Do you flag hubs for poor grammar?

1. 66

   Wendy S. Wilmothposted 13 years ago

   Do you flag hubs for poor grammar?
   
   I see so many hubs that are written with atrocious grammar. I can't tell if they're just written by folks with poor skills or if they were run through translator software. All I know is that they are AWFUL and unreadable. Do you flag such hubs?

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2. 79

   junksellerposted 13 years ago

   Personally, I don't like the idea of judging someone's words or ideas based upon their grammar. Many times it seems to be from foreigners (which is fine by me). In other cases it may be they haven't had the best education. Sometimes maybe it is spinners - It's hard to tell. Sometimes maybe it is just people are lazy or they wanted to spit something out quickly because they were in the zone.
   
   My approach is to reward good articles or ideas by positive ratings and to leave the poorer material alone. It is likely to remain near the bottom of the pool.
   
   The only material I flag or vote down is material that is grossly offensive or inappropriate (which for me has to be REALLY bad) or provides factual information I know to be false.

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3. 84

   wychicposted 13 years ago

   Yes, I absolutely do -- the TOS states that this is an English-only site, and therefore the people who contribute are required to know and be able to write in English. One of the factors in classifying something low-quality is if it is difficult to understand or unreadable, so I flag them when I find them. Leaving these unreadable hubs up degrades the site as a whole, and is part of the reason that Google isn't liking this domain too well at the moment.

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4. 60

   nightwork4posted 13 years ago

   never. lots of people who write don't have a proper education due to no fault of their own but they still have awesome ideas and concepts. to flag for poor grammar , means that you think that what a person has to say is less important then how they put it in writing and i think that is wrong.

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5. 66

   Wendy S. Wilmothposted 13 years ago

   Thanks for the advice, everyone! I'm happy to hear more on the topic!

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6. 77

   Adventure Coloradposted 13 years ago

   I will depending on how bad it is.  If there are some mistakes here or there I will leave it alone.  If it is to the point where I can't understand what the writer is trying to say I might mark it down.  It has to be pretty bad, somtimes they look like translation software was used, or maybe they just tried to use keyword phrases instead of sentences. 
   
   I would like to see a suggestion tool to allow a way to suggest grammar or other items are improved without having to downgrade the entire Hub.

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7. 0

   bobnplanoposted 13 years ago

   To begin with I am a new hubber and have never flagged anyone, yet.  However, I too have read numerous hubs and have wondered where this person is from!  Personally, I have been known to make a typographical error in my time as no one is perfect.  I have even seen typos in some of those who have hundreds of hubs; although I enjoy reading some of their hubs.  I do have a problem with someone who cannot even get the topic spelled correctly.  If the topic has misspelled words or incorrect grammer, I usually do not even bother reading the article.  If a hubber has something important or interesting to share, it should at least be well written.  I'm just saying!  One thing a hubber should do is spell check his or her work before posting it.  Am I wrong?  Should I start flagging?

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8. 67

   NateSeanposted 13 years ago

   Generally, I don't like being what many might refer to as a "grammar nazi" either. But then, these are supposed to be informative articles.
   
   One or two mistakes I can let slide. Godess knows I've made a handful of mistakes in many of my hubs. But if I find one or two of those mistakes, I don't flag it. I would prefer pointing them out in the comments section and giving the hubber a chance to correct them, as opposed to over developing my flagging trigger finger.
   
   But an entire wall of text that looks like it came from a twelve year olds, Intro to Typing Class assignment is unacceptable. Especially when the hub is about a subject that people genuinely want to know more about.
   
   Now think about it. If a writer at National Geographic posted an article that started with this phrase, "Te dnosaurs, were kild by alins and tht is pruf of why i am a psycology mager." How long would that magazine last?
   
   People need to treat hub like their articles are being vetted by professional editors. Like any moment, their skills could be recognized and called upon by a genuine publisher.

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9. 76

   LuisEGonzalezposted 12 years ago

   I the hub has some grammar errors I will usually leave it alone, it it proves to be a hard read due to many grammatical errors, then I will usually flag it.
   
   However, I mainly flag hubs that appear to be spin offs or copied content or an add for another site or company.

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10. 58

    smcopywriteposted 12 years ago

    i believe the concept of "flagging a hub" is not to go around attempting to find faults with other hubbers work. you do have the option of voting up or voting down a hub which is usually enough for most hubbers.
    "hubber police" are not necessary and its unfortunate that some writers feel a personal responsibility to point out minor short comings for other hubbers. i believe you should flag a hub only if a major violation has been identified.
    as fellow writers we also have some responsibility to help those that may be new to the writing community and having a hub flagged for a minor violation may offend the sensibilities of some writers so profoundly that they never writer again.
    
    i vote to flag a hub only for major violations, but certainly not for minor ones. use the vote up or down buttons, comments and other avenues when possible.

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11. 62

    Gregoryyposted 12 years ago

    No. For the simple reason that. Geniouses are not always great with english. Just becuase they are clever, smart, and creative. Does not mean that they always create the most grammar correct hubs. Keep in mind that even scientist's who come from America. Often need editors to make sure their studys and/or research also live up to the rules of english.
    
    Some people may have great education, and still be bad with grammar. For example why would an engineering major, or someone with a PHD in biochemistry, have the best english skills. Not everything is about grammar. Would you rather have a personal trainer, that uses proper grammar, yet does not have the best ideas for you to get in shape. Or would you rather have a peronal trainer, who is not perfect at using grammar, yet this trainer finds a way to get you great results and workouts.
    
    I don't look at the grammar. If it is easy to understand, and the content is good. I will accept it.  If the hub is not understandable, I will just leave it alone. You don't have to punish people if their hubs are not understandable, they will punish themselfs. If people do not understand their hub.
    
    If we had the mindset of not paying attention to something just becuase it had bad english or grammar. There would be alot less knowledge and inventions in this world. Not everything is about grammar.

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