VO-BB - 20 YEARS OLD!

Mike Harrison · Posted: Thu Feb 17, 2011 10:59 am Post subject: Making a Good Impression

Credibility matters. Especially when professionals offer advice in or otherwise discuss their field.

My new blog posting explains.
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Mike
Male Voice Over Talent
I have taken leave of my sensors.

cyclometh · Posted: Thu Feb 17, 2011 11:49 am Post subject:

Well said, sir.
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Corey "Vox Man" Snow
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SkinnyJohnny · Posted: Thu Feb 17, 2011 12:07 pm Post subject:

Thanks Mike!
Sumthin we shud all keep in mine.
Wink

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John Weeks Voice Overs
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jsgilbert · Posted: Thu Feb 17, 2011 12:51 pm Post subject:

I'm guilty as charged.

I'm sure that the meaning of some of my writing has been compromised due to poor spelling. Perhaps it's more like poor typing.

I'm sure this has driven more than just a few people a bit mad, not to mention wreak havoc on the search bots.

I never meant it as disrespect or as a lack of seriousness. I believe in my case, bad eyesight, arthritis and an often too-full plate cause certain things I do to suffer.

I'll definitely do my best to try and keep the errors down.

Sorry that this has caused you so much consternation Mike. Apologies to anyone else this has bothered.
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j.s. gilbert

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todd ellis · Posted: Thu Feb 17, 2011 1:07 pm Post subject:

what about capitalization? i hate to capitalize.
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Bill Campbell · DC Joined: 09 Mar 2007 Posts: 621

ah...life's two short to worry bout spellin

Not to be come across as flip (really), who are Voice-Over blogs written for?
Agents? Other talent? Voice seekers?
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Mike Harrison · Posted: Thu Feb 17, 2011 3:12 pm Post subject:

If professionals such as VO people don't give a crap about their spelling while out the other side of their mouth claiming to be a professional, I personally couldn't care less. But I sure as hell won't for a second consider them credible (much like a former President who couldn't pronounce 'nuclear').

It makes no difference if it's a blog post or not. If someone's trying to tell me what I as a professional should or should not do, and they can't spell the most common words, they're not worth my time. And certainly not worth what they charge as an 'instructor.'
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Mike
Male Voice Over Talent
I have taken leave of my sensors.

Jen Gosnell · Posted: Thu Feb 17, 2011 4:36 pm Post subject:

Nice thoughts on your blog, Mike - you should write more. Smile

I'll admit mis-spelling has always been a pet peeve of mine. Probably because I was the spelling bee queen back in school Wink

and for whatever reason, it always came easily to me. I understand it doesn't come easily to everyone (and believe me, I know the areas in which I myself should readily defer to the expertise of others! Hello, advanced math and finances!). I have to agree with Mike, though, that language regarding one's field of expertise is something that one really should have the care and concern to get right. Especially when it's the kind of thing that spell-check can easily miss (e.g. the chord/cord example).

You would be surprised the number of professional singers that also make the "vocal chords" spelling mistake. It's so ubiquitous that at one point I actually felt I had to go and verify that I was not crazy and the usage was indeed wrong!

There really is an effect an credibility in my mind as well when these kinds of errors are made in formal communications. Things like forum posts and such are not a big deal to me - I accept that informal communication doesn't require the same level of scrutiny. But when you're formally pitching your expertise to an audience, you need to get it right. Know your blind spots, and have the humility to run it by someone whose strengths counter your weaknesses first!

Or, heck, maybe I'm just a snob Sarcastic

... but I'll admit it, I'm happy this way. cool

Jen
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Hasser · Posted: Thu Feb 17, 2011 5:50 pm Post subject:

ccpetersen · Posted: Thu Feb 17, 2011 5:59 pm Post subject:

Hasser, that is a WONDERFUL link. I shall share that with my husband/business partner immediately. He is also passionate about what he does, and it shows in his work.
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Jen Gosnell · Posted: Thu Feb 17, 2011 9:54 pm Post subject:

Thanks for that link, Ralph. I do tend to agree with the perspective and many of the comments.

Even when the work I did (for most of the last 15 years) was rather unfulfilling to me and thus more or less soul-sucking in one way or another, I always figured that if I was going to bother doing the stuff, I was going to do my best to do it right. By no means was I perfect in achieving this all the time, but the great majority of my coworkers were very happy with the work I did. I learned along the way that I was always much more critical of myself than anyone else was.

People who are conscientious, kind, and operate with integrity will get my backing every time.
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Skype: jen.gosnell
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Scott Pollak · Posted: Fri Feb 18, 2011 7:02 am Post subject:

Gotta agree with Mike and others here. I've always been a stickler for professionalism and that extends not only to spelling - especially when every program we use nowadays to write with highlights any misspellings we make! - but also to our grammar.

I am sick of so-called professional broadcasters using blatantly incorrect grammar such as "The award went to she and I". No, no, no, NO, NO!!!! It did NOT go to "she and I". Take away the 'she'. Would you say "The award went to I"? Of course not, and yet people everywhere are saying this now. I can only assume that they think it makes them sound more elite or erudite.

Not sure when we decided, too, that the 't' in 'often' was no longer silent, but it always was when I was growing up. Or when 'preventive' morphed into 'preventative'.

And if I remember correctly, it wasn't that hard in grade school to differentiate between 'there', 'they're', and 'their'.

I'm afraid we're all reading much less now and spending more time in front of the television and video games, and, yes, the computer, which has probably made us less literate than previous generations, ironically.

I'm betting most v/o folks are pretty darned intelligent. In many cases we simply type too quickly (my wife is guilty of this), or we just don't take time to go back and look at what we've written before we hit 'send' or 'submit'.

Okay.

Climbing down off my soapbox now.
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Scott R. Pollak
Clients include Pandora, NPR Atlanta, Wells Fargo, Cisco, Humana, Publix, UPS, AT&T, HP, Xerox and more.

www.voicebyscott.com

Bruce · Posted: Fri Feb 18, 2011 9:34 am Post subject:

I must admit that I catch myself making a fairly quick judgment of some people and potential clients by the level of their spelling ability and grammar.

However, J.S., when someone has something really interesting to say, as you often do, I can easily overlook it and consider it an interesting quirk.

When it comes to making a judgment on writing especially in this collegial forum, it's the TP (total package) that counts.

B
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Lee Gordon · Posted: Fri Feb 18, 2011 5:20 pm Post subject:

melissa eX · Posted: Fri Feb 18, 2011 9:32 pm Post subject:

Good link Hasser, too bad the author had to blow it at the end.