Business Blogging Expert Says Grammar Still Matters

**Note: My just-begun series on reading is continuing, but today, I had to post this brief interruption to the series (which resumes in my next post) because it’s so relevant to what I’ve been saying lately. Read on…

Some of my most recent posts have been about the importance of good grammar. I’ve said there are still standards of proper grammar, and I’ve given some examples of what they are.

Inevitably, I’ve had several people, in the comments to those posts, claim that the language is fluid, that it’s evolving, and that advocating for and adhering to standards of good grammar is an outdated approach to writing.

I’ve tried to clarify in the comments that I don’t much care how people write or speak, but that what I am focusing on is this reality: that for writers looking to present their messages clearly or who hope to make a good living from their craft or any other people striving for career success…knowing and applying the rules of good grammar will help them in their endeavors.

Because good grammar does still matter for professional writers and good grammar does still reflect on the professionalism of businesspeople.

Thus, I try to share some of those rules along with easy ways of remembering and applying them.

Today, I came across a blog post on Practical eCommerce, written by Paul Chaney, Internet Marketing Director for Bizzuka, which “provides custom Web site design and content management services and intranet development services for small and medium sized business throughout the United States.”

Chaney is a well-known business blogging expert. Some snippets about him from his Bizzuka about page:

• “Having been an Internet media consultant for the past four years….He understands at a granular level how conversational media tools can be used for marketing purposes.”

• Chaney “is the co-author of Realty Blogging: Build your Brand and Outsmart Your Competition,…which was the first blogging book to target a specific industry vertical.”

• “Paul is a feature writer for Practical Ecommerce magazine on the use of social media for marketing purposes.”

• “Paul has served as Technical Editor on a number of For Dummies series books related to blogs and Internet marketing, and was contributing writer on Buzz Marketing with Blogs For Dummies.”

In his post, entitled Never Edit Your Own Stuff: Seven blog copywriting tips, Chaney advocates serious proofreading and regular use of spell-check before you publish your posts. He has some good tips–well worth reading the entire post.

However, here’s what grabbed my attention–the money quote in the post from Chaney:

If you’re posting on a personal blog, it might not be such an issue, but if you’re blogging for business, I think correctly spelled words along with the use of proper grammar is a non-negotiable. [Emphasis mine]

Chaney clearly has the credibility on blogging and new media to warrant listening to him when he opines on it, and if he says “proper grammar is a non-negotiable” for business blogging, even in this Internet age, who are we to argue?

How Reading Blogs Almost Made Me Sick

**Note: This is the first in a series of roughly seven posts (give or take a couple) on the subject of reading, both why it’s important to read a lot and why it’s important to NOT read a lot. Huh? Just keep up with the series and you’ll see what I mean. I’m going to post some stuff you would fully expect me to write on and some other stuff that may seem like heresy. It’ll be fun. I’m going to enjoy it. Let’s get started…

When I first began reading blogs, as I found ones I enjoyed, I would just memorize the url’s and type them in whenever I wanted to check in with them or, if I couldn’t remember the domain names, I would Google search the blog or author name to find my way back.

It didn’t take long for me to begin bookmarking my favorites in my Explorer and Firefox browsers. That made keeping up with them much easier than before.

Eventually, I think I tried subscribing to some blogs by email for some reason. Not long after that, though, I discovered RSS feed readers, specifically Google Reader. I fell in love with it immediately.

My Love/Hate Relationship with Google Reader

Google Reader allowed me to check all of my favorite blogs in one place at one time and get immediate updates. Whenever I logged in, I could see how many unread posts I had waiting for me, along with a list of headlines from some of the different blogs.

Originally, I began using the RSS reader to save time by being able to access all of my blogs at one time in one place. It saved me time by not having to check each blog via bookmark to see if they had updated or not–the RSS reader would grab me the latest post immediately and if they hadn’t updated, there wouldn’t be anything in there from them. Ostensibly, I would save time by only seeing the posts of the updated blogs.

