just a little request from me :-) when you write long posts would it be possible to separate each paragraph with a blank line... just been looking through some past posts and those without these breaks in the text it is really hard to read, im going bozz eyed just thinking about it lol, im sure others must have similar problems. any thoughts on this?
does anyone else struggle?

I'm afraid coherent writing with correct spelling and punctuation is a dying art.

> does anyone else struggle?

Most definitely.  When there are no paragraphs, everything is so much harder to read.  And sometimes I just don't finish reading the post, because the eyes are too strained.

> does anyone else struggle

Yes!

But then I also like capital letters at the beginning of a new sentence, punctuation and correct spelling too but what you don't always get what you wish for!

Thank god I'm not the only one!

I agree grammer and punctuation should used however looking back at some of my posts my dyslexic fingers seem to be my biggest problem. Brain thinks faster than I type

Yes I struggle too. I do try and get to the end because I always feel if its a long post, its a complicated problem ;) but paragraphs would be great. Just means my eyes can 'take a breath' so to speak.

In agreement too...please leave lines in between.:)

i will have a go, all this typing buisness is new to me,and as for the spelling,i do try to do spell check if i have got time before the kids or dogs start demanding my attention !!!!!

Tanya

Why don't you give this feedback directly to the person/poster concerned?  If they are new, they may not realise how their post will look OR that it makes it difficult to read.

From time to time there are a flurry of posts from regular contributors about spelling, format, text speak, language or other protocol 'rules'.  Usually in relation to one or two more obvious trangressions.  As much as we may try to generalise, I wonder if that poster were to read the subsequent threads they may feel as though we are 'ganging' up on them.  Perhaps we should talk to them, rather than about them. 

BTW Did you catch the hint someone gave about your capital letters?  Did that feel weird?  I think standards are pretty high on this forum but sometimes it needs to be about content not format :)

> As much as we may try to generalise, I wonder if that poster were to read the subsequent threads they may feel as though we are 'ganging' up on them

I have made a few long posts recently, after reading this thread I quickly checked if I had used paragraphs as I was worried everyone was talking about me and felt a hot flush of embarasment coming on! 
I had left paragraphs (phew!) but my spelling and grammer are not the best :( so even if a thread like this is never aimed at me I always feel uncomfortable, it must be very unsettling for the people that have dyslexia and other writing troubles.

> Did you catch the hint someone gave about your capital letters

This someone has a name!

> it must be very unsettling for the people that have dyslexia and other writing troubles.

The comments are aimed at those who text speak on their posts and forget where a sentence begins and ends.  Your point can be lost whilst others are trying to decipher what the gist of your reply/thread is about.  Those with dyslexia will also have trouble reading some of poorly laid out replies too.

in no way was i ganging up on any one. i have not compained about spelling or grammar mistakes. i cannot comment on that as my spelling and grammar are not the best. i was trying to ask people in the kindest way possible if they wouldnt mind leaving a blank line when they start a new paragraph, because it makes it difficult to read if it runs straight on. i was sure that other people must struggle to read long passages as well, which obviously people do as they have mentioned within this post.

this isnt addressed to one person or about a particular thread, it is a generalised request. i do not expect every post to be spell checked, correct punctuation etc, we don't have time for that. many posts on here do require immediate response but i think if its difficult to read people tend not to reply because they cant get to the end of the original post.im sorry if i have caused offence to anyone reading this post, it was not my aim.

> This someone has a name!

Sorry Christine - if you're telling me off for not name checking you I only noticed that 'someone' had mentioned capital letters and didn't register who had said it.  This is one of the issues when replying, one can only see the actual post you are replying to not the others in the thread.

Although, that said, with hindsight I shouldn't have mentioned your post at all.  It's not for me to interpret your comments as directly related to Tanya's post.

It's interesting how the mind makes connections and I suppose that's exactly my point about Tanya's comments.  When I read her point of view I immediately thought of one recent post and wondered how that person would feel if they read it.  Would he/she feel unjustly criticised?  Mastifflover made another useful observation though when she wondered if it was her being talked about.  I wonder if more than one person considers their posting habits when topics like this come up...

Creasing myself Christine. You said what I thought LOL..

I am a bit of a lazy typer, well what I mean is, I type so fast that I often don't recheck it.

So leading on from my post

...do any of you change your writing/posting habits when topics like this are raised?

Does knowing that quite a few people hate text speak make you write things in full, do you attempt to spell check before 'sending', or do you carry on in your usual way?

Do you modify your language (swearing) if asked?

Also, what if you genuinely don't know how to punctuate very well - is it better in your view to miss it out completely or risk getting it wrong?

I'm not attempting to be confrontational in any way - just curious.  I know some of these issues have come up from time but I can't recall if aything changes.  Although I do remember that Isabel used to keep the swearing or blaspheming down to a minimum :)

I agree with Tanya , she wasn't ganging up on anyone. Only asking members to leave a line between paragraphs so their posts are easier for everyone to read.
I think she posted hoping new users would see this post.

That's the way I took it anyway!

