Web Writing: Who Sets the Standards?
Whether you’re a designer, a developer, a writer, or any other type of creative professional, chances are that you’ll be writing on the Web at some point.
So, how should creatives stay consistent when writing online?
That depends on who you ask.
Most people and publications rely on the Associated Press Stylebook, but Yahoo is set to release its own version of writing guidelines, The Yahoo! Style Guide: The Ultimate Sourcebook for Writing, Editing, and Creating Content for the Digital World.
When I found out, I was intrigued to know the differences in the style guides, and why Yahoo would release a book when AP has already set the standard on so many popular terms such as website and Web page. Yahoo claims that their book is unique because it offers guidelines solely for writing on the Web, and touches on topics including helping users optimize Web pages.
My question is, can these two editorial guides work together to help users, or will they just confuse everyone?
Colleen Newvine, a Product Manager for The AP Stylebook, said the books offer guidance for everyone. “If you are a journalist who needs to learn more about search engine optimization or writing for mobile devices, the Yahoo guide might offer guidance you won’t find in the AP Stylebook. Similarly, a blogger or website designer might turn to the AP Stylebook for help on language usage,” she said.
But Newvine thinks that The AP Stylebook will be the go-to guide because it offers a broader guide for language, grammar, punctuation, and usage. “Yahoo sounds like they are targeting a narrower niche, focusing on a specific need of some writers,” she said. “Journalists hold the AP Stylebook near and dear,” she added. Unfortunately, Yahoo will not yet comment on the matter.
Most people say that because AP has already set style guidelines, there’s not much need for the Yahoo guide.
Benjamin Roosien, an editorial professional with Michigan State University’s WIDE program, said that AP standards give writing a journalistic feel, which he believes translates well for the Web. He thinks that Web and print readers appreciate the concise style that AP standards, which are used by most newspapers, “It’s this brevity that makes me think most publications, including magazines, should, and will, continue to use AP style,” Roosien said.
Lorna Garey, Content Director for InformationWeek Analytics, said she does not see the need for The Yahoo! Style Guide.
“Why reinvent the wheel? So many editors know AP, I don’t see the point in starting over,” she said. She added most outlets have supplemental style guides to cover things that AP does not, and organizations will still turn to those sorts of things when they are not sure what ruling to stick with.
Sandy Young, a freelance writer known as The AP Stylist at SoCalPRBlog.com, does not think there should be separate standards for Web and print. She said that because print material is available on the Web, it would take too much time to reformat content to meet Web standards. Instead, she said AP should provide more comprehensive Web guidelines. “That way there will be one guide for all written formats. Too many guides will just lead to confusion,” she said.
Some interesting things…
AP Style says the word blog is okay, while Yahoo agrees but says it should only be referred to as weblog when describing the origin of the word. But Yahoo says webpage should be one word, while AP says it should be Web page. The only time AP uses a lower case reference for a Web reference is in website, which it recently changed from two words into one. Surprisingly, they both agree on the style for Internet, which is one word capitalized. There are differences between both guides, which adds to some of the discrepancies that have people talking about the guides.
Regardless who sets the guidelines for online writing, one thing is for sure: Not everyone will play by the same set of rules.
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I wonder if the writers of the Yahoo guide can actually write. The web writing trend seems to be “forget grammar and spelling, just get something up there to get attention.”
It probably would be a better idea for the AP guide to have a new section about web publishing related to SEO (which is bound to be in the Yahoo guide) and other techniques but to create a whole new guide is useless and will confuse people; I can’t imagine it will improve the quality of writing.
I assure you, the folks at Yahoo can NOT write. The quality of the content Yahoo’s editors and writers produce every day is horrendous.
I agree with Sandy Young. I personally don’t see a need to have different standards for web and print. It’s not the time it would take to reformat documents, though, that turns me off.
One of the reasons I love writing for people on the web is that there is no set standard. You still have to practice correct writing skills and technique, but there are no standard techniques that to be a “good writer” you have to follow. Placing writing standards for online writing is an attempt to set boundaries on something that by it’s nature is not meant to have them.