The good vibes didn’t last long, though. Instead of saving me time, my RSS reader ended up costing me much more time than before. Why?

Because I would check it several (or more) times per day. I would hit refresh updates inside my reader several times while I was using it, so that if I had just finished reading all of the new posts…well, here was a new one to look at.

Also, Google Reader has a “Discover” feature that recommends other blogs you might enjoy, based upon the types of blogs you currently subscribe to.

While that did lead me to find some new and enjoyable blogs, what it really did for me was take up even more time, as my curiosity would lead me to click the discover new blogs button as soon as I had finished reading all of my current subscriptions. Then, I would read some of these new blogs, chasing links to other blogs I found via these new ones…and of course, comment on some of these new blogs. Often, I would add new blogs to my subscriptions.

The Lies I Told Myself and the Problems they Caused

Reading blogs ceased being fun and began feeling more like a job, yet another to-do on my daily (several times daily) task list. I really did start to feel like I had to check my reader.

Also, I would often check it instead of doing more necessary work tasks because it was easier and I would sometimes justify it by thinking, “Hey, I’m staying involved in the ‘conversation’ and some of this information is vital for me to succeed.” Of course, that last part…sigh…too much reading and not enough doing–well, we know where that leads.

One day, a few months ago, it all came to a head.

All of a sudden, I began feeling really tense and jittery, my chest tightening and my head spinning a little. My heart rate went up too. What was going on?

On that afternoon, I realized that I had sat down to check into my Google Reader and just began feeling incredibly overwhelmed by all of the unread posts waiting for me. Being something of a perfectionist, I felt like I HAD to read every one of them AT THAT VERY MOMENT. Skimming and scanning, I still wasn’t able to read them all before I had to go run some errands. I was reading so fast I wasn’t really enjoying any of the posts.

I resolved immediately to change my blog reading habits for the sake of my health, my time, and my work success.

Read my next post to find out exactly what I did so that I could once again enjoy reading my favorite blogs (and stay up with the good information) with no stress, all while gaining much more free time.

Meanwhile, have you had a similar experience? How have you responded if you’ve been overwhelmed by all of the unread posts sitting in your feed reader or email?

How My Brother Uses Blogging to Get Jobs

My brother Phillip, all of 19 years old, has spent the past year working as a blogger, a writer, a photographer, an Internet marketer, and an event marketer.

This summer, he’s spending the first half of each week working an Internet marketing internship and the weekends doing outdoor marketing and promotions for various companies. In addition, he takes photos for some of the stories I write for a local business magazine. Oh yeah–Phillip still finds time to blog.

He’s used blogging (which in itself has earned him money from ad revenue) to get paid writing work and to land that internship with a local Internet marketing company.

He’s also effectively used Internet job boards to land himself regular good-paying event marketing jobs this summer.

Pretty good stuff for a college kid.

I interviewed him on how blogging and the Internet have impacted his work this past year. Interesting stuff.

Here it is:

Interview With Phillip Hines, Editor of Phillip Promotes, a Marketing and Promotions Blog.

1. How did you get into blogging? When did you start? Talk about that process.

One night at college, I was bored and expressed interest in sharing my opinions and views on local sports in Tidewater [also known as Hampton Roads, the southeastern region of Virginia--Jesse's note]. I wanted to report my own news and was tired of reading the big media. You [Jesse] sent me a link to Blogger and encouraged me to start my own blog. That night I created three posts, and by the next week I headed out to Virginia Beach to interview Virginia’s top high school running back (Kevin Whaley, now heading to Virginia Tech) for an upcoming playoff game.

The blog took off big after that first week, and now Tidewater Sports Report is an elite sports blog in Hampton Roads.

