7/25/2012
Leave One Space between Sentences, Dammit!
For old-school writers, adjusting to the new rules of online writing can be tricky. When you’re used to double spacing after sentences or getting your thoughts out in huge chunks of text, it’s tough to turn those old habits off—and who would blame you? But the problem is, sticking with outdated rules doesn’t just hurt your writing; it hurts your messaging and it hurts your career.
Rules for Writing on the Web
Here’s a list of online writing conventions that experienced writers can often miss—along with reasons for why it’s in your best interest to be paying attention to them.
One Space Between Sentences
Gone are the days of two spaces after each sentence. With the Internet, everything’s faster, including the way we type.
Acceptable Fragments
Traditional writing requires complete sentences, but online writing is less formal and makes allowances for things like fragments. The important thing to remember is communicating your message. Not grammar perfection.
Writing for Shorter Attention Spans
Online readers scan. They want information immediately. Online writers can work the format of webpages to their advantage by strategically using shorter paragraphs, frequent headers and subheaders, bulleted lists and images with their content.
Conversational Tone
More than any other medium, the Web has pushed writing to be more conversational. Information is constantly changing and being added to, and that creates the feel of a back-and-forth dialogue, which writing style should reflect.
Search Engine Optimization
When you write for the Web, you’re writing for search engines as well as readers, at least if you want readers to be able to find you. This means having an awareness of what keywords to work into your piece and how often to do it. For more information on this topic, see previous Straight North blog posts like “Why SEO Matters, No Matter How Brilliant You Think Your Content Is” and “5 Tips for SEO Friendly Content.”
Why Does This Matter?
Here’s the truth: as an online writer, you communicate to readers through more than your words—every stylistic decision, from spacing to fonts to commas—also works as a sort of language. That’s why understanding and utilizing the appropriate conventions is so important.
Paying attention to writing conventions offers a host of benefits, such as:
Clarity
Think about it: the whole point of grammar and spelling has always been to enhance communication. Writing with an understanding of online style helps eliminate distractions that would keep readers from getting your message.
Relevancy
Writing in accordance with online style is like wearing a suit to a wedding: it’s appropriate. And acting appropriately does more than help you fit it—it helps you seem relevant and worth listening to.
Credibility
When modern writers understand the importance of headers and sub-headers, but you keep writing in long, one-piece chunks, you look out-of-touch with current style. This not only makes it hard for readers to engage with your writing but also for them to take you seriously.
What do you think? Have you been adhering to these online writing standards? Does the content you create reflect an understanding of the Internet realm?
If not, putting these simple steps into practice could make a world of difference—making your writing more understandable, relevant and credible!
9 Responses to Leave One Space between Sentences, Dammit!
The “whitespace between sentences”-tip is a really useful one. When I started my blog, I didn’t use it. Now I always try to improve my readability, and I’ve already noticed it when watching bounce-rates. It dropped 10 percent
That’s great to hear, Jeremy—and further proof that understanding online conventions matters!
I love writing in fragments! keeps people interested.
I have a question: many centuries ago when I learnt to type on a ‘proper’ typewriter, my teacher told me to leave two spaces after a full stop…am I still allowed to do that?!
Cheers
Mel
Hi Mel, Allowed to, yes. Will it be best for online writing? No. As mentioned above, with the Internet, the double space after each sentence has gone extinct.
God I’ve been a ditz; I read it as one line between sentences. Erase all memory of my visit please!
Ha! No problem. It happens to all of us. : )
Shocked. Shocked. Shocked, by the one space “rule”. Never heard of it. I’m old school. I’m sure most elements of my writing style probably reflect that.
I’m really new to blogging–as in a few weeks old. So most of the information you’re providing is new to me.
Because I hail from a fiction background some of the more creative aspects of web writing are welcome and not too far removed from the style that I sometimes use.
For those who have more background in business or scholarly writing, web writing would likely prove an even harder adjustment.
Unfortunately, however, I do think that many of the no-no’s that you mention I am in fact guilty of. I tend to compose in long, complex sentences, using less of the abrupt, staccato, bullet point style of many web writers.
Two things do come to mind, though. If in fact there is a web style of writing and millions of bloggers are emulating that style, mightn’t we new bloggers be smart to go in the opposite direction, for the sake of individuality?
Lastly, what’s the motivation behind one space. Forgive me for harping on this single point, but I can’t seem to get that out of my head. Is single space between sentences for page real estate savings or is it simply a style that serves no particular purpose other than to allow one to thumb one’s nose at convention.
I’d go further. In fact, it actually makes me concerned about having one more thing to keep up with, especially when transitioning back and forth to more conventional writing forms, like fax cover sheets or the rare snail mail. I fear that the flow I prefer in my writing would be compromised by having to remember to adjust my spacing.
I liken it to flushing a clogged toilet. The plumber tells you don’t do it, that the water’s going to over flow, that you’ll drown the downstairs tenant, but you use the facilities and what do you do? Promptly flush the toilet out of complete and utter habit.
I can’t imagine relearning spacing. We’re talking 40 years of being drilled in the “proper” way to punctuate being cast asunder.
Your two cents, Shanna: Is this likely the future for all writing, both web and non?
Hi Adam, I think I’d start by asking, how do writing conventions come to be? Why was everyone making two spaces after each sentence for decades, and why has that changed now? A lot of these ‘rules’ evolve over time, meaning practicality and prevalence and new needs change them. So what’s a convention now isn’t so much a ‘rule’ as it is the prevalent understanding. By participating in the conventions, you show you’re in the know.
As for bucking convention to stand out–of course that can be a good idea. It’s also probably how a lot of new conventions got started. : )
I’d say to look at this post as some general guidelines for what’s accepted as normal now in the online writing world. If, after considering them, you choose to go another way, more power to you!
Thanks, Shanna. Enjoyed your post, of course. It certainly got me thinking. As to your comment about bucking trends to stand out. Yeah, I’m beginning to wonder if it’s one of the only ways to stand out
You do a search on a particular key word and man, up pops a half million articles. You start thumbing through them and each site has a similar take on the same subject.
It can all begins to drone together monotonously.