Perfectionism

Is anyone else a perfectionist?? I always find myself re-reading my posts after I have submitted them and if I see a spelling mistake or a smilie that hasn’t come out right, I always go in and edit it and correct it. I’m the same when it comes to documents that I type as well. I can’t stand having things go out with mistakes in them. Am I the only one that's like that? :o

HA!!! :D You know, I think at least a couple times I have been on the verge of starting a thread about his very subject, and stopped myself out of fear of ridicule (no offense ;) )!!

Anyway, to answer your question, I do the exact same thing. On average, I'd say I edit each post I make once, and it's not uncommon for me to go back and edit a single post two, or even three separate times! (To help drive home my point, this post I have now edited twice :sun: )

I try to make sure my posts come out right so they sound educated, but for time's sake if I see a mistake I might have missed, I leave it, unless it messes up the meaning...

I try very hard to ensure that my posts are written in concise,accurate and logical English,especially when I am on AF, but when I am on AIM,speed seems to be more important and the odd typo tends to silp through.:D

Originally posted by taranaki
I try very hard to ensure that my posts are written in concise,accurate and logical English,especially when I am on AF, but when I am on AIM,speed seems to be more important and the odd typo tends to silp through.:D Same here. On AIM, I allow my typing to "go to shit." It's just not worth the trouble of trying to keep it neat when working with such a "fast medium."

Well I must say I'm glad I'm not the only one that does that sort of thing. I'm even sadder though, I even correct my spelling when I'm on AIM (sometimes anyway :p ). :hehehe:

I always have a habit of correcting my mistakes, wether it's on here, MSN, ICQ, or even in a text message. I just automatically change it.

I would say that most people would do at least one proof read, and correction of thier posts. And everbody would corrrect any mistakes they make and see while typing.


But can anyone think why we do this? Becuase its certianly not the result of a perfectionist nerosis.

Originally posted by Moppie
But can anyone think why we do this? Becuase its certianly not the result of a perfectionist nerosis. OCD?

Originally posted by JD@af
OCD?

:confused: :confused: :confused:

Originally posted by Moppie


:confused: :confused: :confused: :rolleyes: Obsessive Compulsive Disorder... ...dumbasses :finger: :D

I don't care if I ave mispelt words in my posts, even if it is an assignment for school I just leave it as is.

Originally posted by JD@af
:rolleyes: Obsessive Compulsive Disorder... ...dumbasses :finger: :D

Oh you mean like perfectionist nerosis. :rolleyes:

dumbass! :finger: :D :D


Ok, think about what it means to be seen as less of a person by others, and the only medium buy which others can know you on the forums. :)

Hmmmm.So what you are suggesting is that we form opinions of our fellow AF members based on their ability to use the English language in the widely accepted manner?

You'd be fucked then,mate;)

Fortunately,I would beg to differ.It is just as easy to convey an idea in a baldy-spelled sentence as it is in perfect textbook English. Occasionally,an unintentional pun will divert attention from the original concept(i.e. the thread on genetically-selected deafness entitled"this shouldn't be aloud")but by and large,in this forum at least,people get judged on their abilty to think,not their ability to write their thoughts down.First impressions can be misleading of course,but a first impression is but a single brush-stroke on a very large blank canvas.

Wow very deep Mr T.:eek:

I just like to be professional in how I do thing's.
Even when I have to deal with idiots. (No offense intended)
I guess it's just the way some people are unless of course
when we are having fun. :hehehe: :hehehe: :hehehe: :hehehe:

The Panda speaks Sillyphosically.

:eek: wow, no wonder you lot have so many posts, editing each one 2-3 times must surely build up the tally;)

i try to get it right the first time:rolleyes:

Originally posted by hdtboy
:eek: wow, no wonder you lot have so many posts, editing each one 2-3 times must surely build up the tally;)

i try to get it right the first time:rolleyes:

Welcome to Off-topic!