2. How did you use your blog to get paid writing jobs? What were they?

My first sports blog (Tidewater Sports Report) sold itself. It’s really interesting how I landed one writing job. I was dropping comments on a popular regional sports message board website. After a few weeks of commenting, the editor sent me an email complaining how I was “stealing” traffic and business by leaving my link. Despite being upset with me, he said he wanted to develop a business relationship with me. So, after writing one free article, I got my own weekly baseball column for the entire spring season.

Another writing job I got was simply by seeing an opening on a job board. The manager checked out the blog and emailed me back with the job.

Both jobs involved writing weekly columns about high school baseball in the Hampton Roads region of Virginia.

3. You’re doing an Internet marketing internship this summer. How’d you use your blogging to get that?

Again, my blog basically sold itself. I arranged an interview for a highly competitive internship and talked about my blogging experience and knowledge. I showed them what I know, what I have done, and how I could help them.

The internship is going great and the people I work with are extremely talented. I couldn’t have asked for a better internship. It’s truly a great opportunity.

4. Your sports blog is doing well with SEO. What are some tips you’ve learned from your blogging and your internship about improving SEO?

First of all, SEO is not everything a lot of people hype it up to be. There are complicating procedures, but search engine traffic is all about relativity to your audience. If you have good content, you WILL be found. To take it a step further, I’ve learned throughout the last year that keyword analysis is very important for SEO. In other words, find out what keywords people search and begin implementing them into your posts.

Blog post titles are also very important for search engine traffic and viral marketing.

The main area I’ve done well with is geographic search engine traffic. I have done very well branding the word “Tidewater” online, and I receive hundreds of search engine hits each month for basic searches about cities in my area.

5. You also do photojournalism. Talk about that.

I still am working with print newspapers. The photography end of things is very fun. It allows me to be a little more creative, have more freedom, and just enjoy taking photos. It allows me to guide the direction of some articles that thousands of people read–and that’s a cool feeling.

It’s also funny because I’ve noticed just how much people hate having photos taken of themselves. I always find myself having to lighten the mood and really encourage people to smile for the camera.

6. In addition to all of that, you’re spending this summer doing event marketing all over Hampton Roads. Tell us how you got into that and some of the activities and events you’ve done. What did they involve? What companies have you worked for?

I’ve always worked at summer camps, helped manage baseball tournaments, and various events for much of my life. I saw a listing on Craigslist that needed a helper for one day.

From that day forward, I began checking the job boards incessantly. Most of the events are a lot of fun.

I’ve worked for Fortune 500 companies, like Coca-Cola, watched Buckcherry and Motley Crue for free, and been to several races at Langley Speedway in Hampton, Virginia. Right now, I’m a field manager for a summer-long 7-Eleven Slurpee promotion. We travel all over Tidewater and listen to cool music, play games, and hand out free stuff. And of course, free Slurpee coupons.

The major qualities of a good event marketer/promoter are to have high energy for long periods of time. Many events are for more than 10 hours a day in the 90+ degree weather. Be extremely friendly, don’t let anyone offend you, and do what your boss says, and everything will work out.

If you stick out it, event marketing can be a very rewarding career.

7. You just launched Phillip Promotes, your portfolio site which includes a blog. Besides showcasing your work experience and skills, what does your blog focus on? Who would be interested in reading it?

Phillip Promotes is a blog about me sharing my experiences regarding marketing and promotions. This blog is for anyone looking to become involved in marketing and looking for honest truth about the industry.

8. Lastly, looking back on your time as a blogger, a writer, a photojournalist, an Internet marketer, and as an event marketer, what suggestions do you have for people who are trying to use blogging and the Internet for getting good paid work–in any field, but especially in the fields in which you’ve actually gotten hired?

Read respected bloggers on a weekly basis, blog at least a few times a month, and always be open to suggestions for improvement. The Internet has created tons of jobs–and tons of scams. Be cautious of any job posting, and be extra careful about what information you give out.

Your blog allows you to tell the entire world how good you are in your profession. Your potential is really up to you. Your blog can give you the edge when applying for a job.

I know it has for me.

End of Interview.

