Anyone who has an online presence should know the importance of proofreading before publishing. Proper spelling, punctuation and grammar are essential when it comes to posting online. Whether it’s a status update, event invitation, or promotion, these writing basics can either boost your business or damage your credibility.
Case in point: the Walgreens Fan Page on Facebook. What began as an announcement about their Take Care Clinics quickly became an inflamed debate over the misspelling of one word: tract. See their faux pas below:
Did you know Take Care Clinics at select Walgreens offer treatment for skin conditions, urinary track infections, and more?
This national drugstore chain was advertising health services and made a mistake that has potentially huge repercussions. At the time of the post, there were 508,187 fans of that page. The potential exposure to this gaffe was more than just the actual fans. Any post made in a venue that has as large a membership as Facebook has the potential to reach millions of people worldwide. A lack of confidence inspired by one tiny word could affect the company’s bottom line: profits. When the company’s name and reputation depend on the trust of its customers, the company must put forth every effort to guarantee retention of that trust.
The Internet provides us with many pictures that illustrate a lack of proofreading or double checking work. Most recently was a photo of the word “SCHOOL” misspelled as “SHCOOL” in a school zone. How much confidence does this instill in that particular school? Although the school itself is not responsible for the improper lettering (city or county work crews do most road painting), parents, administration, and the community as a whole feel the effects of ridicule and embarrassment.
I don’t know about you, but I love my words, and do my best to ensure that they are clear enough for my readers to get my point. I have two blogs and a business page. When I am in doubt, I consult a dictionary or thesaurus. Both are available online, in print, and in most word processing programs. Another option is to have someone else check your work before going public. The human eyes and brain get tired after reading and re-reading the same document several times, and it is easy to miss a simple typo.
Spell a word correctly but with transposed letters and it becomes something very different and can change the meaning of the sentence or completely disrupt the flow of your article or post. If a reader is distracted while reading, the effectiveness of your copy is greatly diminished.
The effect may go even further. Consider the cost involved to correct a mistake. If a printing company prints your business cards or flyers with the copy you provided that had a mistake, you are responsible for reprinting with corrected copy. Damage control is always more expensive than taking steps to do things right the first time.
Take the time to review carefully anything seen by your customers, fans, and the public. Many people underestimate the importance of proofreading before publishing. The result is often a costly and embarrassing mistake.