I'm not comfortable nor am i happy here

[belinda]

I can't spell or punctuate but that doesn't stop me. Don't go because of that.
I even think Crippen is probably innocent and have said so

Stay a bit longer and think it over some more Suzi may even show you an African Curiosity

[Phil H]

SaraCarter

Having just returned to Casebook after an absence of five years, I can well understand how you feel.

I have been particularly struck by the intemperence and intolerance of some regular posters here. It strikes me because I had forgotten what it was like. Indeed, I found myself responding in kind in one thread and had to leave.

I have been trying systematically to catch up with developments in the time I was away from this subject, and looking at older posts (such as the one about the finding of a new picture of Dutfield's Yard two or three years ago) really conveyed how very "nasty" and personal some fellow posters can be, and for quite unpleasant reasons too.

But much of this is true on any similar board on the net dealing with special fields of interest. I found it on the BBC History site, a Roman history site and a Lord of the Rings one. people feel strongly about their interests, their theories, they get excited, defensive, jealous, angry, rebellious, even condescending (I know 'cos I've done it and had it done to me). But it need not ruin everything.

On the other hand, this site offers a huge amount for anyone interested in this endlessly fascinating intellectual puzzle - resources, the ability to check that something is right, or expose ideas/theories to peer review, and above all the participation, views and the product of the reseaches of some of the cutting-edge writers and theorists in the field.

Poor grammar, spelling and lay-out of posts can be irritating, make comprehension difficult, and even make one avoid posts (I'm sure we have all experienced the poster who SHOUTS - writes in capitals - or those who post a message 100 lines long as a single paragraph, single spaced and lacking much or any punctuation).

But we also have to recognise that people from many backgrounds, cultures, and educational systems post here and have contributions to make. People, who speak languages other than English as their first. Posters who may have doctoral (postgraduate) degrees or have left school early. All have contributions to make.

So please SaraCarter, if you are still lurking and reading these posts to see the response to your crie-de-coeur, reconsider. Enjoy the positive and if a thread gets unpleasant for you, either tell the offending poster (politely) how he/she makes you feel, or walk away from the thread - after all you can read and benefit without posting.

Come back and give everyone a second chance. We're only human, but we can try to improve. Then if you still don't like us or the atmosphere you can still walk away.

Casebook needs you, as it needs everyone who takes an interest in the Whitechapel murders, because without you it becomes a clique - a group of people essentially engaging as a group in what macnaghten accused Kosminski of!! Only by being open and engaging with people such as you can this work.

As (essentially) one newcomer to another, please reconsider.

Sincerely

Phil

[Suzi]

Hi Suzi,

"Flip the Bird"??? -- An American expression meaning to extend one's middle finger, i.e., to give somebody the finger. Also known as flipping somebody off.

Hope this helps.

c.d.

Gotcha! x

[claire]

It's true, Phil--the Springwatch message boards were savage: human nature red in tooth and claw

It's true that things here are a little handbags-at-dawn at times, but this is just because people give a damn, and are prepared to fight for what they believe in. Regardless of how seriously one takes this field, that's a rare quality these days when people tend to just shrug and turn away.

Ugh, have I had one too many gins again? I just mean to say: don't be thin-skinned. And polish up your handbag

[Suzi]

*chink* have another one I say- having a serious Gilbert and Sullivan sesh here while hubby watches Columbo...Look!...........all message boards of whatever persuasion etc are a bit daft at times but at the end of the day there's a great community here- well there was the last time I looked lol

Hugs

Suz 'n Dids xx

[Graham]

Hey Suze! What G&S are you listening to?

Graham

[c.d.]

Hi Suzi,

I'm glad I was able to help. If you have any more questions regarding obscene gestures or vulgar expressions, feel free to ask.

c.d.

[Limehouse]

lol, seconding that comment of Ruby's (after finishing laughing at naughty, naughty Robert and Suzi...)...and to add that, in general, the bloody editors are just as bad as the authors

What d'you mean you're off? When I first came on here, I was done for in no uncertain terms by a couple of people (ironically I came to love their posts, but that might be the masochist in me [enough on that]). Because I'm a bit stupid, I didn't take the hint; it's not like I'm Mrs Popular round here, or that anyone even reads most of what I have to say, but I'm fascinated as hell in what others have to say and for that, alone, it's worth staying.
So, flip the bird and stick around.

I've always been impressed with your contributions Claire, and Sara's too. We all make mistakes and most people can cope with understanding what has been written. I am not keen on reading posts written in text language or similar, but those are few and far between.

People are rarely deliberately careless and I think it's bad manners to comment on people's punctuation and grammar. Everyone should be valued for their contributions as long as they're respectful.

Julie

[Bob Hinton]

I'm at it again!

I’m afraid I’m going to be cast as the big Blue Meanie here. It does irritate me when people post on the boards (any boards) without taking even the most basic care to write as well as they can. You end up with a load of unintelligible rubbish that you just can’t decipher. U no wat i men.

Language is a wonderful and precious thing; it enables us to communicate our thoughts and ideas with others. Just stop for a moment and consider why it is so important. If we didn’t have a common language we would have to resort to cave drawings and hand signals. Surely we have progressed a bit further than that? Now I’m not saying that everyone should be an expert in the written language, I most definitely have trouble with spelling and grammar, but the distinction is that I try to get it right.

I compose what I want to say in a word processing package then read and re-read until I am happy that anyone reading it will get my drift.

