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How to Screw Up With Style

Posted on December 4, 2007
Filed Under Writing, Copy Writing, Guest Blogging | 5 Comments

When it comes to writing, a little bit of knowledge can be dangerous. Even the nicest among us can turn into grammar snobs without much provocation. I know, because I used to be one.

My life as a snob began almost immediately after I started studying copy editing. Look at me, I have information others don’t! Examples of poor writing suddenly surrounded me. Tsk, tsk; those poor misguided writers. And I didn’t stop at the written word. Naturally, it was incumbent upon me to edit the poor grammar of actors in television commercials and movies, along with the occasional radio personality. Too bad these people weren’t actually in my home where they would have been able to take full advantage of my guidance and expertise.

But the problem with knowing everything is that you can’t know everything. After the initial flush of arrogance wore off and I started applying to myself the same high standards I applied to others, I was a little surprised. Hmm, I thought, maybe my writing sucks sometimes. Worse yet, maybe it sucks all the time. It was something to consider.

Over time, I concluded that it’s virtually impossible to have everything I write be perfect. Even if it were — and that’s a huge maybe — there are different writing style guides that dictate varying standards for editorial perfection. (The Chicago Manual of Style and the Associated Press Style Guide are two of the more important ones. Large companies also often have their own editorial style guides.) Each has its own take on what’s right. So, if they differ, how’s the average blogger supposed to know which take on any given issue is correct?

At least from the perspective of this former grammar snob, the answer to this dilemma is three-fold:

1.) Do the best you can to be informed about spelling, capitalization, etc.
There are a variety of good resources for learning about writing. So, to address suggestion number one, you have to find the resources that work for you. Even then, you’ll find differing advice among them. That’s the reason for suggestion number two.

2.) Be consistent, even if you’re wrong.
Consciously choose a style and stick with it. If you don’t know which style is right, pick one that’s comfortable and ride it for all it’s worth. For example, if you prefer writing headlines with an initial capital at the beginning and the rest of the words in lowercase or the even more unusual choice of using all lowercase, do so consistently and boldly. Be aware though, there will be plenty of people who think the style is wrong. If you do it consistently, however, it will look intentional and become your signature style.

A great example of this is a man I knew who refused to use capitals and periods in his e-mails. To me, his messages looked like they were generated by a monkey. He took great pains to enlighten me, however, that anyone who began sentences in capitals and ended them with periods was simply misguided and out of step. But you don’t have to be that bold. You can still choose your own style; just make it one that’s not quite so far out there. And if you’re still concerned, consider suggestion number three.

3.) Relax, because none of it is worth fretting over.
If you’re still plagued by doubts about your writing after you’ve committed to your own style, just relax. That old adage, “Don’t sweat the small stuff; and by the way, it’s all small stuff,” applies to writing, just as it does in life. In the final analysis, it’s much more important to express yourself than it is to express yourself perfectly.

The bottom line: When you write, do it with confidence — even if some of your choices might be perceived by others as wrong. There’s room to get away with just about anything, editorially speaking. Remember, what one person considers inappropriate could just be someone else’s brilliant but misunderstood style choice.

Carla Chadwick

Author of WordPlayBlog

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The Wacky World of Web Words

Posted on November 29, 2007
Filed Under Writing, Guest Blogging | 11 Comments

I remember the first time someone told me that the word Internet should be capitalized.

“Really?” I asked. I was shocked.

“Yeah, Web should be capitalized too. And on-line should be hyphenated.”

Weird, I thought.

Then, just as I was settling into using those forms, the rules about two of them began to change. Such is the wacky world of Web words.

It’s not really surprising that some Web terms would have stability issues. Most are relatively new and haven’t had a chance to settle into standard, agreed-upon forms. And words have a tendency to morph over time anyway, making the English language a bit unstable in some areas. Actually, unstable is probably an unfair characterization; flexible is probably a better way to put it. Language has to be flexible because it’s ultimately a user-determined art. Even initially reviled word forms can become accepted over the long haul if enough people use them.

But how are you supposed to know which word forms are au courant? I did some research and found that The Chicago Manual of Style, 15th edition (TCMS) — the editors bible — considers the explanations below to be the latest word on Web words:

* Commands, icons, file names, keys and other technology-related terms
When writing about features in software or blogs, or on Web sites or keyboards, match the capitalization of the feature you’re mentioning. For example, Enter is capitalized on keyboards, so it should be capitalized when used in a sentence: “Hit Enter to access the page.”

