Digital Evangelism Issues: Grammar mistakes that rob writing of credibility [lots of people really need to take this brief lesson to heart]

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Bad grammar and spelling are key factors that rob a website or blog of credibility (see infographic below). So says Professor Fogg, author of Persuasive Technology: Using Computers to Change What We Think and Do in the Stanford Credibility Project where you can read chapters 6-7 of his book.

Web writing must also:

be shorter and easier to read than print. Edit repeatedly to cut word-count, shorten sentences, improve clarity and remove jargon or words that may not be understood by second-language English readers.

be proofread by someone else.

have enticing headlines and subheads, short paragraphs and lots of white space.

use bullet points to display lists of options or ideas.

follow a consistent house-style.

Web writing needs the gifts of a journalist, not a preacher.

Test yourself?

See these principles applied to the same article:
before | after

Spot how many differences you can see between the the two versions? Hint: there are at least 11! List those you can see, with your own thoughts, in our comments section.

Recommended books, including free ebooks

Writing for the Web by Crawford Killian.
Free ebooks from the Plain English Campaign on clear writing.
Other recommended writing books.

15 Grammar Goofs That Make You Look Silly

Like this infographic? Get more copywriting tips from Copyblogger.

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