Writing is Writing... Or Is It?

While there were many interesting articles in Yahoo's style guide section, I found a few that were of specific interest.  The article entitled, "Why you need to proofread", caught my eye.  One of my biggest pet peeves is to find grammatical errors in a text.  I just cannot imagine allowing this type of error detract from the work put into the content of the piece.  I also agreed with the article's statement that, "You want to provide a superior user experience that attracts a loyal audience to your website."  No matter how great the content, oftentimes--particularly in writing for the web--presentation can be critical in attracting readers initially and then encouraging them to return to the cite for additional information.  Poor grammar in public writing is like wear cut-offs to a job interview: it just don't look good.

The article, "Replace superfluous phrases" has some really great examples of ways to be more direct and efficient in website writing. I will find these particularly helpful as I am often guilty of a superfluous writing style. Going along with that sentiment, I am also a victim of passive writing.  "Start strong, stay strong" emphasizes the importance of active (versus passive) writing style, a strength of not just web-writing but any time of writing.  Tight, precise, active prose encourages a reader to stick with the story and also enhances comprehension.  

Another aspect of writing for the web which I had not thought too much about but agree with completely is expressed in "Shape your text for online reading".  This article proclaims that, "Online reading is an experience that’s different from reading text in print. A big part of that difference is physical: For most people, online reading takes longer—or feels as though it does. A computer screen displays text at a lower resolution, with less detail and sharpness than a printed page, so letters are fuzzier. And many people feel that their eyes tire faster reading text on a screen (especially a smaller screen) than reading type on paper."  I know that many people prefer to print a lengthy article rather than read from the screen.  While most (like myself) simply prefer the ability to scrawl on said article, many people do have an issue with reading text on the computer screen for any length of time.  I once heard that a good web page should not be longer than one "scroll-down."  This rule keeps information tight, precise, and recognizes the possibly short attention span of the reader.  

Tips to write by: be inclusive, construct clear writing, but maintain your voice and style.  

After reading through these articles, I decided to upload some text to the writing fitness link.  Most of my blogging writing either needs toning or is flabby.  But samples of papers I have written for class are consistently fit and trim.  To me, this makes sense, as blogging is normally a more casual form of writing.  Does this mean that it too cannot be fit and trim? Absolutely not.  And now that I am more aware of the difference in my writing, I can work towards an overall toning, with diet, exercise, and practice.