Writing online allows people to be creative and adapt as they need without being set against a bar set by a bunch of stuffed shirts in an office. Place a box on online writing and sure, you’ll get consistency, but creativity and open thinking get hosed.
@Chris,
I agree with you and Sandy! Part of the reason that writing for the web is fun and entertaining is that the standards aren’t lower, they are just less. If writing for the web becomes rigid and formalized, I think you will see a shift away from standards in both online and offline content, as people react negatively to being told how to write. Think of all the blogs, copywriters, and editors who make a living off of have their own standards and styles.
It’s not that these guides make thing rigid and formalized but they make thing consistent which is a sign of professionalism. I’ve worked at companies that followed the AP guide. They also decided to change some things internally (like the two word web page) and just wrote an internal style guide.
Consistency is a good thing.
I try to purposely not follow any set of standards or rules. That’s the beauty of writing, you can do it in any way you want and nobody can really tell you it’s “wrong”. An extremely creative process
I agree that web writers shouldn’t be bogged down by a lot of rules. However, a style guide like Yahoo’s could help people understand the differences between writing for print and writing for the web.
I’m Web Content Director at a university, and I constantly receive copy for our website that’s simply not readable online. Copy for the web should be concise and conversational. The “rules” for web writing are not the same as those you were taught in grade school.
I must admit that I’ve never heard of the AP Style guide (*hangs head in embarrassment*) and still use the Chicago manual if I want to check out a grammatical rule.
I try to stay internally consistent keeping capitalization and spelling of web jargon the same throughout an article, but I really don’t worry about universal styles across the web, since software names are bizarre anyway and the web changes so quickly.
I can see where journalists who write for major newspapers and move to the web (as so many printed newspapers are doing) would bring with them the AP style guide and seek its consistency. But I wouldn’t want to straight jacket the web with spelling and grammatical standards and especially NOT bogus SEO standards that have been proven by Google to be ineffective in raising page rank. Teaching everyone to write headings that purposefully include targeted keywords is an awful concept. The resulting headings are twisted ugly things that carry little meaning within the context of an article.
So, I probably will not be using the Yahoo guide and might look at using the AP guide to replace Kate Turabian (sp?).
This is a terrific topic and great review. Thank you for posting it.
I agree with Sandy. Much more comprehensive guidlines for writing on the web based on web writing would be much more helpful, then trying to get all previously published content to conform.
Excellent post and excellent topic!
To be honest, it’s a matter for in-house style guides. Sooner or later, one spelling or another will become more prevalent and enter into the common lexicon.
I’d be hesitant to follow a style guide written by a company whose writers and editors obviously don’t use it. Every day Yahoo’s writers and editors commit some of the most flagrant crimes against the language. They can’t even agree if it’s “web site,” “Web site,” or “website.” (You’ll find all three in Yahoo’s original content.) The blog Terribly Write (http://terriblywrite.wordpress.com) chronicles the daily assault on grammar, spelling, and accuracy made by Yahoo. I think I’ll stick to a more credible source, like AP.
everyone agrees with Sandy. So, i have to agree with her too. The standards are being set like this, i think
I will probably continue to use AP Stylebook as it’s the most credible from a journalistic point of view. Though I really hated when they changed “Web site” to “website” recently.
A long overdue change, in my opinion. The term “website” has been the commonly used English word for pretty much ten years now.
I agree with Todd (May 7th comment). Having standards for writing online is still necessary, however communication methods change. It’s good to have the freedom to express ideas and concepts without restrictions, but there has to be a guiding line somewhere. Without any guidelines or standards, new writers could quickly fall into the trap of thinking that nothing really matters, point ‘two fingers’ at spelling and grammar, and settle for sub-standard copy that drowns in its own inaccuracies.
As a Copywriter, I too am constantly confronted with bad spelling and confusing text that doesn’t merit space on a web page. It stands out like a sore thumb, and puts off most readers, straight away.
Well written and planned copy, with good spelling, grammar and a likeable, friendly tone will always win through!
(That’s what we try to promote on our Website (or ‘web site’) – too!)