Forum Moderators: not2easy
Well, I have realized taht simpleton English over net works effectively - but have we waved goodbye the ethics of great English with rich grammer and superbly drafted sentences.
Or Fourth-grade is the key to selling and making transactions work. I would like comments from people developing selling-oriented content for the US region.
Says What?
I always try to be as clear and unambiguous as posibble. I don't see any reason to write 'difficult' and heavy sentences,
no matter who my copy is aimed for. I try to avoid slang and words that are straight out of the dictionary of foreign words (is that what it's called).
It not a matter of being but using slangs and bottomline language gets a catch in US - atleast!
When you say
It not a matter of being but using slangs and bottomline language gets a catch in US - atleast!
-what do you mean?
There is no need to make something more complex than it needs. I agree that a relaxed and informal style is a good way of communicating.
There are, of course, exceptions, for example: Technical, legal or professional sites where a relayed style would not suit.
There are a variety of tools that let you evaluate the ease of reading a document. MS Word, for example, includes the Flesch Reading Ease Score and the Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level Score. DigitalGhost referred to the Gunning Fog Index in a recent thread.
Note that a lower readability score doesn't mean you have completely "dumbed down" your document - even PhDs may prefer to read copy written at a 10th grade level rather than wading through masses of complex verbiage. You can still express important thoughts and complex ideas, but the presentation of these will be clearer.
Web writing, IMO, should be clear and simple in most cases. The New York Times may be better journalism, but I'd emulate USA Today for web copy that is supposed to drive people to some kind of action - a purchase, an inquiry, or a click.
I'm an American, and it's not so much insulting in my opinion as much as a rather depressing bit of commentary about national literacy levels.
That said, the most important thing in any marketing and copywriting is knowing your audience. Are you targeting the USA Today demographic, or The New York Times demographic? You could probably safely write at a first-year university level if you were targeting the NYT's segment of the population.
You're right. Our literacy level is quite appalling. I find it interesting that webmasters try to "force" Internet users to upgrade their browsers in an attempt to remove the need to support browsers that don't meet W3C standards, but we don't "force" the illiterate people to learn to read by creating copy written to the strictest standards of a particular language. Couldn't we argue that by dumbing down content, we allow the reader to remain, well, dumb?
Couldn't we argue that by dumbing down content, we allow the reader to remain, well, dumb?
Absolutely... but I think a good many WebmasterWorld members are more worried about their sites' sales figures than about furthering the education of the US populace. ;)
Couldn't we argue that by dumbing down content, we allow the reader to remain, well, dumb?
A lot depends on the purpose of your copy. If the site contains scholarly articles or, say, literary discussion, then fairly high level copy is appropriate. If it's a widget sales site and the purpose of the paragraph is to explain why Widget A is better than Widget B, keeping things simple probably makes a huge amount of sense - even if many of your visitors have advanced degrees.
Similarly, if the whole objective of the page is to get visitors to click on a link, simplicity will beat complexity every time.
I wouldn't always assume that copy that is easier to read is "dumbed down". If I were to read an explanation of string theory, for example, I'd probably learn more if the information was conveyed at a simpler reading score (say, 10th grade vs. astophysics grad student) even if the actual content was identical. To me, at least, dumbing down is related more to content (or lack thereof) vs. sentence complexity.
Okay, so I'm not up on my slang. :)
I guess I knew that all my hard book-learnin' was for naught when I worked for a company that had their own grammar rules. Not just stylistic guidelines, but actual grammar rules that differed from the accepted standards.
Web writing, IMO, should be clear and simple in most cases
Simple is better than complicated.........whatever it is that you want to say...say it in a way that anyone reading can understand......
After all that is primarily the pupose of your web content....
That said, we also have famously short attention spans. Well, isn't that what the Internet's for? I've got my B.A. in English and have to admit that most web pages, if the copy is too complex and too long, I'll either not read it at all, or will print it out to read offline. It's not the audience, it's the medium.
