Three rules for good web writing
In posting an entry to my Facebook page recently, I misspelled a word. I've always had trouble with attendance - not doing it, spelling it. It just seems to me that the word should have two "e"s. This mischance was less calamitous than, say, the melting of the polar ice caps, but it annoyed me, and then it got me to thinking.
You've probably heard the expression "content is king." I use the expression quite often myself. The expression is a reminder, despite what Marshall McLuhan said in 1964, that the media you use for image building (websites, social networking sites, newspaper articles, feature articles, advertisements, brochures, etc.) is less important than what you say - and how you say it. Using Facebook might demonstrate my hipness, but the misspelling still says that I lack attention to detail.
But, of course, grammar is only the tip of the melting iceberg. Even more important than getting all the commas in the right place is following the rules of good writing. You do know those rules, don't you? When writing for the web, try to be highly technical, use lots of acronyms and jargon, prove how smart you are by constructing convoluted sentences with more subordinate clauses than the fat man who delivers gifts down chimneys on Christmas eve, and speak in the passive voice. In the passive voice, sentences are written, but they don't have writers.
Those aren't the rules? Jeez, then how come so many web writers write like that? Don't bother to answer - that's what we call a rhetorical question. In a number of my previous blogs, I've written about writing, but here is a boiled down version of my top three rules for good writing:
- Have a central message and say it clearly. Don't talk about everything under the sun, including your great uncle's WWII experiences.
- Write with your audience in mind. Generally, this means for the public, not for experts in your field.
- Use language that is specific and, as often as possible, sensory. I'll give you two examples. Number one, if you say something like "Our processes are being streamlined" you've committed a double sin - speaking in the passive voice and being too abstract. Instead, say something like, "Our dog groomers will begin offering shampoo-only appointments this May." In example number two, instead of saying, "At our daycare center, we love kids" say "At Kids Center, we serve only fresh fruit for snacks, take time to sit with each child and tell stories, and never use the television as a babysitter." Which sentence is more effective?
Now before anyone points out to me that content is more than good writing - no matter how good - let me add one more point. All content, all writing, in any media, must be relevant to the reader. This is why you must, must, must, update your website frequently. Information rapidly ages, becomes stale and irrelevant and drives readers away. Write well, my friends, and write often.
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