Is the Standard Just Lower?

[KristineS]

This seems to be my week for what feels, to me anyway, like curmudgeonly posts, but I've been noticing something for a while now and it's bothering me. I'm on a few forums other than this one, mostly for work, and there are a lot of small business owners on these forums. They often ask for reviews of their websites, promotional material etc. Sadly, it is becoming increasingly rare to find work that is properly spelled, grammatical and properly capitalized, even, in some cases, if the work is done by a professional. I see the same thing in the posts that people write on these forums. Some of them are almost illiterate.

What worries me the most is that the people asking for reviews and writing the posts seem to feel that the level of writing they're producing is acceptable. Are my standards just too high? Have we all become some used to seeing acronyms and odd usage that most of us just don't see it or don't care any more?

[Patrysha]

Well if your standards are too high, then mine are too!

It bugs me when small business owners think cousin Joey can put together a website or brochure and it will be just fine. In my opinion that shows a certain level of disrespect to the customers. It's like they are saying "You aren't worth it. I am not going to take the time to do it right, I am not going to pay to do it right, but you better respond to my message."

Another problem is that with the low barrier to to entry into online business, anyone can call themselves a professional. So having a professional doing your site doesn't necessarily mean they are any good.

I used to see this often in the work at home world, where someone would learn how to use FrontPage or Dreamweaver to put together a site or two - and they were perfectly fine hobby sites - and then turn around and offer web design as a service to other work at home moms...and none of them knew any better.

[Dan Furman]

Another problem is that with the low barrier to to entry into online business, anyone can call themselves a professional. So having a professional doing your site doesn't necessarily mean they are any good.

I think this is a big part of it.

I just wrote a blog post the other day about how I feel web design is actually getting worse. The rise of CMS and such has lowered standards. There are a billion blocky, cookie-cutter websites out there that can't even put a space between bullet points. But they are cheap. And easy.

I'll bet today that not even half of people who call themselves web developers / web designers can code a decent page in notepad.

But you know something? I'm busier than ever right now. People who are serious about business understand - you aren't getting website conversions without a decent design and good copy. Both of which 99% of people can't do themselves.

[Steve B]

There is a definite generational thing involved here too. They don't teach spelling anymore the way they used to. My elementary school kids only have spelling tests a few weeks of the year. I remember having them every single friday until 10th grade. And handwriting is a thing of the past. One of my employees was getting scholarship offers to Ivy League schools and he can't write or read in cursive.

[Dan Furman]

There is a definite generational thing involved here too. They don't teach spelling anymore the way they used to. My elementary school kids only have spelling tests a few weeks of the year. I remember having them every single friday until 10th grade. And handwriting is a thing of the past. One of my employees was getting scholarship offers to Ivy League schools and he can't write or read in cursive.

I'm not so sure these things have a lot to do with it. Cursive is more of a generational style than anything. And spelling... I dunno (dunno isn't even a word). I got C's and D's in English, never took college English until I was 35, and even then, never progressed beyond 102. And I write for a living.

I'm not saying education doesn't matter, but you're talking about "proper" English instead of communication. Communication, clearly making your case, and being understood are important. If your audience wants cursive, then yes, you'd better write in cursive. But I know for a fact proper English doesn't matter so much in business writing. And you don't even need to know how to spell, as the computer will do it for you (but you still should know the difference between to, too, and two - so yes, some "proper english" education matters)

But even then, does it really? I recall a recent presentation by a marketing manager. In it, he was bemoaning the internet-speak and slang the younger generation uses as a bad thing. This, after he had a slide up that mentioned "B2B".

[cbscreative]

While I get quickly irritated with many web sites, and finding good ones is more rare than normal, there is a side of me that loves it that way. When I do web sites and other materials for clients, the stuff they are competing with is so bad that their's stand out in a big way. A polished gem will always stand out in a sea of rusty tin cans.

May the lower standards continue,,,I (like Dan and others here) only need a few smarter business owners to stay busy.

[vangogh]

Another problem is that with the low barrier to to entry into online business, anyone can call themselves a professional. So having a professional doing your site doesn't necessarily mean they are any good.

I think that's really the answer. And it's not even people calling themselves professions designers or copywriters. It's simply that anyone can build a website or write copy for a website and they do. Build a site or writing copy is easy. Doing either well is a lot less easy.

The lack of grammatical and spelling skills could also be a factor, though one more to do with youth and who's probably behind those websites than a lack of teaching in schools. If anything it's more a lack of maturity than a lack of spelling skills.

[KristineS]

Lower barriers to entry and the DIY mentality were two of the things I thought of, so I'm glad someone else mentioned them. I guess what gets me is the fact that people seem to feel that "o.k." will work. You wouldn't put up a half assed house, why would you put up a half assed web site. Do people still believe that simply having a site or a blog or whatever is enough?

Also, do people still think that they can't be found on the Internet? I've seen practically illiterate posts on other forums, which would certainly lead me to rethink hiring someone if I did research on a potential job candidate and found those posts. Do people not think of that, or do they just think it won't matter?

[Patrysha]

Do people not think of that, or do they just think it won't matter?

I think that they have no clue that it should matter so have no inkling that someone would actually check that sort of thing.

And yes, many of them do think that simply having a site or blog is enough. They think they are so special that simply being there is enough. And that their customers are different, so all the other little details just don't matter to their project.

[Dan Furman]

Do people still believe that simply having a site or a blog or whatever is enough?

An astonishing amount of people think that yes, it's enough.