For more about Phillip, check out his portfolio and resume at Phillip Promotes.

Keep up with him on his blog, either by subscribing through RSS or by subscribing through email: you can see plenty of photos of him on his blog–in action on the ground at local marketing events.

Grammar Still Matters: It Can Affect Your Career

Here at Robust Writing, I’ve written a lot about grammar issues, trying to give the most correct, most precise, and most standard usages of various words and phrases. I’ve got plenty more to bring you–common grammar mistakes that can easily be avoided once you learn the truth about them.

A Bit of a Backlash

But, as I’ve been doing this, I sometimes get commenters who say something similar to this:

“The English language is fluid and evolving. It doesn’t really matter what the ‘right’ way to say or write a word or phrase is because what’s really important is getting your meaning across. As long as your meaning is clear, then insisting on ‘good’ grammar is just an outdated and irrelevant head trip.”

In other words, grammar doesn’t matter anymore.

Would that it were so.

First, a caveat: if you don’t care about using correct, standard, and precise grammar–more power to you. I’m not saddened or outraged. I’m very much a libertarian and a contrarian, so I understand the impulse to fight against authoritarian platitudes and ideas.

Go ahead and write however you want to and just get your point across. Do remember, though–the better your grammar, the clearer your message is likely to be.

But, no matter how much you may protest against the standards and rules of good grammar, the reality is that the way you use grammar can affect your career.

Emails, Your Career, and You

In a post entitled, “Are your e-mails hurting your career?,” by The Civility Group, we’re reminded that, “poor grammar, which is something many of us don’t like to talk about, is a silent communication (and reputation) killer,” and that “poor communication ends up costing time, money, and in some cases…it can cost you your relationships or reputation.” [Bold emphasis mine]

The ability to communicate well and clearly is crucial to success in many careers. Knowing and applying some of the basic rules of grammar can aid you in developing good communication skills. That’s just a reality.

In that same post by The Civility Group, we find this thought-provoking insight:

“Like it or not people make judgments about how we speak and when we communicate electronically, how we write is a good indicator of how we speak. Using incorrect grammar can give the impression of carelessness, suggest a lack of education, indicate poor social skills, and even imply low intelligence.” [Bold emphasis mine]

We’ll Always Have Standards

Some people suggest that electronic communication–instant messaging, email, text messaging, Twitter, blogging, and so on–is eliminating the need for correct grammar standards or that the language is evolving such that there is no such thing as correct grammar anymore.

I think the situation is as it always has been. There are standards of correct word usage regardless of whether or not the majority accepts those standards. Certainly, languages evolve, but that’s a tired excuse some use when protesting against correct grammar.

Instead of racing to the lowest common denominator, wouldn’t you rather invest a little time learning what the basics of good grammar are so that you can communicate more clearly, and thus give yourself a leg up in your career?

Improve Your Writing Skills the Easy Way

Many writers, often college students and business professionals in particular, try to write more intelligently and attractively than they need to. Ironically, they end up not doing much of either.

College students try to impress the professor, so they use large words that may not fit in with what they’re writing about; some business professionals write reports and presentations with stilted language because they think a dispassionate tone infused with large words sounds professional.

Some of the worst, most boring writing I’ve ever seen was from business majors writing semester-ending projects. It’s not really their fault, though–they think that high-sounding writing that’s full of words like “ameliorate,” “veritable,” and “expedite” is professional.

That approach doesn’t help one’s writing do what most writing is intended to do: inform and/or persuade.

Here’s an incredibly easy but often neglected approach that can revolutionize your writing once you actually do it:

Write like you talk.

Yes, it’s simple, and yes, you’ve probably heard it before. But, it’s worth being reminded of, especially when we read other successful writers and try to emulate them, hoping that we can find similar success.

It’s good and wise to study top writers’ writing, but if you lose your own voice in the process, and start trying to write “professionally” or “intelligently,” you’ve gotten off track.

Remember, most of our writing is designed to inform readers of something or persuade our readers to do something.

