Content Writing

Here are a few tips for avoiding the most common pitfalls and grammatical mistakes:

• Check Your Pages After Uploading. Look at your pages using as many browsers (and platforms) as you can get your hands on.
• Spellcheck Your Work. Get an HTML authoring tool with a built-in spellchecker. Use it.
• Go Beyond the Spellchecker. Yes, it's true, spellcheckers won't catch grammatical errors. You'll have to train yourself to catch these. They're organized into three categories: editorial style , grammar , and punctuation.

Editorial Style

Editorial issues are always up for debate -- you can look at multiple style guides and get conflicting opinions. Think of this as a starting point, to get you thinking like a true editor.

• Email vs. email vs. E-mail vs. e-mail. Just use e-mail , with the hyphen and no capitalization, unless it begins a sentence or is in a headline.
• Most good editors steer away from hyphenation (and overuse of capital letters) when possible. In this case, however, running the lone letter "e" into "mail" masks the adjective effect of the "e." Keeping the hyphen also prevents mispronunciation.
• WWW vs. www and Web vs. web. Use the Web or WWW in text and www in URLs. If you're being formal, spell out World Wide Web using initial capital letters.
• If you're writing about aspects of the Web, you can describe web pages, web surfers, or web sites, but use a lowercase "w" for these generic references.
• Online vs. On-line. When new concepts are created, they generally start out as two words: on screen, on paper, on line. As the phrase evolves, it becomes hyphenated: on-line. When the word has been absorbed into the language, the hyphen is dropped. So, we're moving from on-line to online. Stick with online .
• In order to. Avoid this, it's usually unnecessary. Use just the word to instead.
• Co (as a prefix). Try to avoid hyphenating words like coworker, coauthor, and coordinate. You can use a hyphen if co is followed by a proper noun, but remember the current trend is away from hyphenation when possible.
• A vs. An with Acronyms. Use a or an based on the acronym's pronunciation. For example, a WYSIWYG application and an ASCII file.

Hopefully, you're on your way to being a more thoughtful writer -- or at least comfortable enough to seek a professional editor's advice to avoid Crit-i-Cal eRro-rs.

Grammar

Some of the most common writing mistakes involve these tricky grammatical rules. When you're using one of these words, stop to think about how you're using the word to avoid having egg on your face (or your web page).

• Affect vs. Effect. Affect is a verb that means to influence . Effect is a noun that means a result . If you affect something, you can cause an effect.
• That vs. Which. This is a toughie, and even editors don't always agree. A good rule of thumb: If the phrase starting with that/which sounds better when separated by commas, use which .
• Example: The web site that/which Catherine uploaded to the server crashed when we looked at it.
• Try it both ways to see the subtle difference, then pick one:
• The web site, which Catherine uploaded to the server, crashed when we looked at it.
• The web site that Catherine uploaded to the server crashed when we looked at it.
• Set Up vs. Setup and Log On vs. Logon. These are subtle. Use set up and log on as verbs in instructions, such as: set up the printer or log on the network.
• Setup and logon are adjectives or nouns, such as: the setup program or your logon password. This rule goes for other similar pairs, like back up and backup, too.

Feel like you've got the hang of this? Then you'll sail through the punctuation section...

Punctuation

Some of these kind of cross the boundary into grammar issues. Oh well -- at least I warned you up front.

• It's vs. Its. It's is a contraction for it is or it has . Its is a possessive pronoun meaning belonging to it or of it .
• A Test: If you can replace it's/its with it is or it has, then it's is correct. If you can replace it's/its with his, her, or their, then its is correct.
• They're vs. Their vs. There. They're is a contraction for they are . Their is a possessive pronoun meaning belonging to them or of them . There is the partner of here (which is neither here nor there).
• A Test: If you can replace they're/their/there with they are, then they're is correct. If you can replace they're/their/there with his or her, then their is correct. If you can replace they're/their/there with here, then there is correct.
• ... vs. .... When using an ellipsis, type three periods -- even if it's at the end of a sentence ...
• "Like this?" vs. "Like this"? Well, a U.S. style manual would tell you that all punctuation goes inside the quotation marks, "like this." In British style, punctuation goes outside the quotes, unless the punctuation is part of the quote itself.
• Of course, when dealing with URLs and computer jargon, make sure the punctuation is properly placed so that the meaning isn't changed.

Congratulations! You're a writer! You're well on your way to chunking information, writing attention-grabbing headlines, and avoiding common pitfalls (or seeking an editor's opinion). If you don't have an editor handy, check out these online resources instead.

Content development (web)

Content developers and web developers
When the World Wide Web began, web developers either generated content themselves, or took existing documents and coded them into hypertext markup language (HTML). In time, the field of web site development came to encompass many technologies, so it became difficult for web site developers to maintain so many different skills. Content developers are specialized web site developers who have mastered content generation skills. They can integrate content into new or existing web sites, but they may not have skills such as script language programming, database programming, graphic design and copywriting.

