Writing Quality Web Copy
Most childfree folks know what it’s like to try getting a specific point across to the huddled masses. The childfree community exists primarily online. Plenty of meet-up groups exist, but the easiest way to connect with other childfree people is through blogs, informational websites like happilychildfree.com, or e-zines like Unscripted. Online is also where parents and the childless go to find out who we are. Your potential readers must understand your point of view. Clear ideas and editing are essential in any writing, online or in print, but it is even more important on the World Wide Web because so many sites make it so easy to post your words without proofreading or editing.
Many websites don’t expend the effort to check (or have someone else check) their spelling, grammar, punctuation, word flow, syntax, facts, and other necessary details. This proofreading is essential as you presumably want to create the most understandable piece you can muster. You want to be understood.
Do you know when and how to use an apostrophe, a comma, a dash, or quotation marks? If you’re not sure, crack open your favorite reference book or e-mail your old college English professor. At the very least, find yourself a reputable guide or web site that will remind you of reliable editing practices.
Take Your Time
Just because you have the ability to whip out some words and immediately slap them up on a web site doesn’t mean you should. The more mistakes you allow the public to see, the less you will be taken seriously. If you take the time to make sure your ideas are clear and your writing is smooth, your readers will understand and respect you. You may even get some fans.
Resist the temptation to be quick and sloppy, or even quick and mediocre. It’s much better, for instance, to edit your article to perfection over two days and then post it, than to write it in two hours, not even scan it for typos, and then post it with the inevitable mistakes. Yes, even the best writers make mistakes sometimes, because the best writers are human, but there’s a vast difference between being human and being lazy.
Shoot for Perfection
Web editing may not be as important if you are writing for your own enjoyment or for some other non-public use. However, if it’s part of your job, or if you are a writer who is serious about adding good work to your portfolio, you absolutely must do one of two things:
- Learn, know, and practice all rules of writing, editing, and proofreading, or…
- Hire someone who does: a professional copywriter, copyeditor, or proofreader.
Journalists, ghostwriters, translators, business owners, online merchants, and others in similar occupations know exactly what this means. You must be detail oriented, be familiar with the rules of writing, and know the specific editing styles (Chicago, AP, etc.). You also must be patient with yourself and make sure your piece is precisely the way you want it before posting on that web site or online article database.
Getting your work right the first time decreases the chances of embarrassment and having to go back to edit, and increases the chances of your reader understanding and enjoying your message. Why not get it right at the outset?
Although editing before posting is preferable, editing after posting is not the end of the world. Your willingness to go back and fix any mistakes is much more respectful of your readers and shows that you are a responsible writer. Also, the more frequently and thoroughly you edit, the easier it will become.
Web Code Glitches
If your writing and editing knowledge is intact, are you also confident that the web site to which you are posting allows all of your characters? This is a detail that should not be overlooked.
The technological side of writing for the web has its own hurdles to jump, not the least of which is making sure that all characters in your piece are acceptable to your target web site. Look around the site before posting, or ask the web master or administrator what characters the web code will not allow.
For example, some web site bulletin board codes are not compatible with word processing software code. The result may be that unrecognized apostrophes are changed into question marks. Confusion in a box! Sure, you can still read and understand the piece, but not easily. Don’t risk bad press and unnecessary confusion just because of a computer glitch.
Summary
The web can be a great place for publishing your childfree memoirs, proving your subject expertise, or reaching potential customers, but only if you can get your ideas across succinctly. Editing is essential for ensuring legibility, understanding, and professionalism. Who knows, maybe you can steal the spotlight form the latest mommy blog.
Copyright Len Morse. Published 1 December 2009 in The Zone.
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