In a perfect world, we'd probably get by without proofreaders.
Times are more chilled now: as long as people know what you're trying to say, mistakes in how you say it would be no big deal.
Grammar rules would be so 'last century' and people like me would have to find another way to pay the bills.
But it's not a perfect world. We have trolls.
Pre-internet, trolls were the people you occasionally got stuck with at dinner parties. Scoring cheap points over everyone around them when it came to neighbourhoods, careers or favourite wine.
Post-internet, trolls are everywhere. Latching onto anything that might give them their fifteen minutes of fame.
And if they find a misspelt word or rogue apostrophe on a company website, they'll pounce, parading it and their superiority on social media.
That, in itself, isn't the problem. Words on websites are easily corrected. The problem is one of perception.
People see your business mocked on Twitter or Facebook and without even looking to see what the issue is, they develop a subconscious perception of your business as flawed.
Next time they are in the market for what you sell, they'll remember your company as the one social media had problems with. They'll add 2 and 2 to make 7, and they'll look elsewhere.
That's why savvy businesses don't hit Publish until they find a proofreader.
I spare you blushes and lost business and persuade the trolls that there's nothing to see here. By making your website, brochures and emails verbally watertight.
Make sure the internet idiots are someone else's problem: reach me at pw4b@outlook.com. I'm comfortable with UK- and US-English, having worked for publications in both countries, so work from either side of the Pond is welcome.
If you work for a content agency, I'll save you several hours each week. Just run those blog posts past me before they go to the client.
