Writing Well for Social Media
Posting on the Internet for social media sites is an easy thing to do. But, writing well and putting punctuation where it belongs is just as important or more important on social media sites. Why? The sentences are short and easier for the eye to read and catch those errors.
You short-change your audience if you skip on punctuality, correct spelling and using proper grammar while making a statement.
When we post on the Internet its fun and we feel safe. When we use the Internet we feel like we're on our own island--we are not. We have to write like we have a room full of patrons and they are watching what we do--full of judgment to go with it. As we sit on the Internet and post our thoughts, career goals, personal activities, schedules for the day, wedding arrangements, financial developments; good or bad we want to make sure we are writing in a professional way. When I text and make a mistake I feel awful--especially if I pressed send and review it and there's a mistake.
I know if I write on social media and its a topic of controversy; I tend to type faster, and miss words or do not place the punctuation where its suppose to go. If I see an error message come across the word/s, then I have to go back to find the problem and fix it immediately.
Let me play like I am posting a 140-word note (or less) on Twitter about the weather outside right now. Go:
"Outside is raining and storming. See black clouds in West horizon. It is raining hard & winds are blowing hard. It cooled down & feels like it might be bout 40 degrees outside."
This is less than 140 words, but it explains exactly the problem and what the scenery is outside of her home.
Although we use social media to make short statements or talk to one another in a text message, be cautious about what you are saying and how you're spelling and using proper grammar. I know you are asking yourself, "why do I have to be careful about punctuation on a social media site?" You don't have to be--but you should follow best practices in English and Grammar when you write something. Right!
This not only helps you keep up with proper writing best practices--but your audience will appreciate your thoughtfulness and carefulness when you write.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/9018697
