first rule of business

I think one of the first rules of running a successful business is being able to speak clearly, write clearly, and have a basic knowledge of the language.  There seems to be a quite a few youngsters out there who can't even manage to put a coherent sentence together asking for advice on how to make it as a reptile breeder.  My advice to you would be to learn how to communicate.  I know that English is not the first language to many of you, and that is different.  You can usually tell those people who have difficulty with the English language because it is foreign to them, and those who have difficulty with it because they are, pardon my not so subtle language, to stupid to learn it.

I don't see how you can expect anyone to take you seriously if you can't write or spell half the words in your posts.  I am not talking about the occasional typo either.  That can be excused in most instances.  I don't claim to be a master of the English language and I don't always use proper grammer, I may leave the occasional participle dangling ( mainly because I don't know what a participle is) or I may occasionally end a sentence with a preposition (as opposed to ending them in the occasional proposition)  I am not a spelling monitor or a member of the grammer police but some of the posts I read are so horrible that it almost makes me cry.  All I can say is I hope these kids are good looking because if their posts are any indication of their smarts they are in for a rough life.

Steve Schindler

Steve.... you forgot one very important thing.... these idiots are our FUTURE!!
I'm just glad I'm old!
I couldn't have said it gooderer myself! ....Neil

Here, here!
Well put, Steve - I couldn't agree with you more!!
Excellent advice!

A+!!
(Grammar is great - spelling a wee bit off...)
<img src="http://www.faunaclassifieds.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/wink.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=''>
Sorry... couldn't resist - hee,hee,hee!

Liz

Thanks Steve. I was getting lonely thinking I was the only one who did not feel comfortable buying an animal from someone who can't spell that animals' name. Evan

I agree 100%. &nbsp;My trust in a person goes down a little bit more with each and every spelling error. &nbsp;Even simple things like putting your name at the end of an email.

Remember back in the good 'ol days when writing an email was like writing a letter? &nbsp;You even included a greeting??

Mark

Steve,

Now I agree, to a point(Always have to be difficult, don't I)
I myself have posted classified ads with at least 3 mistakes in the ad itself. Why? I was in to much of a rush when posting it. Most of the smaller breeders on kingsnake work full time jobs when they arent shoveling snake poop or answering emails without real names on them(More about that later) Factor in a family, kids, the dog and perhaps some upper level education at night(To improve their lot) and you have one guy that ISNT looking forward to cleaning rat and mouse cages, let alone cleaning snake cages or answering emails.
So....they get rushed and misword it and make some typos, some times more than they should. I am guilty of this, definetly.

Do I personally think this makes them an idiot or somebody not to deal with? No.
Some of the most ELOQUENT well spoken people in this business, with great diction and seemingly *Endless* supply of &quot;professional banter&quot; turned out to be some of the biggest lieing , cheating, money grubbing people that I have ever met..
So.....bad wording doesnt necessarily turn me off, as long as the persons HEART is in the right place. BOTH can be present at the same time, but more often than not, one is lacking.

Now.....what DOES bother me is people that email me for snakes and NEVER use their real name. Names like&quot;Zorromaster&quot; and&quot;FlyingMice&quot; &nbsp;dont merit a whole lot of return email after the initial email. I feel like I am talking to someone in code language.

Reralize that a vast majority of our customers dont do their homework, dont read up on what they buy BEFORE the sale, and no doubt are O.C.D. as they change gears and buy new &nbsp;snakes all the time as if the old ones werent good enough after 3 months. But grammer? No, not the biggest problem.
We all make mistakes, sometimes it is hard to correct them, sometimes it is easy.

Fred Albury
AZTEC REPTILES

When selling and buying via the internet (as opposed to face to face at a show or other venue) the only way you can judge a person (aside from reputation) is by the &quot;picture&quot; they protray via the written word and photographs. While it is true that you can cover up lies and deceit with a well written paragraph taking the time to properly express your thoughts shows other values such as pride, attention to detail, and &nbsp;organization. These traits are also desired in the treatment of their animals. If they tend to rush a professional correspondence (appearance of their operation at stake) what else are they rushing (cleaning of cages, records of animals, etc). This is a two way street and applies towards both the buyer and the seller.

