A chat with a friend triggered an internal debate about how people perceive constructive feedback. Often I feel like I'm a martian among humans when pointing out opportunities for improvement. Despite the "launch and iterate" mentality that I am surrounded with, it seems that Dale Carnegie in "How to win friends and influence people" is right when he says that it's better for the interpersonal realm to NOT point out errors made or, as they call it, suggest opportunities for improvement.
I regularly read a blog from an acquaintance which has great substance but poor form. The grammar nazi that I am cringes at errors like the famous it's / its, plural apostrophes ("two apple's and two orange's", anyone?) and other such hooplas that often make me completely unable to focus on the blog's contents and have my inner Hitchens violently tugging at the chains that keep him from unleashing his righteous fury in defense of the English language. I can't tell you, dear reader, how often my fingers itch to write to the author and serve up a fresh shit sandwich of constructive feedback ("great blog, mate, but PLEASE check your grammar...").
I regularly read a blog from an acquaintance which has great substance but poor form. The grammar nazi that I am cringes at errors like the famous it's / its, plural apostrophes ("two apple's and two orange's", anyone?) and other such hooplas that often make me completely unable to focus on the blog's contents and have my inner Hitchens violently tugging at the chains that keep him from unleashing his righteous fury in defense of the English language. I can't tell you, dear reader, how often my fingers itch to write to the author and serve up a fresh shit sandwich of constructive feedback ("great blog, mate, but PLEASE check your grammar...").
