Guidance Requested: Spelling in Titles?

[marinersk]

I've poured pored over all the Friar duties and responsibilities links (perhaps too many at once is my problem) and I find a conflict.

On one hand it says we don't correct spelling; on the other hand it says the titles are the key to long term usability of the site.

So what happens when a keyword for search is misspelled in the title?

I recently submitted what I think was my first NTC and I may have committed a social faux pas, in that I requested a spelling correction on node title.

Just looking to see if I should refrain from that particular activity in the future, given my confusion after reading conflicting guidance in the veritable sea of PerlMonks documentation. :-)

Update: Thanks to everyone who sent me private chat messages with s/poured/pored/. I was starting to think it was some kind of old PerlMonks insider joke or something, but after getting multiple identical messages, it finally dawned on me that I might have a typo in my post.

Context is everything. :-)

[wjw]

Personally, I don't mind the reminder if (at least in the title my spelling mistakes or even wording mistakes) are pointed out. My spell check on my browser saves me most of the time, but not always. Last night I actually mis-typed a title which was pointed out to me fairly quickly. The point was made that searching that node would go a lot better if I modified it. I appreciate it.

On the other hand, when one gets down into the body of the post, that is a different story. Been speaking English all my life and am married to a lady for whom English is a second language. It is pretty tough to get the spelling/grammar correct even for me. I suspect the occasional reminder won't be offensive, but if the node is readable, I think it would be best left alone.

My vote is title = yes, anywhere else, probably not.

Just my $0.02

[LanX]

I don't think typos in titles are so dramatic, most searches go full text, and from my experience the more valuable the reply the better the wording.

Last but not least I doubt that the local janitors are too fond of correcting typos. :)

[bulk88]

Moderation doesn't have any hard set rules. If you get alot of edit votes and 0 or 1 keep votes, your honor is not ruined. If you get PMs from the moderator level peanut gallery threatening you to not consider more nodes for whatever reason, they probably aren't trolls. If your name is mentioned in a Perl Monks Discussion about your behavior, people are planning your 1 way trip to the gallows.

[Your Mother]

And spelling mistakes can actually enhance SEO indirectly/accidentally. So, leaving them alone, as long as the terms are spelled correctly in other places in the thread, is probably better than fixing them for search visibility.

[kcott]

G'day marinersk,

"I recently submitted what I think was my first NTC and I may have committed a social faux pas, in that I requested a spelling correction on node title."

I'm assuming you're referring to:

Considered: [marinersk]: Title spelling "Seperating" to "Separating"

A better way to handle this (in general) would be to use the "Send private /msg" link and advise the OP of the typo. Then wait to see if the title is emended. Most monks will just fix the typo and /msg back a thanks: that's it, no further action required.

In this specific instance, you'll notice that the OP is not a high enough level to see Nodes to Consider. So, without a private /msg, may remain completely oblivious to any problem.

If the title remains unchanged, then consider whether the typo will have a detrimental effect on future searches. If you think it will, then a consideration would be appropriate.

You'll notice with lots of considerations, an indication that the OP was notified (and presumably did nothing) prior to consideration: typically a short note, like "OP /msg'd" or "OP notified in reply".

[sundialsvc4]

I usually search both the title and the body of the text, and the reason why I do so is that titles very often don’t have too much bearing on the actual thread-content ... spelin errurs or not.

Quite honestly, I would say that you should just focus your editorial pen on whether you think the post belongs-here or not ... and let the inevitable tpyos fall where they may.   Evreyone will trasnpose a lettre or two, now and then, and you don’t really need to worry too much about that.   If a particular post has a glitch in it, a follow-up probably will not, and so, the thread will still show up to the next Monk’s frantic search.

IMHO, that’s really what a forum like this is all about:   “the next Monk’s frantic search,” complete with fire and brimstone courtesy of a vice-president breathing down his neck.   That the all-important post which contains the Long-Sought Answer does show up, and that drivel/spam does not get in the way.   Just try to help that frantic Monk, knowing that next time it might will be you.

[marinersk]

Okay, thanks everyone for the feedback. I don't know why it didn't occur to me that the OP can fix his/her own title, and "OP msg'd" should have been my first action in any regard.

And on we go. :-)