Advice for grammar nazis

Have you ever spotted an error on the Internet? Chandra at Painting the Grey Area has some helpful advice for people who find mistakes in other people’s writing:

Be nice to people.
Think about where they might be coming from.
Understand that you might not know anything at all about their background.
Realize that you very probably dont know everything there is to know about the English language.
Consider that mistakes are not the end of the world.
Understand that flippant comments by a stranger on the Internet are not going to fix a person’s language skills.
Consider the context, and whether making a correction is appropriate.
If it is appropriate, consider that a polite and reasonable tone is a lot more likely to get you what you want than a douchebaggy rant.
Think about how you respond to sneering criticism. Think about whether other people are likely to respond any differently.
Realize that derailing a discussion to argue about grammar is going to annoy a lot of other readers.
Consider your true intentions.
Consider that other people will read your response, and it will in turn influence how they respond to others.
Consider that you contribute to a culture on the Internet (and everywhere else in your life). It is up to you to decide what you want that culture to look like. Use your voice accordingly.

Literacy Privilege: How I Learned to Check Mine Instead of Making Fun of People’s Grammar on the Internet

December 14, 2012