I don't think editing adds to your post count,(EDIT...NO IT DOESN'T :cry: )some of us are Off-topic addicts,or to give it its proper name....:D POSTWHORES!:D

Always good to see another Kiwi on the boards!:D :D

oh well, i thought i was on to a winning theory, guess i'll just have to be like the postman and sleep around a bit more then:smoker2:

I tend to make sure everything is perfect, I wish I could stop though, it gets on my nerves.

An interesting point Mt T, and you are certianly very close, however I was refering to something a little deeper in our subconsious.

We live in a society that since our first day at school places a lot of emphasis on use of the written (or typed) word.
And so as a result the princables behind good spelling and grammer are taught to us from a very early age, and hammered into us for the rest of our school life.
I have had lecuters correct spelling and grammer in many of my 3rd year essays, so thas means over 2/3's of my life have been spent with people checking and correcting my spelling. (it clearly dosnt work very well ;) )
But im sure the same is true for everybody here who has attentend at least the minimum required number of schools years.
For all of us, the most formative years of our lives were spent with people judging our spelling and grammer, and reinforcing a desire to be good at it with in us.

This alone is enough for most people to at least pay some attention to thier spelling, either correcting mistakes as they make them, or haveing a quick proof read.
Add to this a deisre to be liked that all of us have in differnt strengths and in differnt levels of awareness (some are more aware of it than others) and an association with an inablity to use written language with a lack of education (which is seen as a negative by a lot of scoiety) and it becomes more important for us to worry about how our posts look.

Cleary since everyone is differnt, some of us will care more about how our posts look. How many mistakes we have, and how we have constructed out sentances.
Some of will simply not give a damn, But chances are they are people who have above average spelling and grammer, or are self aware enough of the desire to be liked that they can control it, or repress it.
Then there are those who do have prehaps have trouble with spelling or grammer, or prehaps to care about how thier posts appear to others, or even to them selves. There could be many reasons why they might correct a post more than once.
They might simply not like to be seen as someone who makes mistakes, they might not want to be seen by themselves as someone who makes mistakes, (perfectionists).
Or they might simply be responding to thier school teacher telling them that thats spelled wrong and it should be corrected.

Im sure there are other reasons, and we each will have our own, but its important to find the basic motovation. And in our society with its emphisis on being educated and an association with use of lauguage and education then I dont think a desire to check your post several times and correct any mistakes, or rewrite a few words so you like how it looks is in anyway a bad thing. Its simply a healthy reaction to society.

I'd have to say that the conditioning of children starts much sooner than school...Colouring books are a classic example.......the praise came when you stayed within the lines,and if you used the'wrong'colours for basics such as grass,trees,faces etc,you were pretty soon taught to conform...when I was a kid,pre-school teachers were as demanding as Marine drill-sergeants.If you didn't sit down,stand up,tidy up,get the actions right in the singing games,you sure got told!
Other tricks were the dot-to-dot puzzles(didn't work unless you followed the plan to by the numbers,'painting'-an ideal way to get toddlers dirty,so that you could then brainwash them into thinking that'dirty hands=wrong',play-doh(excellent for teaching kids that their sculpting abilities are worthless...whatever you make,it gets squashed back into the tin at the end of the session)...

We spend the first three years of a child's life encouraging them to walk and talk......how sad that we spend the next ten years telling them to sit down and not argue!

eye dunt friggin kare aboot me spel'n, cuz i not a purfekshunist, duz et mak u mad whin othurz do it

Originally posted by Spec2 Girl
Is anyone else a perfectionist?? I always find myself re-reading my posts after I have submitted them and if I see a spelling mistake or a smilie that hasn’t come out right, I always go in and edit it and correct it. I’m the same when it comes to documents that I type as well. I can’t stand having things go out with mistakes in them. Am I the only one that's like that? :o

Normally I do this when posting on www.nfscars.com

I do that most of the time:D

but occaisionally some slip through when, one is in a rush :p