To further differentiate any of these terms, you may use italics, bold or a different font. If you’re writing about two term types in one post or document, you might want to use italics for one and bold for another: For example, use italics for commands and bold for file names. If using different styles doesn’t provide enough differentiation, use quotation marks, either instead of or in addition to other formatting. No matter which style(s) you choose, be consistent throughout.

* dot-com
This term should hyphenated, not written dot.com. (That would read dot dot com.) If used in a headline, capitalize both the D and the C: “Her Dot-Com Empire Made Her Millions Before She Decided to Chuck it All and Live on the International Space Station.”

* e-mail, e-business, e-commerce, e-solutions, etc.
The e words should be lowercase and hyphenated. If an e word falls at the beginning of the sentence, the E would be capitalized: “E-commerce provided a good living for him, but he preferred to dress like a homeless person anyway.”

Even though eBay is the appropriate capitalization for the name of the auction site, TCMS suggests capitalizing it at the beginning of a sentence: “EBay had a record year, due in part to someone paying five million dollars to buy his own kidney.” Personally, I’d rewrite that sentence to avoid the strange capitalization (and probably any mention of a kidney), but it wouldn’t be wrong if you left the capital E at the beginning of the sentence.

* Internet
If you’re referring to the worldwide collection of servers and Web sites, Internet should be capitalized. If you’re only referring to a network of computers, it should be lowercase.

* log in and its many variations
When you’re referring to logging into a site, the appropriate form is log on or log in (not logon or login). The same obviously applies to log off (not logoff). When you’re using the term as an adjective, however, it should be hyphenated: “She logged in on the Adopt-a-Clown log-in page.”

* online
This started as on-line, but has now morphed into online. It’s a perfect example of how language changes over time.

* pop-up
It’s appropriate to hyphenate the name for those annoying pages that get in your way while Web surfing.

* Web, web, Web site and website
For the time being, Web is still treated as a proper noun, therefore both Web and Web site are capitalized — if the usage is somewhat formal. If you’re writing a blog post, which in most cases would be considered informal, web and website are fine. If you’re writing informally and prefer to stick with Web and Web site (as I do), that’s okay too. There’s a transition going on, so there’s extra flexibility about these words.

* WWW
If a Web address appears at the beginning of a sentence, you have two choices: You can leave off the www (for example, mysite.com) or you can rewrite the sentence to move the URL elsewhere. You would never use www at the beginning of the sentence and capitalize the first W.

* Video game names
Following the same rule used for movie and book titles, video game titles should be italicized: “He sat in his chair and played Tomb Raider until his head fell off.”

Carla Chadwick


Author of WordPlayBlog

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Guest Blogging Update

Posted on November 19, 2007
Filed Under Guest Blogging | Leave a Comment

Unfortunately it had to resolve to this blog post. I had to switch off automatic guest blogging registration as we got hammered with spam sign ups. These have all been deleted and it isn’t possible to register automatically anymore.

However for those writers/bloggers who want to participate in this blog to gain exposure to themselves and having a chance at winning some cash can contact us to ask for a writing profile. This will hopefully get rid of all the spam idiots and allow honest users to become part of our growing community.

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Also, please do make sure to read our guest blogger rules page to avoid disappointment.

We already have some top writers and bloggers on board and it is great to get different bloggers sharing their views on topics regarding Internet marketing.

Anyway, this is just a short update on what’s happening.

Monika Mundell

Owner and Author of Blogging Web 2.0

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Monika says: “We can all have success.” Do you agree with her?

Posted on November 14, 2007
Filed Under Guest Blogging, Internet Marketing, Blogging | 12 Comments

On her previous post Imagine Success Was Already Yours, Monika stated that we should “focus on the fact that we can all have success.” In fact, the whole article was built around this concept.

Do you agree with Monika?

Although that wasn’t the first motivational post I’ve read in my life (far from it), I confess I couldn’t stay indifferent to it. I just had to write this follow up.

Why?

Because I’ve had enough of articles warning me not to get into this or that market, for “it is crowded, saturated and you wouldn’t stand a chance against your competitors.” This is especially true when it comes to Internet marketing and meta-blogging: many authors will try to prove they are your “friends” by telling you to stay away from the topics that have made them successful.

