Grammar Girl Web Discussion - February 9, 2012

Scott Abel and Val Swisher interview Mignon Fogarty

Start time: 1:00pm ET / 11:00am MT / 10:00am PT / 6:00pm GMTWebinar ID: 544-864-410 Audio: (914) 339.0033 Access Code: 622-064-778

This event is being recorded. A link to the recording will be provided to all registrants via email next week.

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Grammar Girl Provides Tips and Answers Questions About Better Writing

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web: www.contentwrangler.com twitter: @contentwranglerScott Abel, The Content Wrangler

online resource for folks who view content as a business assetwww.thecontentwrangler.com

online resource for people interested in dynamic content and related topicswww.thedynamicpublisher.com

strategies for reaching customers anywhere, anytime on any devicewww.intelligentcontentconference.com

Thanks to FusionSpark Media, Langley Center for New Media www.fusionspark.comLive from The 2nd Annual Content Marketing Retreat in Langley, WA

web: www.contentrules.com twitter: @valswisherVal Swisher, CEO and Founder, Content Rules

the global content expertswww.contentrules.com

registrants receive link to recording after | free book drawing winners via emailone hour | one guest | two interviewers | need help? have question? use chat window

web: www.quickanddirtytips.com twitter: @grammargirlMignon Fogarty, Founder, Managing Director, Quick and Dirty Tips

Smartphone and tablet apps allow us to provide innovative ways to make content available to those who need it. Tell us a little about your app?

Susan Cassidy asks, “Is it ever acceptable to take grammar shortcuts when posting to social sites like Facebook? I know I do it, do you?”

Sarah Johnson of Erie, PA wants to know if IM and texting shortcuts drive you nuts? They drive Sarah batty. “When you text, do you use them, she wonders?”

Arocdnicg to rsceearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn’t mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoatnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer are in the rghit pcale. The rset can be a toatl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit pobelrm. Tihs is buseace the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe.

Eric Bryant asks: “Aret’n thees ruels irerelvnat -- if we get the message?”

Judith of AllRecipes.com writes, “Social media seems to encourage slipage of established grammar and punctuation rules. What are some ‘it’s okay’ and ‘don’t even think about it’ rules?”

Brad Weaver of Washington, DC asks, “Cursive or not? And, why or why not?”

Marie-Ève Béland asks, “As a non-native speaker, when should I use ‘toward’ instead of ‘towards’? I cannot tell the difference, yet I believe there to be one.”

Nilofar Pardawala asks, “Besides blogs, when is it okay to write in ‘stream of thought’ style, where sentences are not always grammatically correct?

Tim Steele of Santa Clara asks, “If it’s ‘right’ to everyone in Iowa, but ‘wrong’ to everyone in California, how do we settle regional usage issues ... or do we?”

John Ray of Terre Haute, IN writes, “Language changes. Over time it morphs, adjusts, and bends to the whims of those who use and abuse it. What’s the biggest abuse you’ve seen?”

Donna Maurillo of Scotts Valley, CA asks, “Is it correct to use ‘can’ rather than ‘may’ when asking for permission (‘Can I help you?’)?”

Donna Maurillo of Scotts Valley, CA also asks, “When talking about duration, is an apostrophe necessary after ‘years’?”

Lynn Leith writes, “The world is a globe. It is round, not flat. Thus, it’s correct to say ‘around the globe’, not ‘across the globe’. One can travel across a country, but one cannot travel across the world. Do you agree or disagree?”

Judith at AllRecipes.com asks, “Can you recommend a reliable online source for up-to-the-minute grammar rules?”

David Harkins of Chase Card Services asks, “Where do you stand on mandatory prison sentences for gross misuse of the apostrophe ‘s’ and the serial comma?”

Gaela Schlak of San Jose, CA writes, “My 6-year-old daughter Alicia aks, ‘Why is spelling correctly, rather than phonetically, important?’ Her teacher allowed it in first grade, and it has become a real battle between my daughter and me”.

Jose Clarkson of Houston, TX asks: “Why does everyone make a fuss about our language changing. Isn’t what’s happening today to our language just part of the natural ebb and flow of language?”

And now, for some questions from the chat room...

10 lucky registrants will receive a free copy of “The Grammar Devotional: Daily Tips for Succcessful Writing from Grammar Girl”.

web: www.contentrules.com twitter: @valswisherVal Swisher, CEO and Founder, Content Rules

web: www.contentwrangler.com twitter: @contentwranglerScott Abel, The Content Wrangler

web: www.quickanddirtytips.com twitter: @grammargirlMignon Fogarty, Founder, Managing Director, Quick and Dirty Tips

Thank you!

Scott Abel and Val Swisher chat with Jack Molisani and Sarah O’Keefe

Thursday, February 9th at 1:00pm ET / 11:00am MT / 10:00am PT / 6:00pm GMT

This event is being recorded. A link to the recording will be provided to all registrants via email next week.

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