If you access via the Usenet server rather than the forum, you can use the
spell checker of your newsreader -
http://www.gmayor.com/MSNews.htm
The issue of spelling is a thorny one as the education system no longer
places much weight on the ability to spell correctly (probably because the
educators often cannot spell correctly either). When answering many queries
it is simple for the odd typo to slip through. This is a very informal
medium and while good grammar and spelling are desirable qualities, it is
the help provided that has the greater importance.
The inclusion of the questions and answers that have gone before are not
only desirable but essential. The Microsoft Forums are simply windows into a
wider Usenet forum. Those of us who regularly contribute access that server
directly and our newsreaders are setup to discard messages after a given
time because of the amount of traffic involved. It is essential when
replying to know what has gone before.
I am surprised you didn't also raise the issue of top and bottom posting, as
this pops up from time to time also
Preference here seems more
attributable to the newsreading software than to any issue of style. FWIW I
use Outlook Express, so prefer top posting. If you don't like that - tough!
--
Graham Mayor - Word MVP
My web site
www.gmayor.com
Word MVP web site
http://word.mvps.org
Rupert Bear wrote:
Sir /Madam.
It is amazing to find that so many questions in
this forum come with spelling mistakes in them, how is it that other
less well known forums have an inbuilt spellchecker when this one [if
my powers of observation are correct,] does not? Please consider
adding one as the mistakes, some due to sheer bad spelling whilst
others are due to people just being too lazy to read their letter
through before sending, is quite unbelievable.
Second suggestion; Why is it that every reply to a
letter is prefixed with all the correspondence that has gone before
on the subject. This makes for [if I may be permitted to say so]
rather boring reading when all one wants to do is read the answer. I
don't offer these comments in a critical manner, simply to enhance
the forum somewhat.
Yours hopefully RB
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