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Time to air an anal-retentive pet peeve of mine, which is surely hypocritical, as I am far from faultless.
Let's take a look at our spelling tendencies.
"Weird." NOT "wierd."
"Friend." NOT "freind."
Repeat after me: "'I' before 'e' except after 'c,' or when sounding like 'a' like in 'neighbor' and 'weigh,' or except when a word is 'weird.'"
Yes, those crazy rumors are true: "it's" and "its" are two different words. "They're," "there," and "their" are also not interchangeable. The same applies for "two," "too," and "to," "your," "you're"...well, you get the idea.
There are a number of tiny spelling/grammar issues I could harp on, but the point is, while I can certainly understand typos and misspellings, I firmly believe that errors of the above ilk are due to pure laziness, and should be corrected immediately upon detection. You learned these lessons in grammar school, about the same time you learned it wasn't socially acceptable to wet your pants, and you don't go forgetting that lesson, do you?
Practice some self-discipline, folks! Communication, especially in its written form, is one of the most powerful tools you possess as a human being. The way others perceive you, as well as your formulation of your own mentality, is shaped by the way you express yourself.
The OED is your friend. Get in bed with Roget's. They're here to help you. Hone your vocabulary, so that the next time you pass some uneducated, flea-ridden, plaque-laden transient, you can laugh in derision free from hypocrisy.
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