Blink EVSE unit was installed 400 miles from where I actually lived. They originally told me that my unit would fall within the $1200 EV Project limit for installation and thus should be free to me. Instead it cost me almost $3000 over and above the $1200, and that was after I screamed and hollered to get it reduced. They wouldn't allow me to get an alternate bid. The electrician who installed it took months to come back and get the final permit. You get the point. Their estimators can't estimate, the data base people can't maintain an accurate data base, the survey designer can't design a useful survey, and the marketing coordinator who communicates with customers can't communicate. Yes, I give her credit for a quick response and trying to be helpful, but it's still a bad survey and bad English. It makes you wonder about how well their engineers engineered the EVSE.

 

[mwalsh]

I don't make spelling or grammatical mistakes. I do, however, suffer from self-correcting software that is not yet ready for Skynet integration.

 

[downeykp]

Russell, I am reading Cached Out now. So far it is a nice read. I love the references to San Jose and area. I grew up in the Robertsville area of SJ. Keep the books coming.

 

[Rat]

Russell, I am reading Cached Out now. So far it is a nice read. I love the references to San Jose and area. I grew up in the Robertsville area of SJ. Keep the books coming.

You made my day. Thanks for the kind words. I am in fact working on book 3 in the series now.