So, as has been said, you've got to write for your audience. I'm going to re-stress-- do not assume these things about your audience. Don't assume that you need to talk to them like children. Take a thorough look around your competitors and make note of the language and tone they use. Write up your copy and test it-- I don't care how, but at least ask someone whether it inspires or offends them. That's the most important thing. If your users say ugh, I can't read all that, then you've written too much, and it doesn't matter if they're rocket scientists or literature majors or street vendors-- if it's too complex and long, it's too complex and long.
On that note, remember why most people go to most websites. With the exception of a few review sites and e-zines, it's not for literary appreciation; instead, most people are doing research for shopping, looking up references, or pursuing other tasks.
In such a scenario, a Merriam-Webster dictionary definition of "love" which is a five-word sentence fragment can be a lot more informative and useful than a Shakespearian sonnet on the same subject. That's not dumbing anything down, it's simply providing content that's relevant to the audience and appropriate to the medium.
Also, if you are writing for an international audience, keep it simple. If you use long and complex words, you will confuse your reader.
As several others have mentioned, the copy should be written for your targeted audience. Even highly complex information, should not exceed an 11th grade reading level.
I was just playing Devil's Advocate to make yogis realize that stereotypes can skewer one's view of one's audience, no matter how well you think you know them. Obviously, an audience is a group of people that to some degree share the same likes, thoughts, actions, etc. Thus we make some assumptions about them in order to market to them, but we must tread VERY carefully in order to avoid misleading, or just plain wrong, stereotypes.
(It not a matter of being but using slangs and bottomline language gets a catch in US - atleast!)
sorry that went a lot hayward.
I meant that using slangs and bottomline language is not the only intention. Just a few words and quotes that gets more catch by the readers. And this language is more adaptive in US than you'd try in UK or other Euro nations. Americans needs a diff. spice of word-spinning........
Well my idea was to verify the best effects of your copy! I believe that copy can always be improvised and we all have the potential to play with ideas. By fourth-grade stuff i obviously meant language that is spoken and grasped as easy as Mc's burger.
You guys know how difficult it is to sell stuff round here on web. And no matter how much we brag off - conversion are always unstisfactory.
Getting a visitor hooked (after u have made all the efforts of getting him in here) on the basis of copy is a tact. Slangs obviously do not denote crappy things we use on daily vocab. It means slangs may sound a bit permeable but personal at the same time.
Simply tell me - on the basis of copy - how will US people buy stuff online? 1st grade, 4th grade or 6th grade?
Simply tell me - on the basis of copy - how will US people buy stuff online? 1st grade, 4th grade or 6th grade?
I vote for a variety. Use a 4th grade level (USA Today) for quick summary information, brief notices regarding changes to the site, etc. Use 6th grade level (New York Times) for technical details, articles aimed at enthusiasts, etc. Use 8th grade for your terms of service and user agreements.
Unless your site is a literary magazine, use the simplest writing style that still conveys the information. If your visitors aren't there for their own edification, keep it pithy, write with an eye toward answering questions, and don't assume they're familiar with technical aspects of your product. That means you may be writing to a different grade level each page, but it allows visitors to get the information they're after as quickly and accurately as possible.
Or, if keeping everything on one website is prefered, it might be reasonable to offer links
to internal pages that offer a more in depth and perhaps more scholarly approach. Do that in multiple steps and you maight be able to satisfy eveeryone, or at least more of your target audience.
If anyone is offended it most likely those who have a diploma in something or other. If that is you then forget about it. Most of the people in the US are not very literate and thats a fact.
Writing for those people who are not the best at reading or verbal communication, is a good idea.
IE.
Our CGI shopping cart has been examined and designed by Gradutes from MIT. They all agree that it is very simple for the common man to use. The products have been categorized for maximum profit on our companies part. If you should so desire to atain one of them you will need to double click on the item you would like. From there you will have to fill out our complicated form, enter your home address, favorite color, password and all of your credit card information before we can ship the product to you.
OR
Click here to buy.
Me + Typing = not good
The web is increasing the options available to writers. The writing to 4th grade rules used by newspapers and TV were based entirely on the idea of one monopoly broadcasting to a single mass audience. That means they have to stoop to the lowest common denominator of the audience.
With the web, dude, the audience will seek out and find the info that it desires. That means you can focus your writing on a tighter audience. It blows apart the mass audience supposition. The main thing is to focus on the quality of the information.
