Flash back to 2000. . .. that’s the year I bought http://wiredwriting.com. With plans to use the site as a space to teach people about how to communicate more effectively online, I knew that writers would need to upgrade their skills – even if they were A+ students offline.
Today, I teach wired writing workshops to train companies and writers how to communicate more effectively online. That’s why I’m excited to see a new online, and hard cover, style guide.
“The Ultimate Sourcebook for Writing, Editing, and Creating Content for the Digital World,” from Yahoo!, is online now and available for sale on Amazon.com on July 6.
Polished and expanded for its public debut, “The Yahoo! Style Guide” covers the basics of grammar and punctuation plus a multitude of topics with a Web-specific focus. Yahoo! editors discuss effective writing and editing for an online audience, techniques for streamlining copy, basic Web codes, Internet law, search engine optimization, and more. Before-and-after examples of how to clean up problem copy abound.
. from http://styleguide.yahoo.com
Whether you’re a novice or a pro, you can search to find the information you’re looking for. Can’t find the answer? You can always ask an editor. Here’s a look at a few sections that jumped out at me.
Shape Your Text for Online Reading
How to Write Strong Headlines for Web Copy
Editing 101: Best Practices for Online Copy
Yahoo! Style Guide Table of Contents
Build your own word list, using Yahoo’s as as starter.
Voices, tone and content vary inside companies. A style guide resource steps in when a call is in question. I like the way Yahoo! offers downloadable word lists. That way you can add your own and change their guide to match your preferred usage.
How about you? When do you or your company use a style guide?
Need a wired writing workshop speaker for your company or your group? Let’s talk: corywestmedia @gmail.com or 630.027.7530.
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