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An Editor Spins Her Thoughts about Web Content |
By:
Linda Jay Geldens |
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A glossy magazine placed an advertisement on its Web site,
targeting the publication’s upscale subscribers. The expensive
ad emphasized how perfect the tiniest detail would be for guests
who stayed at a certain, very fancy hotel. There was only one
small problem in the ad, but it was big enough to undermine the
credibility of the hotel’s claim to perfection. The headline
blared, When Everything Has to Just Right Uh-oh. What happened
to the “Be” before the “Just Right”? You may be losing business
or hurting your professional reputation by sending out unedited
Web site copy. Text that is riddled with errors will distract
present or potential clients. The reader will think, do I really
want to buy a product or service from someone whose copy is
sloppy? One way to ensure that your Web site message will be as
perfect as possible is to invest in the services of a
professional copyeditor/proofreader. In the twinkling of a
well-trained eye, a topnotch editor can clean up your Web site
copy so it sparkles in the sunlight. Misplaced modifiers,
dangling participles, your’s/yours, two/to, and other
hair-raising/hare-raising errors will melt away. Skilled editors
say that mistakes “leap off the page” at them. And potential
clients will leap off the couch to e-mail or call you because of
your magnetic Web site copy. Horror Stories about Unedited Copy
When Web content is launched into the stratosphere raw and
unedited, unfortunate occurrences happen: - A national
eNewsletter goes out with the headline “For Pubic School
Educators” (the “l” is often left out of that pesky word Public)
- “And as we stand on the toes of those who have gone before
us…” appears in a scholarly piece (should be “stand on the
shoulders”) - A financial consultant offers a complimentary
phone call (which would only have favorable news – the word here
would be complementary) - $25,000. instead of $250,000. in a
document might cause a legal nightmare - The non-word its’ (an
apostrophe never follows its) works its way into an otherwise
excellent story - “We’d like to pedal your ideas” is sent
worldwide in a magazine ad, and not just to bicycle owners
(peddle is the operative word here)
How Working with an Editor Helps Your Business Maybe you think
that copyediting and proofreading are luxury items in your
publications budget. Or that nobody will notice if a few
mistakes slip through in your Web site copy. But truthfully,
copyediting is a necessity and not a luxury, because people will
notice mistakes in your copy. Here are more ways in which a
professional copyeditor can benefit your business, in addition
to making suggestions about text additions, deletions, and
clarifications: - An editor writes “zingier” headlines – so
potential customers will be drawn into your Web site by the
zinginess - An editor breaks up dense paragraphs – so potential
customers will actually read your copy because it is easy to
read - An editor introduces correct punctuation and good grammar
– so potential customers will be convinced that your product or
service is high quality, since the copy that advertises it is
high quality - An editor has ideas about when to italicize or
boldface words or phrases – so potential customers will be
interested in reading the text Web site text is different from
magazine articles and book chapters. The pages are smaller, the
paragraphs are shorter, graphics or photographs often accompany
the text. Web site “visitors” are assumed to have a shorter
attention span than book or magazine readers. This means that a
reader spends just a few minutes reading the text at your Web
site. It makes sense that you will want to present your company
or services in as professional a light as possible. How to Hire
a Copyeditor Copyeditors can be found through professional
organizations such as Bay Area Editors’ Forum, Bookbuilders
West, consulting and marketing organizations, directories of
editorial professionals, ads in newspapers and magazines, and by
looking up copyeditors on search engines. Employing a good
copyeditor to shape up your Web site text will ensure that your
message is conveyed beautifully – and that’s not just editorial
spin!
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Article Source: http://www.powerdirectory.net/articles/article52491.html |
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