The clearer your writing is, and thus, the easier it is to understand what you’re actually saying, the greater your chances of succeeding.

Write similar to the way you would normally speak. There’s no magic or cosmic law dictating that as soon as you start putting words on paper, all of a sudden you have to fancy it up and make it sound more intelligent than it really is.

How do you know whether or not you’re writing like you speak? Single out a passage of your writing and read it out loud in a conversational tone. Better yet, read it to someone sitting right next to you. Ask them if they clearly get what you’re saying. As always, revise as necessary.

Let’s look at some made-up examples of writing that tries to sound smart (and fails) while making for very boring, unclear writing. Then, we’ll fix those bad sentences.

Example 1

Unclear, “Professional” Version

“This second chart shows how the 3rd quarter earnings of the company increased at a great rate due to the accelerated output of their new and improved customer response implementation process.”

Clear, Simple Version

“As the second chart demonstrates, the company significantly increased its earnings in the 3rd quarter because of a greater emphasis on customer satisfaction.”

I cut the sentence by eight words and cast it more in the active voice. I could actually cut more words and sharpen it even more, but I think you get the idea. Write it like you would say it.

Example 2

Unclear, “Professional” Version

“I do believe that the most important action that could be taken to improve customer satisfaction is to truly engage customers by establishing a significant relationship with them through extended attention to what motivates them to take a particular stance in correlation to the company.”

Most normal people don’t speak like that. Change it to:

Clear, Simple Version

“Let’s really pay attention to what our customers say they want from us.”

Remember those words I used earlier as examples of what often fills this kind of bad writing? Let’s give them newer, simpler, clearer upgrades:

Instead of writing “ameliorate,” write “improve.”

Instead of writing “veritable,” write “real” or “true.”

Instead of writing “expedite,” write “speed up.”

“Improve,” “real,” and “speed up” are words normal people use in normal situations; their “intelligent” versions may have a place in some writing, but not anywhere most writers would probably ever need them. Better to simply use the simple words.

Bottom Line

When preparing to write something, even something very important for a professional readership, remember:

Forget about trying to impress your readers, and focus instead on informing them.

You can do this best if you write like normal people speak. And that’s a fairly easy way to improve your writing skills.

Good Writers Avoid Most Clichés

I strongly dislike clichés because I believe they are an enemy of clear, colorful writing. A while ago, I heard the following clichés on radio or TV news–all related to the U.S. presidential campaign–and they really irritated me.

“Only time will tell.”

A commentator used that empty phrase as an answer to his own question about John Edwards’ political future after he dropped out of the race for the Democratic Party nomination.

We’ve heard that phrase so often that it sounds robotic when it’s tacked on at the end of a rhetorical question asked by a journalist.

“How will Tom Brady’s ankle hold up for the Super Bowl?…Only time will tell,” says some reporter as he nods his head, looking seriously, apparently thinking he sounds profound.

I hate that phrase. Will so many journalists continue to use it and eventually push me to write letters to ESPN and CNN encouraging them to ban the phrase from all newscasts? Only time….

“And then there were two.”

A broadcaster on Fox News radio uttered this as the lead-in to its segment on Edwards dropping out, leaving Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton as the only remaining Democratic candidates.

This phrase, again, must be one that news people think sounds…I honestly don’t know what they think it sounds like, but it sounds absurd to me, after I continually hear it whenever journalists talk about the remaining political candidates or the last two football teams competing for the championship.

Where did this phrase come from and why do people think it makes them sound so…whatever they think it makes them sound like? Besides, that phrase doesn’t refer to anything specific about what’s coming next (it could refer to anything) or even offer a reason to keep listening.

Finally, this cliché is fairly new, but way too overused:

anything-gate:

Watergate, Spygate, Nipplegate, Attorneygate, Travelgate, Troopergate, Foleygate, Ashleegate, etc.–anything that’s a scandal now has to have -gate affixed to the end of it.

