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I do write more formally than I speak, but OTOH, I do have a spell checker
on mail (MS Office/Mail). I use it almost all the time! In fact, one upgrade
ago, the spell checker disappeared from mail, and the Technical
Communicators made such a big noise that MIS *jumped* to get it back in!
They didn't think anyone used it, but I wouldn't be without it.
However, that doesn't mean I won't ever misspeak/miswrite/make a mistake!
Tamara
tamara -dot- peters -at- lawson -dot- com
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From: TECHWR-L
To: Multiple recipients of list TECHWR-L
Subject: Re: Technic writers shall write good,
Date: Wednesday, 10 May, 1995 6:37PM
>However, I am wondering if a lot of you out there have spell checkers on
your
>e-mail? I don't (luckily I have a mail tool, or I'd have to write my e-mail
in
>vi or something like that).
<gasp> I couldn't *imagine* doing the volume of e-mail I do in vi! I use PC
Eudora, and it doesn't have a spell-checker. Even if it did, I would
probably *not* bother to use it.
I certainly wouldn't get my underwear in a knot over it. It's the stuff we
put out professionally that needs to be as near-perfect as we can get it.
And for that, I always run a spell checker (but it won't catch "right" for
"write"), and I try to get someone else to proof-read my writing, since I
will read an incorrect sentence (with, say, a dropped article or
preposition) as I *thought* I'd written it, rather than the way it really
is. If we took as much care with these little missives, which are supposed
to be an informal exchange of information, we'd spend 6 hours a day reading
and replying to this list, and would never get the work we get paid for
done!