“The growth of online communication is only accelerating,” said Chris Barr, senior editorial director of Yahoo!, “but there hasn’t been a comprehensive manual of online editorial best practices to guide writers and editors. As the volume of Internet content grows and people become increasingly dependent upon clear and concise content, Yahoo! is pleased to be able to share these principles for writing for an online audience that we have amassed over the course of our 15-year history.”
Yahoo!’s core team of editors, led by Barr, revisited the company’s in-house style guide, addressed new concepts for online writing, and re-examined the old ones. They divided the guide into six sections covering not only the basics of grammar and punctuation, but also issues that even seasoned print editors and writers making the move to online writing struggle with, including creating accessible websites, minimizing legal risk on a website, and improving a site’s rank in search results. Before-and-after examples of how to clean up problem copy abound.
Equally important, "The Yahoo! Style Guide" shows how to write for an international audience, an audience that has no borders, significant because the Web has become a one-stop shop for people communicating with others around the globe. The guide is an essential tool for anyone who must write for the Internet with clarity and precision. It will appeal to:
- Journalists, personal and corporate bloggers, writers, technical writers, editors, students, and professors who create or edit content for websites and must know the unique requirements of Internet content.
- Web developers, designers, information architects, and others who handle the many website pages that contain valuable information for visitors.
- Content creators for mobile devices, one of the fastest growing Internet platforms.
- Small- and medium-size businesses, especially those with limited editorial resources, or those that are launching or improving their websites.
- Advertising agencies, PR agencies, direct marketing organizations, and everyone who writes marketing copy, email solicitations, Web advertisements, business communications, newsletters, or communications to customers or employees.
- Newspapers that are augmenting paper distribution with digital distribution.
The book’s companion website (http://styleguide.yahoo.com) covers more information and resources.
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