I find it humorous (in a good way) that Aztec Fred who hates &quot;shiny brochures&quot; protrays a professional appearence at shows and in written context of his posts. <img src="http://www.faunaclassifieds.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/tounge.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=''>

Steve,

I absolutely agree! &nbsp;I too make mistakes due to rushed posts, but I certainly try to have good grammar, good spelling, and good thoughts on the screen before I submit my entries. &nbsp;I also would like to point out that I have similar uncertainties about people who cannot express themselves without using foul language. &nbsp;Yes, I am a minister, and it bothers me on that level. &nbsp;However, I was taught that those who curse just to communicate ideas, are those whose vocabulary is often times so limited as to leave them little option. &nbsp;This too is a barometer of a person's professionalism, courtesy, and customer concern in my book. &nbsp;Maybe that should be the second rule?

By the way, Steve, the phrase &quot;I may leave the occasional participle dangling,&quot; is a dangling participle! &nbsp;&quot;-ing&quot; words are participles, and they should not be the last word of a phrase or a sentence. &nbsp;However, I also occassionally leave participles dangling!

Hehe

eYe are no grmaticiAn butt I du knO thet wheNn sum-1 du tel mee dey du wunT a repAtyle frum me I sho nuf gunna sels it tu thum fer sho cauz dey du sends mee munny. nowe if'un sum-1 du wants to sels me a repAtyle sho nuf I beE'a buyun it whun dey cansbe cammunaKatun wif me good nuf fer me to beeleev dey is a adulT no maTTar howe poer thur engrish iZ


Hi All,

Well maybe the posts that Steve is talking about are not all that bad, but boy there are certainly some that come quite close. I imagine some people slaughter English because they are foreigners just learning the language. I am also sure that many others do simply because they did not pay attention in school. Yes of course, many of the mistakes we read are due to typographical errors, or to hurried up postings. I can understand that. I have forgotten to spell check AND proof read many of my own posts because I was in a hurry. (Note I also ad proof read – an art that seems long forgotten and that is not the same as doing a spell check.) I too am also not a master of the English language. Yet all of these excuses do not excuse some of the postings left on these boards that are, simply put, horrendous when it comes to the usage of English. It would be a simple common courtesy to try to use correct grammar and punctuation, and then to spell check and proof read your own written words, would it not? Even if you don’t think so – would it not be better for someone to at least use any punctuation at all! Some seem to think they are among the ranks of James Joyce when it comes to punctuation or lack of it. Using fairly decent, if not outright good, grammar and punctuation should be the norm. This is especially so when someone is asking us for information. What I mean here is that someone comes to us asking for our advice, but we are then required to either be a mind reader or a code breaker to decipher what they actually said. &nbsp;In my opinion, that is not just a lack of common courtesy - it is outright rude!

Of course there are some who have silver tongues and golden pens, who gild their words, only to sucker us into a bad deal; and there are others who 'speeks lYke thes heer ' but are as honest as the day is long. My point is not that bad English usage makes you a bad person, but that it makes it difficult for me to understand you. I guess my point is: Why should I bother with someone who does not take the bother to try to communicate with me in a manner that is easy to understand.

Yes there are plenty of excuses for poor language skills. Some were mentioned above. There are also others. One more I feel I should point out is: some of the people who post are kids. They may not be all that advanced in their studies. Please don't give that as an excuse for their poor language abilities. If they are that young, then mom and dad should be assisting them with such a posting - and yes mom and dad should be monitoring what they put on the internet. English (including speaking, reading and writing) is THE MOST IMPORTANT subject that our children today! All of the other things you try to teach them will fall upon deafened ears or blinded eyes if they do not understand you.

Anyway - would it not be nice if people had the common courtesy to really make an effort to make themselves easily understood. Oh, that is right, I forgot - 'common courtesy' is a thing of the past. Nowadays I guess it should be called uncommon courtesy!
By the way, now that I know what makes a dangling participle dangle, I hope I am not guilty of leaving any hanging.......
(Whoops)


Best regards,
Glenn Bartley <img src="http://www.faunaclassifieds.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=''>

See that, I proof read it twice and still left out a crucial word in one of my sentences. Oh well, but I think you get my point.