2 things that bug me in posts

[Wags]

I have been a member of AZ forums for awhile. I have finally had enough. I have to write about it. I know this is kind of nitpicking so therefore I must be a nit but....

1) Please posters, use the correct terminology in your posts. There are two organizations that have the letters BCA in them.

• The BCA stands for the Billiard Congress of America and is currently a trade organization and keeper of the Hall of Fame. They also are/was involved in the making of the World Pool Association rulebook of which are often referred to as the BCA rules. Those are the rules that they endorse. They have nothing to do with leagues, junior program or directly with pro pool. As I said, they are a trade organization.
• The other BCA letters that many posters refer to is the BCAPL. This is the league organization under the umbrella of CSI (Cue Sports International) owned by Mark Griffin. The letters "BCA" do not represent anything in the name and the PL stands for Players League. They use basic WPA rules but have made some changes with the rules so in essence they are the BCAPL rules, nobody elses. This is also true of the VNEA (Valley National Eightball Association) and APA. They have their own rules and specifictions. The BCA rules are not the BCAPL rules. I understand when posters say they play BCA that they are referring to the BCAPL, but I feel that not everyone does. I would just ask that posters use the correct organization when posting to eliminate any confusion.

2) This is more of a grammar complaint. Too many posters have a well thought out post that sometimes gets diminished in my eyes becasue of the word effect and what should be the word affect. As a kid, I learned the "RAVEN" mnemonic for these two words: Remember: Affect = Verb, Effect = Noun. Hope this helps others!

• Effect: something that is produced by an agency or cause; result; consequence:
• Affect: to have an influence on or cause a change in
• Please understand that I am not picking on anyone with these examples. I just wish they were grammatically correct. These are posts that drive me a little crazy. Just a few examples.

Does Table Size Effect Your Game? ... It should be; Does Table Size Affect Your Game. Yes..Table Size can affect your game. It can cause a change in your game. The consequence of table size is that you can miss more shots on a larger table than on a smaller table, which could be referred to as the table size effect.
" Tapper Roll"
Ok i see a lot of ppl saying this. "the cue has a little tapper roll" what the hell are you talking about???? If you roll a shaft and it wobbles, its warped.. the tapper of the shaft should not effect how it rolls in any way.. Once again the poster meant affect instead of effect. He is saying, Tapper roll will not affect how the shaft rolls. or The effect of tapper roll is nil.

Just a couple of examples about effect vs. affect. I agree that sometimes it is difficult to know which one to use. Please try anyway, your post will sound more knowledgeable, not only on this forum, but, also in life/business dealings. If I didn't explain it will enough, I am sure there are articles on it if googled.

Just my 2 cents. I've been a teacher too long and had to correct too many students of the usage.

wags

 

[Centerpunch]

"Tapper" or "Taper". That jumped out at me more than anything.:thumbup:

 

[WhatsTheSpot]

There's one thing I've learned.

People come from all different backgrounds.

The people that can't spell just as good as the ones that can. When I was younger, I always wanted to associate with those who were more educated. As I've grown older, I'm starting to prefer associating with those that have the bad spelling.

The people with proper grammar also tend to think that they smart, when they really might not be.

The people that can't spell are often more humble. They might have a better understanding of life.

I've graduated with a Bachelor's degree, and the only thing I've learned is that they teach you nothing in college. The vast majority of it is a waste of time. You might find 1 in 20 professors that are worth the time.

It is very easy to transfer knowledge to someone else. But teaching them how to use it properly is a different story.

This is a lengthy discussion, but the bottom line is spelling errors don't bother me in the least.

 

[WhatsTheSpot]

There are people that can't spell worth a damn, that I would trust my life with. And there are people I know with college degrees that are complete idiots.

It's an easy process for some. If you manage to avoid any major problems through your younger life, you'll probably end up graduating from college. You'll appear smart to some people. But college is easy. You only need to be slightly above retarded in order to graduate.

The people that fail out of college usually fail because of other problems in life that distract them. Not because the material is too hard. They might have a child, a drug problem, a family problem etc.

It's not that the material is too difficult. So the graduating class appears to be smart. They are handed a job because they have a degree. After all that, I wouldn't trust most of these people with anything. Many of them have been guarded against what real life is like. At the first sign of a real problem, they have no clue how to handle it. But at least they spell good.