Just imagine you have hired a painter to paint your house. You go outside and find he has just slopped the paint on all over, missing bits, painting over windows and so on. Would any of the people who advocate that ‘the meaning is what’s important not the style’ be happy with that? Of course not they would want it done properly, so why when it comes to the written word are some of us happy to accept untidy and sloppy work?

If there is a right way and a wrong way to do something – why settle for the wrong? Why not strive for the right – you may not always get there but your efforts will be appreciated.

[Limehouse]

I’m afraid I’m going to be cast as the big Blue Meanie here. It does irritate me when people post on the boards (any boards) without taking even the most basic care to write as well as they can. You end up with a load of unintelligible rubbish that you just can’t decipher. U no wat i men.

Language is a wonderful and precious thing; it enables us to communicate our thoughts and ideas with others. Just stop for a moment and consider why it is so important. If we didn’t have a common language we would have to resort to cave drawings and hand signals. Surely we have progressed a bit further than that? Now I’m not saying that everyone should be an expert in the written language, I most definitely have trouble with spelling and grammar, but the distinction is that I try to get it right.

I compose what I want to say in a word processing package then read and re-read until I am happy that anyone reading it will get my drift.

Just imagine you have hired a painter to paint your house. You go outside and find he has just slopped the paint on all over, missing bits, painting over windows and so on. Would any of the people who advocate that ‘the meaning is what’s important not the style’ be happy with that? Of course not they would want it done properly, so why when it comes to the written word are some of us happy to accept untidy and sloppy work?

If there is a right way and a wrong way to do something – why settle for the wrong? Why not strive for the right – you may not always get there but your efforts will be appreciated.

I completely respect your view Bob and I agree that it is important to make the effort to get things right on an academic site such as this.

However, it is also important to remember that some people have real problems with proof-reading in that they cannot always identify mistakes. Other people cannot always read very closely what they have typed. i come into the latter category. I have to have the zoom facility on but I still don't notice mis-types and therefore make a lot of error, especially if I'm in a hurry.

I think it is important to set the standard but to be tolerant when people have something important and valued to express.

[Rubyretro]

I'm just going to rejoin this debate for a second :

I have been on the receiving end of some of the petty nastiness of this site regarding spelling and grammar recently, and therefore I had great sympathy
for the point of view of the starter of this thread when I read her comment; indeed I have written to Admin in the past, predicting that lots of people
would simply be too afraid to participate on their boards due to the attitude of a minority of aggressive dolts -and without 'new blood', these forums
simply become plain boring.

I know that I felt humiliated, jeered at, and made to feel an illiterate laughing stock -all in public on the internet. Simply put, it made me feel very small and bad about myself. I like to come on the boards for pleasure (well it isn't for money) and so I too, asked myself the question 'WHY am I here, if it makes me feel so bad..?

There is also the fact that I have talked to friends about what I've learned on the boards, and several have expressed interest in visiting the site, but I avoided giving them the name of the site, because I couldn't bear for them to witness my being put down and sneered at on the site- so there are now interesting and intelligent people lost to Casebook, who won't be getting the toolbar, seeing the publicity, buying the periodical nor ordering books.

I stayed with Casebook because the people whose opinions I REALLY value
on Hutchinson (my favourite suspect) -like Bob Hinton and Garry Wroe (the people who know what they're talking about), have been nothing less than charming and polite - and I feel priviledged to benefit from their time and knowledge.

(an aside to Bob here -I can't use 'Spelling Check' easily because I'm writing
on a french computer, also used by my french family -the spelling check is set for French (most needed by me !) and EVERYTHING shows up as a mistake when I type in english. If I change settings all the time, I get problems. I also get carried away with enthousiasm, and don't see obvious errors when I read back).

finally, I think that -psychologically speaking- the bullies ultimately only point up their own Superiority Complexes, aggressiveness and lack of generosity of spirit ...and the abscence of genuine 'argument'..

[Phil Carter]

Hello dear namesake no relation Sara,

Your contribution is valuable, as others have pointed out before me...
Spelling can be difficult for some, and I frequently edit and re edit before the time limit goes, by tinkering with grammar and poor spelling etc.

You are very welcome to stay or leave of course as is your whim.. I echo others when I say... Casebook is a better place WITH your contributions.

best wishes

Phil

[Garry Wroe]

I can't use 'Spelling Check' easily because I'm writing
on a french computer, also used by my french family -the spelling check is set for French (most needed by me !) and EVERYTHING shows up as a mistake when I type in english.

If you're using Word, Ruby, the toolbar contains a drop-down menu which allows for the changing of language. Once this is set to 'English' (either 'UK' or 'US'), Spell Checker changes accordingly. As soon as you're done, reselect the French language from the toolbar drop-down menu. Likewise, I would also recommend that you download WordWeb, a free and extremely useful dictionary/thesaurus that sits in your system tray.

Best wishes.

Garry Wroe.

[richardnunweek]

Hi,
I have been quoted many times for spelling mistakes/grammer/punctuation, however I put that down to the passion I feel when writing on the subject of the Whitechapel Murders.
Well thats my excuse anyway...
Regards Richard.

[Bob Hinton]

Pat on the back for Richard.

Hi,
I have been quoted many times for spelling mistakes/grammer/punctuation, however I put that down to the passion I feel when writing on the subject of the Whitechapel Murders.
Well thats my excuse anyway...
Regards Richard.

But Richard your posts now are way, way above what they used to be. When you first started posting it was an uphill task to try and decipher what you were trying to say, but now, well look at your above post.

Well done and kudos to you.