> ...do any of you change your writing/posting habits when topics like this are raised?
>

Yes, I will ease back on posting or really think twice about posting, as I know my spelling is not great (I do try to proof-read my posts, but only tend to find obvious typos not spelling mistakes) as don't like the thought of offending people by my poor spellings and gammer :(

Several times I have actually found one of my own spelling mistakes (wonders never cease!) , but it's too late to edit as I have only spotted it once I have left the computer and come back later.

I don't swear in posts or blaspheme as I can see how both of those things can be offensive to others, but I do think those issues are different to lack of perfection in lay-out & spelling etc. of posts though.

> i was trying to ask people in the kindest way possible if they wouldnt mind leaving a blank line when they start a new paragraph, because it makes it difficult to read if it runs straight on

I can understand what you mean and understand you never intended to cause offence to anybody :)

> Creasing myself Christine. You said what I thought LOL..
>

I'm glad I'm so amusing!  ;-)    Or someone can see my tongue in cheek comments!   :-P

Thought you would have been at Scottish CC on Saturday?

I've posted this in reply to my own post as it is intended as a general post, not directad at any individual.

One must know how to split thier writing into paragraphs in order to leave spaces between the paragraphs (if you see what I mean?). For anybody not used to writing or not good at writing (for whatever reason), finding the natural break for a paragraph must seem like a daunting task.

I do think we all should be aware of other peopls feelings and how easy it will be for other people to read our posts, but at the same time remember some people struggle with writing, so it would be a shame for them to feel like they are not welcome, just becasue they are not as competant as others (especially the word-perfect posters) at laying out thier posts.

There is a wealth of experience and knowledge on this forum, I am so glad I found it as I have learnt so much and love the support I have had. I would hate for anybody to miss out on this for the sake of a poorly typed or laid-out post.

> Several times I have actually found one of my own spelling mistakes (wonders never cease!) , but it's too late to edit as I have only spotted it once I have left the computer and come back later.

I know what you mean - just reading one of my posts above I can see that I missed out 'from time to time' and there's a typo on 'anything'.  I always hope that people just read what should have been there, or overlook it as the type of speedy typing that Blue mentions!

> in no way was i ganging up on any one

Of course not, but by the time you have several people agreeing with you it may feel that way to the reader

> i have not compained about spelling or grammar mistakes.

No I scooped those in as they are regularly noted and are a similar theme to your concerns about spacing and paragraphs. 

> this isnt addressed to one person or about a particular thread,

No but I suspect there is/was a post, or series of posts, that prompted your comments.  I think that's where the feedback belongs.  If you find one post difficult to read or to understand, then tell the the poster.  One sometimes sees that sort of feedback given when a poster uses all capital letters - they usually get told it's like shouting!  They tend to take the caps lock off and continue with no offence caused.

> looking back at some of my posts my dyslexic fingers seem to be my biggest problem. Brain thinks faster than I type

Ditto, I am dreadful for this.  I tend to use a program called IESpell to check spelling where the forum doesn't have  spell check, but sometimes I forget and get distracted before I can edit a post.

Same here i often post when i have little time or without being able to spell check :-)

LOL  yes to both..

You know I sent my entry in a few days late and they returned it :-(  been so busy of late. 

I have done a spreadsheet this week though as want to do a couple this year. Will be at Dundee for sure and the one in Glenrothes shows permitting. Thinking about going to Mongomery this year so need to check the clashes.

Did you go? how did you get on?

dyslexic fingers that is me also :-D :-D

Have to agree Tanya. Many years ago I did get A level English but a lot of that has gone out of the window and I often make spelling mistakes and admit my I'm a bit rusty when it comes to punctuation but often when I see a post a long post with no paragraphs I just don't bother reading :-O

I'm afraid coherent writing with correct spelling and punctuation is a dying art

I'm afraid I must be one of the worse culprits of this on the site,
And I sincerely apologize to all who find it difficult to read.
I am however doing a literacy course at the moment so I'm trying to better myself but I do find it very hard typing it out properly  more so than writing it out,
don't know why think its just become a bad habit almost like text speak really but I do try not to and hardly ever text type when posting on here the rest i'm working on :-),   

We are a diverse group of people so perhaps should expect a wide range of literacy skills - as long as all posts can be understood, it probably doesn't matter too much.
Where I think we all struggle, is when a post has a lack of paragraphs and capitals, this renders the post too difficult to read and absorb it's meaning..... and gives a thumping headache.

chelzeagirl

I can understand your posts perfectly and am grateful that you use paragraphs to make reading easier.

> i'm working on

Good for you, knowledge is power....go girl.. :-)

Maybe that one, but i am sure their are alot of mine that are REALLY BAD :-( sorry,

Even I find reading some of my own posts difficult at times when i have gone over it again,

Mastifflover made another useful observation though when she wondered if it was her being talked about.  I wonder if more than one person considers their posting habits when topics like this come up

I'm sure many of us had a scurry back to some of our old posts and wondered. :-).
I know I did lol,

So come on you lot who else is going to fess up?

how many of you wondered if it was YOU! lol, (jokes )

I dont think anyone should take offence we all are not perfect , sometimes its nice to be reminded,
and its nice to try better next time, but we'r all going to type things from time to time that are hard to read or make spelling errors,
maybe sometimes its just cause we'r in a rush,

I love you all anyway and dont care how any of you write xx :-D

> Did you go? how did you get on?

