One of the things I appreciate most about the Internet, is how it made me accept a lot of concepts which I otherwise wouldn’t have. The most prominent among them being, perhaps, homosexuality.
I remember I had a classmate in freshman year in university, whose sexuality was rather debatable. Said classmate dressed like a girl (tight jeans, sweater and high heeled pointed boots), but had some rather rough facial features which one would have been hard-pressed to attribute to girls. After having seen his name one day, it turned out the classmate was indeed a guy.
I’m not entirely sure why, but just the thought of sitting near him made goosebumps appear on my skin. Now, when I think back, I’m mightily ashamed of it. After all, he was never loud, never swore, was always very polite. Aside this, one of my current best friends has a different sexual orientation to mine1.
As such, it came as a rather large and unpleasant surprise when today my aunt declared that I am rather intolerant. I found T. very rude (and childish) for calling me lame for having a blog. I take it for granted that when I’m told off for talking too loudly, I apologize and am quieter. I most definitely do not recommend ear plugs instead.
I was annoyed that they didn’t get this. I found it normal not to be willing to associate with them on personal level. I found it preposterous when it was suggested I take up smoking just so I could fit in. On the other hand, I think it mightily unfair that they do their best to ignore me, unless talking to me is absolutely necessary.
I still think my principles aren’t worth the compromise… and I still find it painful that I’m constantly alone because of this.
Why can’t they think objectively? Why can’t I accept that not everyone’s common sense is the same as mine?
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1 No Kate, I don’t mean you 
[edit: I rewrote parts of this post, since I realized that my point somehow turned into making mistakes is not acceptable. Hopefully, it's clearer now.]
Ever since my second site (IE users beware of crappy music!) had the first entry in its Guestbook, I wanted to impress people on the internet1. This is why I ultimately ended up wishing for a job in web design and web development2.
I am the first to admit though, that I worked for this HARD. In fact I raged over harsh criticism3, as well as ranted over a person’s “right to tell me off” when his/her site was nothing to be proud of.
On the other hand, this is also the reason why I am hard to impress. These days, anyone can have a site and be able to write something in (mostly) understandable English; let alone have a Live Journal account.
That doesn’t mean that I’m not impressed by people like Jacky of Dubious and - to go further - Nick of NDesign Studio, or Violent Acres whose stories on her early childhood are better than any chicklit4. I spend many hours just staring at their work and wishing I had even half of their talent/artistic sense or imagination in the case of ViolentAcres. I’ll readily admit that I’m currently insanely jealous of Dicle’s comment number on her last post… or even Gonny’s on her last two (for all that I find the actual posts highly pathetic).
In spite of all this, I am most definitely NOT impressed by non-native English speakers having a site/blog written entirely in… *gasp* English. I’m not a native English speaker either. As a matter of fact English is my third language: after Hungarian and Romanian. I did not find English easy, and worked hard to learn it as well as I could. Proof that it’s still not good enough, is my B on CAE exam. The part that dragged my grade down was actually the “Writing” one, where I received barely a “borderline“.
That said, trying to impress me, or making me ‘give you some slack‘, because you’re not a native English speaker, has the exact same effect on, as saying:
I’m only *insert age here*, so I didn’t know any better.
If you have a site in English, I damn well expect you to spell correctly: no ifs-and-or-buts. No one forced you to write it in English. The same way that no one forced you to publish it, thus making it available for anyone tosee. No one stopped you from having your writing proofread either. - Yes, that’s you: Gonny.
You write a rant, trying to expose/undermine popular sites. Great, I’ll definitely be there to lurk/comment/incite things5. Still, lack of correct spelling and/or grammar (on your part) have NO FUCKING excuse. No one stopped you from proof reading it. You have felt a pressing need to publish the post as soon as possible, I can understand that as well. What I can’t understand, however is why you couldn’t have proof read it after that. - Yes, I’m referring to you: Dicle.
My point is: it’s not a bad thing that you’re not fluent enough in English. Just the same as it is not a bad thing that you’re not good enough with HTML/CSS/PHP/etc . My annoyance lies with using the fact that it’s a foreign language as an excuse for your mistakes. You damn well CHOSE to have your work exposed to the public. There will always be someone who is better than you at what you’re doing; just the same as there will always be people worse than you. SO? Does that mean your spelling is less incorrect, or your writing is of better quality?
So what if it’s not your first language? Why is that stopping you from correcting your mistakes? Why must you try to make it seems less of a mistake in the first place? You CHOSE to expose your writing to the public. In other words you chose to make yourself known, hoping to impress people with your qualities. You thought your work was good enough; now you get told it wasn’t. So improve it; justifying the mistake left and right will not make it better.
On a parting note, here is one of my first reviews for my stories on Fanfiction.net:
okay, here we go. Or in your spelling… ere weee gooh. You had so many spelling mistakes! What’s worse, you rated this piece of ** G. They had ‘tongues flicking in and out’! For gods sake person! Please go through third grade!
The only thing I felt on reading that, was a humiliating shame. Not even once, did it occur to me, to try and explain that it was my first fanfiction, or that I was only 16, let alone that English is not my first language. For the record, I thought the story was brilliant (I know better now).
In conclusion: if you want my sympathy, get a different sob story.
P.S. The rant above, applies strictly to webmasters who have sites entirely in English and try to justify their mistakes with “it’s not my first language”.
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1 I honestly never really expected anyone to find, let alone like my site at that time.
2 I’m insanely lucky to have landed my first job as a web developer (ASP.NET for those curious).
3 I’ve had (and still have) plenty; I’m constantly raging at my mom for not liking anything I do/make (websites included).
4 I’m an avid chicklit devourer, so this is meant as a compliment here.
5 Feel free to e-mail me, comment on one of my posts or even PM me at Snark forums, if you wrote or found any instance of it.
6 Good as in publicized, and filled with as many clashing points of view as possible: the more the merrier.