Do not post unedited work anywhere, ever. Spelling and grammar are one of the biggest cues available through the written medium, which is one of the few cues available online. Any writing mistakes will make you seem either lazy or uneducated. Because cues such as body language, or other subconscious behaviours are missing in an online environment, cues such as grammar, spelling and writing style are often seen as more meaningful about you as a person than the actual message. You're not going to turn anyone off because your spelling is perfect, but you will definitely turn off a large proportion of people because your spelling is bad.
So, here are some quick and easy tips on editing.
1. Cut 10%. Comb your profile and cut out as much as you can while retaining the original message. Are there superfluous words that add nothing to your message? The cleaner and sharper your writing, the clearer your message will be. Make sure that every word is fulfilling a vital purpose. If it doesn't, get rid of it.
2. Sepll-Chekecr. Make sure there is a spell-checker wherever you are writing. Some browsers also don't have a spell-checker built in. You should be editing your profile in a Word document (or similar) anyway so that you can work on it over a number of days - writing it directly onto the webpage means you aren't taking long enough to think about it and edit it.
3. Read it aloud. Reading your work aloud means you can spot mistakes you wouldn't otherwise. It's better if you can cajole a friend into do this for you, because it shows you where other people struggle with phrasing or meaning. If you need to explain to your friend how it should be read, then you've failed in your writing. You'll never get the chance to explain to your online audience, so make sure you don't need to. If no friends are handy, a text to speech feature where the computer reads it to you will suffice to highlight mistakes you might have skimmed over.
4. If you didn't get a friend to read it before, get them to do it now to ensure that your profile communicates what you think it does. Get them to tell you what you think it said, in their own words. Was what they thought congruent with your intent?
5. Now, I want you to read it aloud in a stalker or pornstar voice. Is it offensive? Then change it. Creepy? Change it! No one is going to be doing you any favours online, so don't make them need to. If it could be misinterpreted in any way, change it.
After you have done all that, it's time to take it live!
So, here are some quick and easy tips on editing.
1. Cut 10%. Comb your profile and cut out as much as you can while retaining the original message. Are there superfluous words that add nothing to your message? The cleaner and sharper your writing, the clearer your message will be. Make sure that every word is fulfilling a vital purpose. If it doesn't, get rid of it.
2. Sepll-Chekecr. Make sure there is a spell-checker wherever you are writing. Some browsers also don't have a spell-checker built in. You should be editing your profile in a Word document (or similar) anyway so that you can work on it over a number of days - writing it directly onto the webpage means you aren't taking long enough to think about it and edit it.
3. Read it aloud. Reading your work aloud means you can spot mistakes you wouldn't otherwise. It's better if you can cajole a friend into do this for you, because it shows you where other people struggle with phrasing or meaning. If you need to explain to your friend how it should be read, then you've failed in your writing. You'll never get the chance to explain to your online audience, so make sure you don't need to. If no friends are handy, a text to speech feature where the computer reads it to you will suffice to highlight mistakes you might have skimmed over.
4. If you didn't get a friend to read it before, get them to do it now to ensure that your profile communicates what you think it does. Get them to tell you what you think it said, in their own words. Was what they thought congruent with your intent?
5. Now, I want you to read it aloud in a stalker or pornstar voice. Is it offensive? Then change it. Creepy? Change it! No one is going to be doing you any favours online, so don't make them need to. If it could be misinterpreted in any way, change it.
After you have done all that, it's time to take it live!
About the Author:
If you enjoyed this, why not check out Buffy Greentree's other books and projects at The Buffy Group
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