Dear readers, I know I have a problem. And I’m addressing it today. At least I’m starting to.
Yes, I have a proofreading problem. And yes, I know it is annoying to many of you. Believe it or not, I do proofread my posts before publishing them. I’m just not a very good proofreader.
So after a string of embarrassing grammatical and spelling errors the last couple of days, this morning I installed Grammarly on my laptop.
Perhaps “advanced” is the wrong category, but I’ll be using it for my other businesses as well and spend 12-16 hours on the computer each day.
Grammarly tried to upsell me on a premium version, but we’ll start with the free version and see how that goes.
And look at that, I’ve now got “Big Brother” Grammarly watching over me:
I write this blog as a labor of love, not because I am desperate to hustle. That is how I have always internally justified my rather loose quality control when it comes to spelling and grammar. But as the blog continues to grow (February has hit record traffic despite only 28 days) I simply cannot publish sloppiness any longer.
If we find that Grammarly does not work, I will (begrudgingly) start the search for an editor. But, dear readers, I am listening to you. I am trying!
Other Blog Notes
You’ll notice my blog is fairly spartan in its design. My sub-sections are limited and it is far easier to find top posts via Google than directly via the site. I plan to add the following sections:
- Trip Reports – broken down into three sub-sections of airlines, hotels, and lounges.
- Credit Cards – not for me to push links on you, but for unbiased analysis (not that the two are mutually exclusive).
- Beginner’s Guide – many are still getting into the miles/points game for the first time and I want to include some basic info that may serve as a roadmap for newbies.
I’m working on another project relating to airline meals that I also hope to incorporate in the updated website. So stay tuned for that.
More broadly, we see the travel blogosphere is easily susceptible to corporate influence which directly influences content. As this blog continues its amazing growth, I want to remain fiercely independent and be willing to tackle any issue, good or bad, without censorship. I’m not passing judgment per se: if somebody comes by and offers me millions for my brand, I’m willing to listen. But I’m not looking for a buyer or a sponsor. Instead, I’m just looking to continue to do my best to offer honest and unbiased analysis and commentary on a host of travel and loyalty-related issues.
CONCLUSION
Thank you all for reading this blog. It is humbling to watch the traffic grow. More importantly, though, I appreciate so much the engaging daily readers who make this blog so fun to write. Thanks again.
I counted Three things the software missed… I’ll be your editor!
Keep up the good work, I like the approach of the blog even with the odd proof reading miss.
But if you do want a proof reader / editor….
Did you use Grammarly for this post? I found at least 2 mistakes with just a quick read.
“I write this blog as a labor love”
“I appreciate the core of engaging…”
Ouch.
No big deal – I still enjoy the articles on this site. I commend you for trying to improve your grammar – that’s always a good thing. And, frankly, your grammar is much better than Kyle’s.
Matthew,
I appreciate your blog, and your desire to improve. I will say, however, that your writing (and grammar) is far better that at least two of the other “big guns” out there:
One, whose proofreading (horrible grammar & misspellings) is simply atrocious. All in the service of publishing fast & first!!
Another, whose writing (while very informative & containing solid, reliable content) can be clumsy and repetitive within the same piece.
Keep up the good work 🙂
Thanks, mojo!
Who are the other two “big guns” ?
I’m pretty sure that the first “big gun” website (with horrible grammar, typos, and editing) is the one whose founder is extremely tall and has a Centurion card. It’s also the one that pumps credit cards INCESSANTLY, recycles old credit card (and other) posts, and produces a ton of (often inaccurate and rarely corrected) content. Think miles & ______ and ___ & girl. 😉 :-p
+1. I don’t read your blog for grammar tips, and don’t much care if your grammar could be gooder.
@Matthew, great! I have to agree with @mojo. Your writing is better than the unnamed big site, whose writing is atrocious (especially since they have the manpower and money for editors). One thing that you, Kyle, and Carly are great at is that you respond to feedback in the comments.
I think a lot of readers understand that it’s mostly a one-person show here, so some things slip through the cracks. When we point mistakes out, it’s so that you can correct/improve. So, it’s really great to see that you’re taking steps to make an already good blog even better. 🙂
Thanks, Tennen!
Nobody’s perfect, @Matthew, but I’ve thoroughly enjoyed this blog for several years. Glad to hear you’re experiencing so much growth. Keep up the great work!
Appreciate it, Jerry. Thanks for reading!
So has Gary heard of this technology? LOL
I watch a ton of youtube and they bought what felt like a million ads. I find it quite an insulting premise but I suppose it’s useful if you publish a large volume of work and don’t have time to proofread.
I really appreciate the your independence from corporate influence and the unbiased reviews/opinions. You have a good product. Keep up the good work!
Awesome sauce!
“I want to this blog to remain fiercely independent”…
Dump Grammarly, Matthew. Why complicate your life?
Several readers of The Gate offer corrections which I miss — no matter how diligently I attempt to catch my own errors — and I always thank them, as I appreciate when they take the time out to do so; and I then correct the errors. This is where an editor can come in handy; and neither of us have editors.
My advice is to keep clam with this oyster of a blog, as it takes a lot of mussel to ensure quality content to readers. Shell you agree with me on that nocean?
LOL. Appreciate the puns, Brian. Glad you caught the pun.
I love the perspective that your blog brings Matthew, and one of the reasons I religiously like to check up on your posts is precisely because you do it as a “side gig”. You don’t rely on it for income, or to push your public profile in the travel reviewer space, which is crowded and noisy to be begin with. I always find your posts honest, fair and gives me the feel of what one would experience as just a normal paying traveller, not a known, invited blogger on a delivery flight. That you have the occasional grammar mistakes, just speaks to that you are human and provide another real element to posts in my opinion.
Keep up the great work!
Very kind words. Thank you, Derek.
Matthew, your blog is excellent just as it is. Those who can’t see past the very few mistakes and accept the quality of your information and knowledge are probably only here to troll anyway.
Please just keep posting they way you do.
Hey, just noticed the title of this article is, “KEEP CLAM:…”. Oops.
That was actually deliberate. 😉
No worry. Your writing style is perfectly readable, and I don’t mind a small slip here and there. Happens to everyone.
Ahh…I get it. Good one.
I’m so clam right now LOL
Try prowritingaid instead of grammarly, it’s much, much better
To echo what others have said, your blog is what kept me on Boarding Area. There’s no pretentiousness, and more importantly unlike certain others like OMAAT you don’t have 20 cc links per article and you don’t link to shady websites.
Grammar is a complex thing. For instance, we regularly see the statement of something being “an excellent value” when referring to redemptions of miles or points currencies, when such a statement is only correctly applicable to abstract nouns (honesty, for example).
As other commenters have stated, your writing is generally of a very high standard Matthew – quite a few of us have tried giving pointers to certain other bloggers without success (even though their writing is definitely not of the same standard as yours).
Bravo to you for seeking to improve – no one is above improving their written English.
And if you’ll excuse me, I’ll go fix the multitude of errors I have realised exist on my blog.
Great post. Humility is a very attractive quality.
You’re doing just fine, Matthew—keep it up!