Bad Spelling. I was a spelling champ in school, so I can't help myself when I see words misspelled. I grab a red pen and correct the offending text so I can continue reading in peace. When I am reading online however, I cannot correct the text and that makes me easily distracted. I start wondering why the author didn't catch this simple error. When I get distracted, it's very easy to look around the active page or click onto the next article. Spell Check will catch the "i's before e's", but it will not catch all spelling errors. The author is still responsible for knowing when to use the word "to" instead of the word "two" or the word "too." Grab that elementary school book on grammar and spelling. A good refresher course on the basic rules of how to spell will go a long way in helping you become a better speller for the rest of your life. Another good idea is to use an audio course that teaches spelling through phonics.

Incorrect Word Usage. Good Grief, Charlie Brown! This category is the one that really loses the sale. The author can go through a whole sentence, paragraph, chapter, or even in rare cases, a book, and lose the reader because the wrong word was used. Here's an excerpt from an actual online article to show you what I mean: "...the right amount of investment you should pout into your business." I don't believe the author is really trying to tell us to invest in pouting, and Spell Check will not catch this error. Now that we are all laughing (about pouting), how seriously are we taking the author? What was the author really trying to convey? Other words that bedevil many authors are the use of the words "their", "they're", and "there"? How about "weather" and "whether"? Again, the particular error mentioned above would have surfaced earlier had someone else read the article back to the author. If the author loses his readers' interest prematurely due to incorrect word usage, that lost interest will translate into lost impetus already generated by the author. Lost impetus translates into lack of motion by the reader (e.g., the reader may not finish reading the article, the reader won't click onto the next article or the website, and will not sustain interest in the author). If the author is trying to get notoriety by writing, doesn't it make sense to do everything possible to keep the readers' interest through the end of the article, and indeed even through the footnotes?

Authors, you invite readers to get to know you when you publish articles online or in other media. Let them see the best "you" possible. Don't let your message get lost in the translation or simply bypassed by a distracted reader. Don't let a simple little word leave people laughing at you. Take a little extra time to proofread your work, and have someone read it back to you. Excite your readers with your content and your knowledge base. Entice your readers to continue reading by making your commentary an organized and smooth read from start to finish. Ensure them that you are a professional, that you respect them and can deliver the quality information they seek. Strive to leave your readers with a great "A-Ha!" when they finish your article, leaving them ready to act and interested in the other articles you have to offer, in your website, in your products, and in you.

Copyright (c) 2007 Roberta Johnson

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