Gah, here's another so-called 'expert'...

[Bladeglory]

Don't ask me how to get to this point, becuase I have no idea how, but the only way I can see how to get everyone literate on the internet is to get it all but required...

Maybe a spell-checker that's so a**l it won't let you make any word that isn't in its dictionary? Then all we'd have to do is get every online company to put it in... Maybe pay them to put it in? blaugh  

[Woodnut]

I understand what she's trying to say, but this really rubbed me the wrong way. This part, especially: "when they simply state their preferences as odd and peculiar ideas unique to them, most people are happy to comply with their request."

Good grammar is not "odd and peculiar," and - more importantly - it is not unique. And punctuality? A manager should never say something like, "Many supervisors wouldn't care if you were on time, but I have an obsession with punctuality." These are not eccentricities; they are, in certain circumstances (e.g. at work), required.

It's good to be tactful sometimes, because she's right - people don't like being corrected. And with something unimportant or truly unusual, the "this is unique to me" approach is fine. But some things are correct and some aren't. You can be nice about something and still get your point across. But you shouldn't be so worried about offending that you find yourself watering down everything you say.