Content developers may also be search engine optimization specialists, or Internet marketing professionals. This is because content is called 'king'. High quality, unique content is what search engines are looking for and content development specialists therefore have a very important role to play in the search engine optimization process. One issue that is plaguing the world of web content development is keyword-stuffed content which are prepared solely for the purpose of manipulating a search engine. This is giving a bad name to genuine web content writing professionals. The effect is writing content designed to appeal to machines (algorithms) rather than people.

Search engine optimization specialists commonly submit content to Article Directories to build their website's authority on any given topic. Most Article Directories allow visitors to republish submitted content with the agreement that all links are maintained. This has become a method of Search Engine Optimization for many websites today. If written according to SEO copywriting rules, the submitted content will bring benefits to the publisher (free SEO-friendly content for a webpage) as well as to the author (a hyperlink pointing to his/her website, placed on an SEO-friendly webpage).

Website content writer

A website content writer is a person who specializes in providing relevant text content to websites. Their expertise lies in adapting themselves to whatever particular website demands of them to compose. Most of their work centers on marketing particular product or service that sites are selling or endorsing.

Functions of content writers
There is a growing demand for content writers in the net because good content often translates into revenues for online businesses. Online entrepreneurs/owners depend on these writers for two major issues:

• Content that would entice and engage visitors, so they stay browsing in the owner’s website. This operates on the premise that visitors who stay longer surfing a particular site [which offer some sort of product/service] will eventually become clients/ customers.
• Content that is keyword smart, meaning composition must contain relevant keywords/phrases [typed by users for searching] associated with the actual site for better Search Engine indexing and ranking.

Additionally to these are user readability, usability, together with being up-to-date so that the company represented in the site conveys a sense of awareness on what is current and new to the industry in which they are operating.

Online writers vs. conventional writers
Writing online is very different from composing /constructing content for printed materials, since surfers tend to scan instead of read in the internet. Skipping what they think is unnecessary information and hunting for what they really want. Content writers must have the skills needed not only to stuff paragraphs with keywords for Search Engine Optimization purposes, but make sure their composition makes sense so they will be able to tap their target market.

Writers for hire
In today’s world where an Internet presence is often critical to business survival, there are a variety of content writers out there that offer every company owner a chance to upgrade their sites. From freelancers to those who professionally engage in this kind of service, the net is filled with services offering this kind of expertise. Online writers need to conceptualize an idea in terms of the demands of search engine and as per the requirements of clients.

Hiring the right content writer
Since website content writers in the net are numerous, one must take into consideration several criteria in hiring the person for the job. This includes:

• Relevant experiences in website content writing
• Very good writing skills
• Savvy research skills
• Flexibility adaptability and availability

There are many IT companies that offer professional website content writing services. It is important that business owners find the writer that suit their company and personal style.

Content writing and off shore staffing
Website content writing service is one of the most productive services being outsourced nowadays. Web owners are finding it more and more profitable to hire off shore staff that professionally update their sites. Advantages include highly skilled professionals pre-screened to suit the client’s needs at cost effective and efficient terms.

Professional writing

Professional writing is/as rhetorical
Professional Writing is connected to the concept of Rhetoric. This means rhetoric has a large focus on the audience and a successful professional writer is able to create interest from/for their audience. Moreover, this is combined with the aspects of the professional world which is typically done within a professional atmosphere, be it a workplace or as freelance work, created by someone who has knowledge and skills at writing and comprehends the wide range of requirements needed to successfully create the pieces being composed.

One of the main principles of rhetoric, when applied to the work of professional writers, is the art of effective communication and creating authoritative arguments.

Professional writing in other fields
Even if a student does not plan on writing as their career, they must still prepare for the inevitable writing for their career. Any professional field will require some form of writing, therefore a background in professional writing will never be wasted. Some instances where professional writing may be used in other career fields include the following examples:

• Law - Case studies - Client correspondence
• Science - Lab reports - Experiemental procedures and logs - Grant proposals
• Retail - Advertisement - Inventory reports - Damage reports
• Entertainment - Recording contracts - Project proposals - Website authoring

Nearly every conceivable company could use a professional writer on staff. Whether it be a fast food chain looking for additional web development, a law firm editing legal documents, or perhaps even a musical venue looking for someone to create flyers and posters on a regular basis; a professional writer can fit into any organization. Professional writers are specifically valuable in the workplace for their many talents including communication skills, creativity, technological proficiency, and other social skills.

Professional writing as compared to other majors
Professional writing, particularly as an undergraduate major, is most often confused with English and/or Journalism due to their similar skill groupings and classes.

English courses often include classes in Professional Writing and Professional composition, emphasizing a clear and technical approach to writing. However, the majors begin to differ in that English has a larger focus on the reading and analysis of Literature. Traditionally as well, writing within an English major revolves around the creation of essays and critiques, besides creative writing such as poetry and fiction.

Journalism, while retaining the conciseness that is characteristic to most Professional Writing documents, tends to produce short and fact-based articles rather than the more in-depth reports within Professional Writing.

Professional Writers tend to have more specific and varied audiences with a focus more specific than facts alone. Professional writing involves advanced writing skills with an emphasis on writing in digital environments (e.g., web authoring, multimedia writing), evaluating rhetorical techniques to tailor writing to specific audiences, and requires proficiency in writing in a professional atmosphere such as the workplace for a company or professional organizations.