diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 3be084d3ec4..81d349b829c 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -205,7 +205,7 @@ If you're interested in using speaker notes, reveal.js comes with a Node server
 
 To include speaker notes in your presentation, simply add an `<aside class="notes">` element to any slide. These notes will be hidden in the main presentation view.
 
-It's also possible to write your notes with Markdown. To enable Markdown, simply add the ```data-markdown``` attribute to your ```<aside>``` elements and reveal.js will automatically load the JavaScript parser.
+It's also possible to write your notes with Markdown. To enable Markdown, add the ```data-markdown``` attribute to your note ```<aside>``` elements.
 
 You'll also need to [install Node.js](http://nodejs.org/); then, install the server dependencies by running `npm install`.
 
diff --git a/plugin/speakernotes/client.js b/plugin/speakernotes/client.js
index 20f8e2f24b2..ad1bd4616eb 100644
--- a/plugin/speakernotes/client.js
+++ b/plugin/speakernotes/client.js
@@ -29,7 +29,7 @@
 			nextindexh : nextindexh,
 			nextindexv : nextindexv,
 			socketId : socketId,
-			markdown : notes ? notes.getAttribute('data-markdown') != null : false
+			markdown : notes ? typeof notes.getAttribute('data-markdown') === 'string' : false
 
 		};