It was kind of cool the first few times. Now it’s got to stop.

If readers come to your blog and see it littered with clichés, you’ll have difficulty differentiating yourself–so many people use them; you’ll eventually stand out if you don’t.

Mohsin Naqi of Blogging Bits, wrote in a guest post for Copyblogger awhile back that, “clichés are bland and overused phrases that fail to excite, motivate, and impress your readers or prospective buyers.”

He added:

“What makes clichés so boring? The fact that clichés are so generic you can attach them to any idea makes them ineffective. Given that clichés are the phrases that have struck our eardrums uncountable times, we either don’t associate them with particular ideas and products, or we associate many products and ideas with a particular cliché.” [Bold emphasis mine]

The Copyblogger himself, Brian Clark, in the comments to Mohsin’s post, reminds us, though that “some of the top copywriters in the world” use clichés–but they do so wisely. He explains:

“Most clichés are metaphors, and they became overused because they were highly effective at communicating an idea instantly using visual language. So, there are times when a cliché may be the perfect thing to get a point across.

It all comes down to judgment, which is pretty impossible to teach. I think stale, overused metaphors are not something you want littered throughout your copy, but the occasional cliché may actually help more than it hurts.” [Bold emphasis mine]

I think it’s wise to eliminate all clichés until you’re able to distinguish which ones are acceptable and which ones aren’t. Most are worthless and will reflect negatively on you as well as dull your writing.

Once you’re in the practice of rarely using clichés, and have a better feel for when a cliché might actually work well, then you’re in a position to use a few once in awhile.

Just don’t go crazy with it.

Do You Commit This Common Grammar Mistake?

Many people write less or lesser when they should use few or fewer.

Mark Israel states the basic rule well:

“[U]se ‘fewer’ for things you count (individually), and ‘less’ for things you measure: ‘fewer apples,’ ‘less water.’”

Wrong usage:

“He won less awards than you.”

Correct usage:

“He won fewer awards than you.”

Use fewer when you’re talking about something exact and mathematically countable; use less when you’re talking about something more open to interpretation and not able to be counted.

You can determine who has earned more respect in the cumulative eyes of others, but there’s no mathematical figure you can find to exactly quantify the level of respect.

Wrong usage:

“He has won fewer respect than you.”

Correct usage:

“He has won less respect than you.”

Fewer should be used when there is a concrete, specified amount that you can count–you can count how many awards someone has won.

Less should be used when it is not possible to exactly count something or specify an amount, but the item is still measurable in some way.

Remember: the fewer grammar mistakes you commit, the less respect you’ll lose.

Don’t Waste Your Readers’ Time with Redundant Words

“Redundancies add needless words and waste the reader’s time,” Bob Bly wrote awhile back.

He’s right.

Also, redundant writing is lazy writing, and lazy writing is lazy thinking–all bad virtues.

Bly listed some frequent redundant phrases:

“armed gunman … living survivors … RAM memory … foreign imports … past history … stupid idiot … new innovation … consensus of opinion … add together.”

Let’s look at a few of these.

“armed gunman”–If someone can be called a gunman, then they’re armed with a gun. Just use “gunman.”

“foreign imports”–If something is being imported from another country, of course it’s foreign. Just use “imports.”

“past history”–If something happened in the past, it’s history. Just use “history.”

In each of the above cases, the writer should only use one word; the extra word doesn’t add any detail to the main word. It merely repeats it and should thus be avoided.

I’ll add a few:

“Your very own personal website”: “Your,” “own,” and “personal” all mean the same thing. Just use one of them to make your point; instead, write: “Your website.” Or at least, just use “Your own website,” but certainly not all three modifiers.

“They were screaming loudly”: I don’t know how you can scream quietly; if you’re screaming, then you’re being loud. Better to write, “They were screaming.”

It’s redundant, unnecessary, and weak writing to use two (or more) words which mean the same thing.

