OK, we admit it. If you caught our proofreading error in last week’s blurb about sloppy envelopes and business correspondence, you probably enjoyed a chuckle on us. It was a minor miss, but for it to appear in our gentle diatribe on the importance of detail, well, that stinks. So, this week we take a brief timeout to remind ourselves – and you – of the importance of impeccable proofreading.
Admittedly, this is an art-form-in-evolution, as e-mail correspondence, blogging and text messaging seem to be rewriting the rules of acceptability. Nonetheless, there are a couple of compelling reasons to get it right. First, error-free copy says something about attention to detail. Second, a typo has been described as a “speed bump” to a reader – it takes away focus and creates a distraction. Nobody wants that. Tip: It’s virtually impossible to adequately proof one’s own work. Better to have a second or third, or, in some cases, fourth party do it – and best when done without deadline pressure.
We’re all working harder and faster these days, and some errors will slip through. We’re trying to minimize them at BCA. And no, we’re not going to end this piece with some funny typo.
