I am going to propose a new rule for IM communication. Ok, not so much a rule as a suggestion: Only correct typos that drastically change the meaning of the message, or that a reasonably logical person might misunderstand.
Supposedly your mind can recognize errors in text and correct for them. So let’s use that.
Here’s an example, if you are chatting with someone and they say:
them [12:44]: OMG, I am so hungry, I'm gonna go grab luncg them [12:44]: lunch you: [12:45]: get a burrito!
Ok, you see how he (the “them” guy) corrected himself, and typed “lunch” after they typed the word “luncg”? I think it may be unnecessary to do so. I got enough context clues from the time (12:44) and the mention of being hungry to know they meant “lunch” and not “luncg” (Unless “Luncg” is someone they work with, which could be bad.)
So that’s my idea for today. I’m sure you’ve come across countless examples of this happening. Just think how much time you would save by not fixing a simple typo unless clarification was required.
2 replies on “My typo, I fixed it for you!”
I fully support this post.
Makes sense, as long as it is limited to a one-on-one IM session where you know the other person’s well enough (like you said).
On IRC or another, more-public forum you may wish to correct your mistakes as to not confuse someone that doesn’t have a full grasp of the English language. I’m often in IRC channels where English is the preferred language of the channel, but it’s not everyone’s primary language.
All that said, I tend not to correct my mistakes often (maybe even too often) anyhow, but that’s just because I’m just a lazy bastard.