I believe some of those advisers are sincere. They really think their niches are saturated and you’d better put your effort into something else.

But others seem to be much more worried about themselves. The message their articles convey sounds like this: “Read my stuff, click on my affiliate links, buy my products, but absolutely do not dare to compete against me!” Not to mention those boastful guys and girls who insinuate that “I am great; you are not and will never be.”

Now let’s get back to Monika’s sentence:

“Focus on the fact that we can all have success.“

How do you feel about it? Let me put it differently: how do you feel about the contrast between her encouraging words and the skeptical/cynical/greedy points of view cited above?

Join in this debate by leaving your comments. :)

Karen Zara

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The Guilty Blogger

Posted on November 12, 2007
Filed Under Guest Blogging, Blogging | 8 Comments

Do you feel guilty when you don’t update your blog? Are you afraid your readers will forget about you and/or hate you for not offering them new articles? Do you believe a good blog is necessarily a daily updated one?

Stop right now.

For a long, long time, it was assumed that a blog should be updated every single day of the year. If you searched for blogging tips, you would find dozens of articles on this subject, and (almost) everyone seemed to agree that there was no other way to go about this. A day without an update would be seen as a lost day, a lost opportunity to retain your readers, get new ones and make more money. Many bloggers would write dramatic posts informing that they had seen a significant decrease in traffic because they hadn’t updated their blogs for two or three days in a row. At the end of such posts they would invariably promise to their readers — and to themselves — that they wouldn’t let that happen again.

I don’t mean that those bloggers lied when they stated they’d get less traffic whenever they failed to update everyday. I just want to draw your attention to their “dramatic” attitude about it. Was it really necessary?

There are some basic things you must understand if you don’t want to let your own blog become a burden to you. One of them is: traffic varies. There’s no such thing as having a fixed number of visitors every single day of the year. Another one: quantity may be good, but quality is even better. A third one: while you may try to have both quantity and quality, as time goes by it gets harder and harder. And a reminder: some things in life are out of our control (e. g. illnesses, family issues, blackouts, just to name a few). Most of your readers certainly are aware of this fact, as everyone is subject to such problems. Therefore, there will be times when you just won’t be able to do what you planned, no matter how much you want to.

Haven’t you noticed the increasing amount of articles recommending that you don’t update daily if you can’t maintain your posts’ quality? This seems to be a new trend in the blogosphere. Of course, this is a sort of controversial topic. Many bloggers still insist that it’s mandatory that you post fresh content as often as possible, otherwise you’ll risk losing readers and money.

But do you want a friendly piece of advice? If I were you, I’d take advantage of that recent blogging trend.

Don’t feel guilty. Learn to accept some things just as they are, and relax. You won’t be hated by your visitors if you aren’t able to post daily. Some may eventually forget about your blog, that’s right, but the Internet is vast and you can always try to win new readers. So, don’t panic.

Karen Zara

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Short Follow Up

Posted on November 12, 2007
Filed Under Blogging | Leave a Comment

This is a short follow up to my last post because I omitted one other very important part of spreading yourself around.

That equally important part of widening your exposure is guest blogging.

Here you’ll see we already have some contributors who have written some very fine articles for this blog. One could argue that the work and time involved in creating those articles has been wasted in posting them on someone else’s blog.

But that argument comes to nothing when you consider the increased exposure to their own blogs each of those articles has generated in the form of highly targeted traffic. You could spend good money and not buy that kind of quality traffic to your blog. In fact you’ll see from the sidebar that (at the time of writing this post) one of those guest posts has actually attracted well over 1,000 views!

So if you ever doubted the power of spreading your work to places other than your own sites, there it is in black and white for all to see and digest. By posting your own, high quality work in the right place at the right time, you will be amazed at the surge in traffic your blog will enjoy - fair recompense for the time and effort that went in to that single article, I’d say!

Stay positive and be successful!

Terry Didcott
Author and Architect of Blogging Web 2.0

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The Life of a Black Hatter

Posted on November 5, 2007
Filed Under Guest Blogging | 7 Comments

In a recent comment I noticed Monika had mentioned a passing curiosity with the world of black hatters, not that she wanted to become one - more along the lines of wondering if there might be some value in knowing what it is that they do. I think this is a natural query for most people and I get asked a lot of questions regarding black hat techniques.

