Reply #106: Here are some steps I try to follow.

[Liberal In Texas]

1) Compose the message.

2) Run it through spell check.
----The DU spell check is good, but I have some sort of problem with it I can't figure out, so dictionary.com is always at the ready. If it's long, I copy it and run it through a word program with a spell checker.

3) Preview it.
----The layout that will be viewed by others is now apparent. See if it looks like something you would want to read. (Ex: Big blocks of text are uninviting and hard to read on a computer screen, try breaking them into smaller pieces.)

4) READ IT.
----Read the whole thing. Word for word. Proofreading will help pick up the odd word that the spell check didn't catch. (There instead of their, to instead of too, etc.) It will also give you more of a sense of how someone reading it will perceive it. The whole idea is to convey your exact thoughts and feelings to other people. Reading it over will let you have a pretty good idea if you've done that or not.

5) Post.
----Sometimes I'll go away after posting for a few minutes, read some other posts, and come back. I read it again and use the edit function to make myself more clear or to correct the mistake that eluded me in the other steps.

I know this seems a bit time consuming. But if you have gone to the trouble to sit down and write something you feel is important enough to share with the world, a little extra time might ensure someone might actually read and understand it.

I can't tell you how many posts every day that I just skip over because it looks like it will take until lunchtime to wade through it. Or that if the first few sentences are too hard to understand, I'll just give up and move on.

And finally, I know not everybody was an English major. I don't think we expect Will Pitt caliber exposition from everybody. And mistakes will sometimes get through no matter how much care you put into the process. If you proofread and it makes sense to you, it will probably make sense to others.

(LOL, edited for 3 mistakes!)