Attention gurus!

I've got a bone to pick with you, so let me get on my fanciest bone-pickin' glasses and have a seat, shall we?

Some of you have achieved a certain level of success. You've moved up the chain from bird dog to wholesaler to rehabber to lender. At some point you went from begging for a few minutes of time with REI veterans to becoming one yourself. Now, you (graciously) want to teach other people how to do it.

This is is noble and good, and if I may speak on behalf of the newb community, (Newbian-Americans), we salute you.

However, there's a problem. I've devoured almost all of the Internet's free REI resources. Some of it is great, some of it is okay, and some of it is flat-out garbage. I even purchased a couple of courses--which were very sensibly priced, relatively speaking--in hopes of getting something like a college-level education. For the most part, these have been excellent guides. But I've noticed that virtually all of these resources are plagued by one thing: spelling, grammar and syntax errors.

I know--who am I to criticize? I'm just a hacky blog writer with delusions of REI adequacy. Well, in previous career incarnations, I was also an editor, freelance writer and public relations guy for a government agency so shadowy we didn't even issue press releases. (Nice work if you can get it). I believe that words have meaning, ideas have consequences, and words should be spelled correctly. Clear--not Shakespearean--communication is critical in ANY business. And if you communicate through the written word, it should be nice and tidy.

I'm not going to be Commander Pedant here, but let me just say this: there's a certain minimum all writers should know. It's things like knowing the difference between two, too and to. Or their, there and they're. Plurals and possessives are different. For example, the word is "agents," not "agent's" if we're talking about more than one.

Forum posts and blogs are one thing, but your professional, well-developed course packages are another. When people buy a course, they're really hanging it out there. They want to know they're dealing with a professional and not some slick dude who can pitch you for three hours and say absolutely nothing. Clear communication is essential.

Again, I know--my chutzpa is showing, and a cursory glance at this blog will reveal I'm barely literate myself. So take my advice for what it's worth.

[/Off Soapbox]