> I definitely have to agree with that. I think *way* too much emphasis is placed on punctuation and grammar rules around here. Yes, yes, AOLSpeak is a bit of the ridiculous, but I have seen people *instantly* gain nothing more than cold shoulders and snide comments because they say things like "l8r" or "u".

I'm not sure what particular incident(s) you're speaking of, but the attitude I generally adopt, and which I've seen others who also appreciate proper spelling and grammar adopt, is this: if someone comes in and gets disconcertingly lax with proper spelling and grammar, that person is asked to speak correctly, and the problems only tend to start if it continues afterward. I know that was the case with at least one new person recently. She just plain *refused*, and not only that but argued about why she should have to, and her arguments were repetitive and closed-minded. I have seldom kicked someone out of here with such relish. Afterward I sent her a letter to explain why, which, in a nutshell, is this:

As far as I'm concerned, if you're coming into an established social circle with the interest in participating it, it is perfectly excusable not to realize, right off the bat, what social conventions are observed and appreciated. On the other hand, it is a gross sign of disrespect to refuse to observe those conventions once they have been brought to attention. If you want to join a community -- any community -- and yet do not have enough respect for it to acquiesce to the preferred method of operation already established, WHY should anybody welcome you with open arms?

Nobody says people have to be perfect. Nobody is ever expected to be flawless with grammar. If that were the case, *nobody* would be here. But it is not unreasonable to require people to *try* to speak properly.