There is something about cheating and short cuts that appeals to people. Everyone wants to get a leg up and in most cases if laws aren’t broken and it isn’t too unethical people will bend the rules a little bit. We all have lines that we won’t cross - usually it’s the point where we may harm someone else or our own conscious starts screaming at us to pull in the reigns.

First off, Black hatters are not spammers - at least not the good ones. Spammers are for the most part beginners who have read just enough to be led astray and not enough to know better. They waste our time and theirs posting crap all over the net and eventually get educated and move on. Unfortunately there are new greenhorns flooding the web everyday to take their place.

Black hatters have one goal in mind. Making money fast. They don’t care about Google, indexing, PR, Alexa ranking or any of the other staples of long term business planning. Most projects are short lived and then they either duplicate it again or move on to another scheme. In fact the term “scheme” is probably the best way to describe their activities.

So what do they do?

Basically they look for and take advantage of weaknesses that have been and still are present on the net. In the past they gamed the search engines - read Google - and with the aid of software they created thousands of sites filled with thousands of pages of keyword rich crap in order to cash in on adsense. It worked like a charm.

Then Google got wise, changed the algorithm and the blackhatters simply changed course and set up real content anchor sites and using software created thousands and thousands of blogs backlinking to the main sites thereby lifting them to the top of the serp’s and once again cashed in on adsense. Once again Google had to change the algorithm.

This pattern has been recurring endlessly and each time Google comes up with a fix the black hatters find a new system. If you think of all the rules imposed by Google - every one of them leads back to something the blackhatters were taking advantage of. The latest Google slap was in response to paid links - something the blackhatters started doing long before PPP and Text-link-ads came on the scene.

So is Google winning? In a sense yes but it is a hollow victory because most of the smart blackhatters quit the adsense game some time ago - a far more lucrative way to make cash showed up in the form of web 2.0.

Lead generation.

Most people have heard the term but aren’t that familiar with it. There are real world companies that pay good money to people who send them leads. Think of credit card companies, lawyers, real estate brokers and travel agencies just to name a few of the better paying businesses.

With the advent of myspace, youtube, facebook and ultimately all the social sites that have sprung up over the past year or so blackhatters have hit paydirt bigtime. They no longer need search engines, in fact they don’t need much of anything at all anymore - just a computer, a few proxy servers and some ip cloakers and away they go. Oh and a few pictures of unbelievably good looking girls.

There is an old joke that men think about sex every 7 seconds and so do women - just substitute shoes for sex in the latter case.

There is truth to this however and blackhatters have been exploiting it for a while now.

It started on myspace, using proxies a blackhatter creates dozens of accounts, posts a picture of a gorgeous woman in his profile and then sets out making friends. Several nanoseconds later every hotblooded male on the site is his/her friend and then the fun begins. The blackhatter simply messages everyone of his new friends about this program or that program and asks for their opinion on the matter. They aren’t dealing with internet marketers here - just John Q Public and with several accounts the blackhatter can solicit thousands of clicks for whatever program they send out.

“Hi John, I recieved this email about a special offer for a free trial of…. I was wondering if you could look it over for me as I don’t understand it.”

Most of these offers pay between $.50 and $5 for everyone you get to sign up for a free or reduced trial. Lawyers and real estate brokers can pay in the $1000’s for leads. It’s easy to see why adsense is of little interest these days.

I recently joined mybloglog and had to laugh as it didn’t take long to spot the blackhatters. The tell tale scantily clad bombshell shows up and joins my community and makes me a contact. I played along and added them and sure enough the messages started - hey could you check this out for me. Delete…

Keep in mind that these are the moron blackhatters - the good ones are far more sophisticated and in most cases will create relationships over a period of time and then slowly and subtly bring up the offers. They take the time to find out stuff about you and then casually bring up possible solutions to your problems.

“hey John, I think I found a good solution to your computer problems - I used this spyware removal tool and it worked great…”

Because of the new internet social scene blackhatters can instantly come in contact with literally millions of potential customers without having to do much work at all. They needed search engine traffic and email addresses to do this in the past - all in all it was a lot of work.

It’s ironic that now they don’t have to work nearly as hard and the customers come to them. Brilliant even if it is scummy. As I said - they are only after one thing - making money fast. Like them or hate them they are always one step ahead of the rest of us.

Grizzly

How to Make Money Online for Beginners

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