Yes!  I sent mine in late too, I never send a cat show entry in on time!   Hope won her 2nd Grand, so just one more to go!   Dundee schedule is out, it's online on the GCCF website.   The one in Glenrothes is the Shorthair CC of Scotland, Ragdolls won't be eligible?

> I'm sure many of us had a scurry back to some of our old posts and wondered. :-).
>

LOL chelzeagirl, I'm glad it wasn't just me :)

has it all gone quiet because your all busy looking over your posts?
or do we have a lot of corrie fans here :-)

I sometimes think i type how i speak ,
(scary thought that i know bet your all smiling now at the thought your only reading this and not having to listen to it , lol)
but i speak very fast , people always asked if i draw breath :-o (sometimes i do i think !)   (((gasp)))

But iv always spoke like this even as a kid, i used to joke it was cause my mum never had alot of time to listen to me as a child so i had to get it all out quick,

and well i am half Irish half scotch so maybe its in my genes,

so anyway lets all be greatful that i cant type as fast as i can really speak or we'd all be bosseyed, :-)

wernt just us mastifflover they'v All gone to look, aint we all a funny great bunch xx lol

Or it could've been me!

I'll admit my last post to MandyC needed a few more paragraphs but I got rather caught up in the emotion of it and was probably no help at all.

I tend to type faster than I think, was 'trained' this way as I used to be paid a bonus for keystrokes but it didn't help me with punctuation I'm afraid.

> So come on you lot who else is going to fess up?
>

Oh c'mon chelzea girl.  You KNOW I don't make mistakes.  :-)

I can't help it if the 'puter put down what I typed - and NOT what I meant!  Stupid computers. 

:-)  :-)  :-)

> I can't help it if the 'puter put down what I typed - and NOT what I meant!  Stupid computers.

This reminds me of my son.  He says that if the teachers read what he meant to write then he'd get much better results.  Hard to fault that logic :)

ROFL, Jean you are your perfect self as Usual and your posts always make me smile :-).

Iv had a day in doors today All day first one in AGES! :-), its been peacful and nice,
did some cooking with son today and played him on our Ds's watched the lonley lioness together,
had a chat on here with some great people :-) ,

and i hope everyone goes to bed tonight feeling a relaxed as i do right now after a very unstressful day, ( And No im not on any happy pills thanks ;-)  ),

been a good day today ,

hey and has Anyone tried these in tesco
http://www.tesco.com/superstore/xpi/6/xpi64174826.htm

we had these after dinner today their really tasty,
anyone know how to make something like this but without the salt and sugar,
I just noticed the carb content to 31.3g is that bad ?,
gosh it tastes really great i bet its all bad for you execpt the fruit,

We are definately eligible , I entered last year but didn't go as it classed with our club show and we are in the new one :-)

I think because it is a semi long haired we are eligible but I am definately going this year.. :-)  just 5 mins away for a very very rare change.
Great news about hope she looks lovely and all Crinkley :-))

I remember someone telling me off right at the beginning for not using paragraphs (I had copied and pasted it in). I took it to heart and changed accordingly.

I complained about text message style writing a while back and started a thread.

I didn't complain on the poster's thread directly but had sent him a PM, his reply was not suitable to be copied and pasted on here ;) hence my thread.

I make my own granola mix and add it to greek yogurt and its lovely. I use oat flakes or jumbo oats, dates, apricots, cranberries, blue berries (all dried) Flaked almonds, chopped cashews, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds.

Mix the whole lot together in a kilner jar, keeps about 6 weeks, you can grab a handfull when passing and as its all (no sugar added) it acts as a nutricious snack. I love Starbucks greek yogurt with wild flower honey and granola, so i started making my own and OH has it as well as an evening snack.

Between me and him we have lost over 8 stone now so one less in the bed!!

You could also add dried banana and other ingeriants hazlenuts ect but too many nuts up's the fat content so dont overdo it.

Oh in Holland and Barratt they do Granola if you want it ready made.

Thanks for that Whistler, I will be trying that  out.
Have to say i am not normaly a yogurt eater and dont like it noramly ,
but when i tried these ones from tescos mixed with the granola(something iv never heard of before)
it was really nice im hooked on these things now :-D,

i will for sure be using your recipe now , as you say its great for snacks and i love crunchy things , crisps are one of my biggest downfalls i want to ditch the crisps for Granola from now on,

And a Big well done to you and OH on the weight loss thats really fantastic good on you both, xxx

Sorry just noticed you said the short hair CC the one I go to is the Caledonian Long Hair Cat Club is the other show Glenrothes.

Oh right!  When is that?   I bet Lousie, with the Maine Coons will be going to that.  Did you know that TICA are holding a show in Glasgow end of July/beginning of August?  I can't go as it clashes with Scottish Rex.