You’re insulting your readers by writing this stuff, as well as boring them by adding uninformative fluff to your prose.

And why would you want to do that?

Do NOT Try and Write Precisely

Wait a minute…aren’t we always supposed to try and write as precisely as we can?

Want my honest opinion? No, we shouldn’t. In fact, I deliberately do not try and write precisely. Hopefully ever.

So much for everything else I’ve written here at Robust Writing, then, huh?

Well…here’s the deal:

While we should probably never try and write precisely, we should always try to write precisely.

Many writers and speakers use the phrase try and when they should use try to.

Wrong usage:

“You should try and talk to him.”

Why is this wrong? Because the use of and is supposed to join two or more separate items together; there’s nothing to join here. You’re not combining anything. There’s only one thing to do, one action to take: talk to someone.

Correct usage:

“You should try to talk to him.”

Strunk and White’s The Elements of Style explains:

“Students of the language will argue that try and has…become idiom. Indeed it has, and it is relaxed and acceptable. But try to is precise, and when you are writing formal prose, try and write try to.” [Bold emphasis mine]

Try to Get It Right

So, yes, we should always try to write as precisely as possible.

Being precise in your choice of words will enable you to write more clearly and persuasively, as well as set you apart from the many other writers who are too casual in their word usage.

It’s very common to see try and these days, often from otherwise very good writers. Your choice to use try and or use try to is a small yet notable detail that shows your commitment to precision, a commitment that can speak to your level of professionalism and talent in other areas.

It’s simply better to be as precisely correct as you can, especially when small things like that can distinguish you from all of the other writers and bloggers out there.

Now, try to write as precisely as you can whenever you can. Just don’t try and do so.

Is Your Blog Font Chasing Away Readers?

Bamboo Forest, in a comment on my previous post about keys to blogging success, said:

“Presentation is also key. For example, if one’s font is too small, or the layout is cluttered, this can put one at an unnecessary disadvantage which is particularly painful if the content is excellent.”

He’s right. Your choice of font is very important–it impacts the readability of your blog or website.

David Cross, Senior Internet Consultant for Agora Inc., writes on Early to Rise about how to choose the font that best fits your site.

Cross says, “[If] you make the wrong choice, you could be prohibiting your customers from reading your online content or sales promotions. And if they can’t read your copy, there’s a good chance they won’t buy anything from you.”

I’ve been fiddling with font choices a little, but I haven’t paid as much attention to it as I probably should. When I was creating this blog, I spent some time looking for just the right font to use for the title, Robust Writing, at the very top left-hand corner.

Originally, I wanted Gotham, after I saw how well GQ Magazine and Barack Obama have been using it. I didn’t want to pay for one, so after going back and forth with the Men with Pens (who really built this blog), they found a similar font that was free–Futura. I loved it–it’s bold, big, clean, and simple.

Of course, that’s just the title. I’m not sure what font I use for the blog text. Time for me to find out. But, I have changed my email feed fonts, both the headline and the body, to Arial.

The key difference here is between serif fonts and sans-serif fonts. Cross explains:

“A serif is the small embellishment on the ends of the up-strokes (ascenders) or down-strokes (descenders) of some fonts. The serif gives the typeface a more ‘elegant’ look and feel.”

I like elegant looks, but early on, it seemed to me that clean, clear, and simple is the way to go online (just like with your writing). Thus, I’ve chosen to go with sans-serif (no serif) fonts whenever I can, such as Arial, Futura, and Verdana.

Examples of serif fonts are Times, Palatino, and Bembo.

My instinctive online font preferences seem to be confirmed by Cross:

“The general rule about fonts is as follows: For printed content, blocks of text using serif fonts are generally more legible. On a computer (or television) screen, sans-serif fonts are generally more legible.” [Emphasis mine]

So, what fonts do you use for your blog title, post headlines, body text, and so on? Have you seen some blogs or websites that are just unreadable because of their font choices? Any that are beautiful in large part because of the fonts they use?

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