Typo Trials

The other day a friend sent me this text: “No crazy h__ it is displaying that”  (input one vowel; yes, that one). Imagine my shock, anger, and disbelief when I read that. After taking a few deep breaths, I replied with a calm yet questioning message. Well, it’s a good thing he was near his phone because he texted his quick apologies, stating what a horrible typo that was. He meant to send, “Not crazy how it is displaying that.” Needless to say, we’re still friends.

Not all typos are corrected so swiftly. In this technological era of continual texting, daily blogging, everyday emailing, and essential computer work, typos abound by thousands a day. People lose their jobs, friends, lovers, and dignity over something as simple as a slip of the finger. An example of one such blunder with detrimental effects is a university’s recent accidental mailing of false acceptance emails. As a mom with a child about to apply to college herself, I can understand the profound anguish those students must have felt when they learned the truth.  The university sent the corrected emails out about an hour later.  Can you imagine? Unfortunately, this was not the first time a university created such confusion . . . and it probably won’t be the last.

Michael Duplessis, an auto mechanic, filed the now infamous lawsuit proclaiming that in April 2005, tattoo artist Sam Hacker inked “Chi-tonw” on his chest where he had asked for “Chi-town” Talk about having to live with that mistake every day!  Interestingly, some humorous Chi-town residents had the “tattoo-o” placed on t-shirts, commemorating the mistake.

A typo can be costly such as a real estate ad that lists “hardware floor” instead of “hardwood floor,” causing the meticulous home buyer to pass up a listing. A typo can hurt credibility such as an organization’s website filled with some misspellings or grammatical errors. We really do associate typos with a company’s reliability. Employers associate an applicant’s credibility in the same way (sounds like a job for GG!).  On the other side of the coin, a typo can be funny such as a congregation’s sign reading: “For those of you who have children and don’t know it, we have a nursery downstairs.”  No matter what kind of typing faux pas, it is never intended to create the reaction it does.

Next time you type that text, be careful what time you punch in for your child to be home; next time you forward that email, be careful who you are sending that photo to; next time you promote your business online, be careful to proof your promotions. Now if you’ll excuse me, GG has some pertinent proofing to do before posting this blog.

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