A Variety Of Potential Errors To Avoid - Page 3

• Use appropriate font sizes: While technically not an error, too many Web sites add to the difficulty of reading on their sites by not taking into account the most likely readers. For example, a site that has elderly people as the primary target needs to make the font a bit larger (I'd personally appreciate it if all sites did this). By using style sheets, making fonts larger or smaller is easy, and the difference in space used isn't that much of an issue on the Internet.
• Avoid using too many fonts: Using too many font faces on a site can also be a distraction. Generally, one font for all the primary type and one for headline type is preferred. There are certain cases where other types of fonts may need to be used, but a general rule of thumb is that the fewer fonts used the better.
• Be careful with regionalism: If you are writing in an area that has its own distinct dialect, it is fine to use that dialect for your local audience. However, if your target audience is much larger in scope, it is better to stick to accepted English. "Y'all" is fine, and in fact common, for the area in which I was raised, but some areas of the world frown upon such usage. Y'all understand?
• Get someone to translate for you: This applies if you are writing for an international audience. The reason is simply that some words do not translate very well, and can have a totally different meaning to people of a different nation. Not only can the word mean something different, it could be obscene in the translation.
• Break up long writings with subheadings: This is something practiced in this very article. Subheadings help break up the text, and they are also useful for transitions between subjects.
• Hyphenation is full of bad breaks: This is another area in which writers can help their readers. Because of where words break, some on the Internet can be broken into three parts, with one of the hyphens appearing where one is not allowed in proper English.
• Colors make a difference, too: Because the Internet allows us to present sites in any combination of colors, it is important to select those which allow the text to be easily read. Black text on a white background is the way most people are used to reading copy, and it remains the best.

Much too frequently we run across sites that have background colors too close to the color of the text, making it virtually impossible to read with any clarity. Still others use patterned or scenic backgrounds that make reading an adventure.

If it is necessary to have such backgrounds, at least put a different color background behind the text so that it can clearly be seen.

• Another way to help is to use a sans serif font (such as Arial) rather than a serif font (such as Times Roman). Sans serif generally is easier to read with color or patterned backgrounds. Otherwise, studies have shown that Times Roman is most easily read in general copy and is what people are most used to reading because of its use in newspapers.
• Text of varying colors is fine for use in a headline or a one word type of thing, but it should be avoided on longer blocks of text.
• Text alignment is another factor in readability: Flush left text is fine for most any use, centered text is fine for titles and short copy, and flush right also is suitable for short segments of text. Fully justified text is what people are most used to reading, but because of the way the Internet copy can appear on screen, it can sometimes make for some nasty type breaks.
• Avoid using uncommon acronyms: People familiar with a subject tend to use acronyms for organizations and other things associated with that subject. However, it is wrong to assume that everyone has the same knowledge; therefore, it makes sense to write out the phrase and place the acronym in parentheses on first use.
• Avoid too many prepositional phrases: Most prepositional phrases can be eliminated simply by using proper phrasing. While it long has been suggested that ending sentences in prepositional phrases is a no-no, modern usage has become much more forgiving. Still, it is best to avoid them as much as possible, simply to save words.
• KISS: It means "Keep it simple, stupid." I'm hoping it is a common acronym; otherwise, I've broken my own rules. Oh, well. Too many people want to impress others with their language skills, using huge words to describe simple things.

As it is in the newspaper business, it is important to write for the general public, and that means you should impress with what you say and not the words used to say it. The degree of education readers have is greatly varied, so why write over someone's head when it isn't necessary?

Using Graphics Instead Of Words

The cliché is that a picture is worth a thousand words, but the trick is to make sure the reader knows which thousand words you intend for them to get. There are times when it is best to let the graphics do the talking, but some help (in the form of cutlines [captions or legends]) may be necessary for clarity.

That most often occurs when the graphic is not directly next to the copy that tells what it means. In that case, clarification is a definite plus for the reader. One way is to, in the copy, refer to a figure (example: see fig. 1), and then label the photo as "Figure 1." Avoid making cutlines too long. If that happens, it might be easier to box the photo and cutline together as a separate entity.

There are also times when it is best to use words in graphic form. This is true when you wish to use a particular font that may not be common on the computers worldwide. By simply making it a graphic, it is available to all.

Informational graphics usually can stand alone, even if the material is covered to some degree within the story's text.

Conclusion

While this column won't solve all of the problems on the Internet, it can help Web builders produce more professional looking sites and save embarrassment for the represented corporations.

Readability is an area that is often overlooked in favor of appearance and flash, but it is something that can detract so much from a site that positive features are lost among the errors.

While it doesn't take long to use a spell checker, it may take a little longer to have more than one set of eyes read copy. It is well worth the time. The worst proofreader in the world is the person writing the copy because of the tendency to read what was intended rather than what was actually written.

Watch These Words - Page 2
Readability on the Internet