I don’t know what it is lately. I’ve seen so many typos, it blows my mind. The local newspaper (headlines, even – that came from the Associated Press!), marketing brochures, websites, signage, etc.
When your information has multiple errors, your company’s credibility is lessened. Here are a few proofing tips to make sure your information comes across without a hitch:
- Use spellcheck. Don’t forget about this important tool that’s usually available at the click of a button. And remember, as you’re typing, if a red line appears under a word, it is misspelled.
- Print it out. Sometimes it’s best to get away from a computer screen. Print out your content, grab a pen and make changes the old fashion way. One trick is to read backwards.
- Sleep on it. I tend to be very task oriented, wanting to get things done the minute I start them. I have learned that things always turn out better when I “sleep on it” and come back another time to proof and tweak.
- Second set of eyes. Have a friend or coworker look over everything before it goes to print. Or, have your older child check things over – if they’ve been paying attention in school, their familiarization with grammar rules may be better than you think!
- Google it. There are many online resources that will answer your questions. Dictionary.com, Thesaurus.com and Grammarbook.com are just a few.
We all make mistakes. In fact, I kept misspelling grammar (grammer) when writing this article! But thanks to the use of some of the above-mentioned tools, I was able to catch my mistake before it went out to the world!