8 votes

Feature request: Ability to ping a comment author about spelling mistakes

Posted by Apos (edited )
Tags: suggestions, comments, spelling

Sorry if this is dumb, I just woke up and had this idea randomly. What would happen if the site had a built-in mechanic for correction spelling mistakes. It could be opt-in (or opt-out?) if you don't want anyone to bother you. This would allow other people that notice them to ping a comment author privately with perhaps a short message explanation.

Not everyone has English as their first language which is why I think it could be valuable. If the feature is not built into the site, correcting someone would be seen as a negative experience (I think) both in public or private messages.

It would be up to the comment author to edit their comment. (Or perhaps a way to accept the changes would be nice?)

Thoughts? Is this a thing anywhere else?

Edit: I put feature request in the title, but this is more of a discussion of the idea in general. I don't expect this to become a thing, but I feel like it's interesting to think about.

5 comments

  1. Pistos
    Link
    Don't mean to be a downer, but, as a developer, my initial reaction to this is that it would be too much effort for the ROI.

    Don't mean to be a downer, but, as a developer, my initial reaction to this is that it would be too much effort for the ROI.

    18 votes
  2. [2]
    Akir
    Link
    As someone who has made numerous accidental spelling mistakes throughout their life, I really don't want this to happen. This is a social website, not a professional one, and I don't think it's...

    As someone who has made numerous accidental spelling mistakes throughout their life, I really don't want this to happen. This is a social website, not a professional one, and I don't think it's helpful to anyone to require us to have 100% accuracy in regards to how words are spelled so long as the ideas come through clearly. And for the rare occasion where they don't come through clearly, there is always the time-honored tradition of asking for clarification.

    Beyond that I can see this kind of feature becoming another avenue for harassment, both actual and perceived.

    16 votes
    1. Apos
      Link Parent
      I was seeing this more as a good way to learn, not really as a way to enforce accuracy. But I guess it's trivial for someone to put their own posts in a spellchecker if they want to see what kind...

      I was seeing this more as a good way to learn, not really as a way to enforce accuracy. But I guess it's trivial for someone to put their own posts in a spellchecker if they want to see what kind of spelling mistake they do.

      8 votes
  3. [2]
    novov
    Link
    Personally, I'd appreciate corrections, but I imagine others may see the feature as annoying.

    Personally, I'd appreciate corrections, but I imagine others may see the feature as annoying.

    10 votes
    1. Apos
      Link Parent
      I wonder what the dynamic would be though if it was an opt-in feature. The correction option wouldn't be there for posts by people that didn't enable it. Could be an extra option in the More... menu.

      I wonder what the dynamic would be though if it was an opt-in feature. The correction option wouldn't be there for posts by people that didn't enable it. Could be an extra option in the More... menu.

      5 votes