Why blogging is unfair to writers...

Not too long ago, my wife commented to me that she had read my blog during the day and had noticed a few typos. I said something like "yeah, it is a blog and those can slip by." She nodded, recognizing the general level of informality common to blogs but added that because "you are a writer, people will notice that sort of thing. You aren't worried that might turn off a potential customer?"

I was sort of dismissive of the idea at first, but then realized she is probably right. There probably IS a higher level of expectation when a blog belongs to someone who uses the written word to make a living. It probably IS possible that a prospective customer could notice a typo or simple error of haste here and interpret it as evidence that I might not produce flawless copy for them.

So, I suppose I have a few choices. I can assume that any impact errors might have is minimal and go about things the way I have been. I can decide that errors here are just as important as those in an ebook written for a client and increase my efforts to produce error-free posts. I can recognize that a writer's blog might hurt business when it features an error, but that the potential negative is relatively small compared to the amount of time and effort it would require to proofread every post, etc., carefully.

I've decided to go the last route. There probably is an adverse impact, but fixing blog post typos is probably not worth the hassle. First, I don't think most of what I do here is rendered unintelligible by occasional slights. Second, part of the reason I enjoy blogging is because it gives me a way to communicate in a slightly less controlled environment than that provided by the bulk of my writing gigs. Third, I think that most prospective clients can recognize the distinction between formats and that it hopefully doesn't bother too many of them too much. Finally, I figure I can tell them right now that my blog is my informal communicative tool and that I do read and edit all client work with an eye for detail.

So, if you notice any typoes in my blog posts, don't bother sending me an email. I probably won't make the edit. I am too busy making sure my clients' work is perfect.

Oh, and I spelled "typos" as "typoes" on purpose, by the way... Just for the fun of it.