Mud Creative inc. Clarity in a world of rich communications

I’m currently working on a site that I’m very excited about for a number of reasons. I have been teamed up with some great and talented people. The client respects our work. And this site utilizes my SEO writing ability to the max. It’s a chance for me to show my stuff.

So, in a brief moment of selfishness, I asked the web developer if we could add a writing credit to the bottom. I was told that the only credit added is “Website designed by…”

Is this fair? Not to take away from designers and developers, but web writers put a lot of sweat equity into their projects too. Isn’t it possible that someone reading a particularly good site would want to know who wrote it, and how they can get in touch with that person?

I just did a quick search for “website credits” and found that there are actually sites that give credit to the whole team with a website credits link at the bottom of the page.  I also checked my own site, and discovered that my web developer, Christine Rondeau at Bluelime Media didn’t even add her credit!

I think Christine should take credit for her work, as well as Barbara Bruener of Blue Citrus, who designed the site. And while we’re at it….I think I will add my name to the list.

Shortly after posting the article on “Blogging. An excuse for poor communication?,” I came across an excellent article by Robin Nobles at Search Engine Workshops called The top ten grammar errors that haunt Web pages. Robin points out that “our websites are our online storefronts, and if our sites are full of errors, what does that say about our professional image?”

In this frank discussion about grammar, Robin talks about many of the more common mistakes people make as well as some spelling issues that are specific to the web world. It’s well worth a read for anyone who is confused about web site vs. website or e-mail vs. email. And what’s the plural of e-mail anyway? You may be surprised!

The wonderful thing about blogging is it provides an open forum for musings, information sharing, and conversation between people with similar interests. Not to mention that it adds fresh content to a website, which is good for SEO rankings and link generation.

But often blogging, especially commenting on blogs, is done when the mood to say something strikes. And more often than not, people who blog aren’t professional writers or communicators. Does that mean it’s forgivable to construct a cloudy message or make the odd spelling error?

Credibility is important to your business. A carefully written and constructed blog will go a long way toward upholding your reputation. So taking a little extra time to ensure that your blog message is clear and purposeful would be prudent.

Tips for blogging to say what you mean

Write your blog posting in a text document first. Composing on a blank piece of paper comes easier than trying to write within a template with distracting links and instructions.

When your blog posting is complete, walk away before publishing it. Taking a break rests your eyes and your brain.

When you come back to your blog post, read through it again. Then, read it backwards to spot any spelling or grammatical errors. Reading copy backwards stops the tendency to skip words.

Ask a colleague to read your blog to be sure that, aside from it containing errors, your message is clear and understood by other readers.

Posting a blog comment

Posting a comment to a blog is a little different because you’re writing in an environment other than your own. How many times have you followed a thread where several responses were from the same individuals trying to fix their errors or explain what they meant in the first place?

Take your time to respond. Read your posting over forward and backwards. Ask someone in the room to give it a quick once-over to ensure it makes sense. Then, you’re ready to submit it, knowing with confidence that you won’t have to apologize, correct a mistake or clarify something you said later.