Whereas the college dropout has quickly learned survival skills, which I find more important than spelling skills.

I don't think anyone wants to discuss this much more, so I'll stop here.

 

[poolhustler]

............NIT...............:thumbup:

 

[Maniac]

There's one thing I've learned.

Here's something I've learned:


The people with proper grammar also tend to think that they smart, when they really might not be.

There's a difference in being "educated" and being "smart". They should not be considered as being the same thing.

The people that can't spell are often more humble. They might have a better understanding of life.

That is a very profound statement. I like it!!!

We have more important things in life to worry about than whether or not someone is poor at spelling or grammar.

Maniac

 

[mnorwood]

Their is one thing for shore. Farr to many people step on lines while they are walking on the sidewalk. Kills me every time I sea it.:thumbup:

 

[Blue Hog ridr]

Hmmmm, this thread has effected me in a way that I cannot describe.

However, it has the start of what could be the bestest thread in a long time.

I believe that their is much potential hear.
It could be better then many of the other threads posted today.
But you have to be able to no it when your reading it.
You're comprehension and righting skills have to be slightly better than others.
The others can have there threads but we will subscribe to this one.
Lets make this thread more funner than the others.

 

[JB Cases]

It's taper not tapper. If you are a grammarian then spelling errors should bother you as much as grammar errors.

And no, taper roll does not mean that the cue is warped. It means that the wood is not 100% round at all points.

When you have two end points that do not move when the piece is rotated on the horizontal axis then the piece is straight through the center. If one or both ends lift then the piece is warped through the center.

My ex-wife, the MFA in writing, said that communication is more important than proper spelling and grammar. I also get frustrated at certain mistakes that crop up all the time. But then I find myself using there instead of their and similar mistakes and I know I am not stupid. I simply don't see it when typing and only notice it on the second read or third read through.

Humans have a capacity called cognitive recognition that allows them to fill in the gaps to achieve understanding. I could write this entire post without vowels and you would still be able to understand it. Because we excel at pattern recognition and context we are able to get by without being perfect writers.

As for the BCA/BCAPL that's a marketing thing and it is what it is. Maybe now Mark has enough distance that he could rebrand the league and drop the BCA part of it but given that he went through a mini-version of hell to get the name along with the league then he might not want to.

Me personally I still refer to the BCA league as simply the BCA when in conversation about a BCA tournament. Old habit. As in talking about the BCA in Vegas in May. Kind of like I still refer to FedEx Office as Kinkos even though FedEx has completely dropped the Kinko's name from the copy shops (stupidly in my opinion as Kinkos is a much stronger brand association for the services provided).

Some linguistic scientists predict that english as we know it will be gone in 50 years replaced by a shorthand version created through texting and foreign versions of English which tend to be much more direct.

I think that sometime seeing a glaring grammatical error is like a bug flying into my eye. But then I have to remember that bugs outnumber humans and always will. So it's probably better to develop the same sort of tolerance for grammar and spelling errors as when a bug bugs you. Brush it off and move on. Unless of course the error produces a great opportunity to be humorous pointing out a Freudian slip....... then you are duty bound to make the rest of us laugh.

 

[PC_John]

Good post WTS. CP, if someone misspelling or misusing a word or words on a forum is all u have to worry about you are very blessed and should be thankful and happy. :smile:

Intelligent people will survive wether they are educated or not.

 

[WhatsTheSpot]

Put in another way, what I am trying to say it that those people who can't spell probably haven't consciously chosen to be poor spellers.

They have probably had some problems in their life that caused them to either to drop out of school early, or not pay attention while they were in school.

In the end it doesn't make a difference. Just because someone breezed through school and became a doctor doesn't mean anything to me by itself.

If you were able to balance working, having children, taking care of family, and still managed to get an advanced degree in school, then you've really done something.

Not everyone is going to have perfect grammar, and there is no point in bringing it up and trying to convince others to improve.

 

[justnum]

The lack of education is what prevents pool promoters from being successful.

What is an investor going to think when people don't use effect/affect properly?
They will think if this person couldn't learn to write/speak properly how much lazier can they be with their business.

It is tantamount to saying a product or show will be released on a specific date, collecting tickets or entries and then refunding everybody because they forgot to do something because they were unprepared to release a product or put on a show.

 

[leehayes]

I got some cheese!!!!

