Tips for Grammar in the Digital Sphere

As a die hard grammarian and Oxford comma enthusiast, I initially had trouble adjusting to social media and the confines of 140 characters. I didn't want to be cheated out of appropriate comma placement and mellifluous word choices with too many letters.

Recently, I took to my Twitter account to ask some of my followers what their thoughts were on using correct grammar in tweets and other social media related posts, and I received answers on the opposite ends of the spectrum. My friend Nate, a recent grad from York College's Professional Writing program, doesn't believe in the need of using correct grammar for posts.

@Sarah_M_Walsh Dig. writing is about speed, not accuracy. Reader pointed out errors can be fixed in a second. Errors =/= lack of ethos now.

— Nathanial Alexander (@NaterXander) February 5, 2015

On the other hand, the writers behind The Refined Side, who I've been fortunate enough to develop a digital relationship with, feel the importance of using proper grammar online.

@Sarah_M_Walsh There is a terrible lack of grammar online! Will look forward to reading your surely great piece 😘
— Refined Side (@RefinedSide) February 5, 2015

At first I thought I would disagree with Nate's assertion that posts in the digital sphere don't need to be accurate, but the more I thought about it, I realized I've taken many opportunities to delete a tweet, Facebook post, or Instagram post if I've belatedly noticed an error. The fact that you can easily remove or edit text does take the pressure off when quickly shooting of a tweet.

So far in my social media career, I think I've done a good job at navigating between my grammarian side and the part of me that wants to use social media as effectively as possible. I have a few key rules I stick to:

1. Always, always, always include the Oxford Comma: I'll either re-craft a tweet or not post it at all if I can't include my favorite piece of punctuation. The editor I am at heart requires it!
2. Don't sweat the small stuff: I outwardly cringe when I notice an error in something I've written, but there comes a point when you're in the middle of a conversation and it's just not worth it to delete your tweet. 
3. When in doubt, consult the Chicago Manual of Style: I think Nate makes a great point about any errors being easy to fix, but from my experience, I would rather take a few moments to double check anything that I'm not 100% sure is the correct grammatical form. Although your ethos as a writer might not be affected if you post something with a few grammatical errors, I'd rather not take the chance.