But while you're at it.....it's spelled TITLEIST....not titlist

 

[WhatsTheSpot]

The lack of education is what prevents pool promoters from being successful.

What is an investor going to think when people don't use effect/affect properly?
They will think if this person couldn't learn to write/speak properly how much lazier can they be with their business.

It is tantamount to saying a product or show will be released on a specific date, collecting tickets or entries and then refunding everybody because they forgot to do something because they were unprepared to release a product or put on a show.

Investors who were born with their money might be bothered by the poor spelling.

But I have a feeling that investors who earned their own money through life don't pay much attention to spelling when it comes to evaluating an individual.

 

[Blue Hog ridr]

Me personally I

Really John. Personally (coma) I.

Don't you think that sounds more better.

 

[measureman]

hoked on phoonics woked for mi.
Mi speling is verry moore gooder theen it ussed too b.

 

[champ2107]

op must hate me haha :thumbup:

 

[Blue Hog ridr]

You should strive to be very very very more gooder then.
Their is always room for improvement. Your getting better tho.

 

[TheCueHunter]

I have been a member of AZ forums for awhile. I have finally had enough. I have to write about it. I know this is kind of nitpicking so therefore I must be a nit but....

1) Please posters, use the correct terminology in your posts. There are two organizations that have the letters BCA in them.

• The BCA stands for the Billiard Congress of America and is currently a trade organization and keeper of the Hall of Fame. They also are/was involved in the making of the World Pool Association rulebook of which are often referred to as the BCA rules. Those are the rules that they endorse. They have nothing to do with leagues, junior program or directly with pro pool. As I said, they are a trade organization.
• The other BCA letters that many posters refer to is the BCAPL. This is the league organization under the umbrella of CSI (Cue Sports International) owned by Mark Griffin. The letters "BCA" do not represent anything in the name and the PL stands for Players League. They use basic WPA rules but have made some changes with the rules so in essence they are the BCAPL rules, nobody elses. This is also true of the VNEA (Valley National Eightball Association) and APA. They have their own rules and specifictions. The BCA rules are not the BCAPL rules. I understand when posters say they play BCA that they are referring to the BCAPL, but I feel that not everyone does. I would just ask that posters use the correct organization when posting to eliminate any confusion.

2) This is more of a grammar complaint. Too many posters have a well thought out post that sometimes gets diminished in my eyes becasue of the word effect and what should be the word affect. As a kid, I learned the "RAVEN" mnemonic for these two words: Remember: Affect = Verb, Effect = Noun. Hope this helps others!

• Effect: something that is produced by an agency or cause; result; consequence:
• Affect: to have an influence on or cause a change in
• Please understand that I am not picking on anyone with these examples. I just wish they were grammatically correct. These are posts that drive me a little crazy. Just a few examples.

Does Table Size Effect Your Game? ... It should be; Does Table Size Affect Your Game. Yes..Table Size can affect your game. It can cause a change in your game. The consequence of table size is that you can miss more shots on a larger table than on a smaller table, which could be referred to as the table size effect.
" Tapper Roll"
Ok i see a lot of ppl saying this. "the cue has a little tapper roll" what the hell are you talking about???? If you roll a shaft and it wobbles, its warped.. the tapper of the shaft should not effect how it rolls in any way.. Once again the poster meant affect instead of effect. He is saying, Tapper roll will not affect how the shaft rolls. or The effect of tapper roll is nil.

Just a couple of examples about effect vs. affect. I agree that sometimes it is difficult to know which one to use. Please try anyway, your post will sound more knowledgeable, not only on this forum, but, also in life/business dealings. If I didn't explain it will enough, I am sure there are articles on it if googled.

Just my 2 cents. I've been a teacher too long and had to correct too many students of the usage.

wags

?????? I think you meant WELL enough.....

 

[Maniac]

In the end it doesn't make a difference. Just because someone breezed through school and became a doctor doesn't mean anything to me by itself.

I've said it before and I'll say it again now: The guys that pick up your garbage twice a week are just as important as anyone else in the overall scheme of modern society. If you don't believe me, ask a New Yorker how it was to live in the city the time the garbagemen went on strike. Think about it, how would YOUR life be affected (God, I hope I used that word correctly ) if suddenly you no longer had garbage pickup at your house and burning inside the city limits was against the law?

Nobody's better than ANYONE else in this world. Nobody!!!

Maniac