Internet Giant Compiles Editorial Best Practices for the Digital World
SUNNYVALE, Calif. – To help writers, editors, and content creators write effectively for the Web, Yahoo! Inc. (NASDAQ:YHOO) is publishing “The Yahoo! Style Guide: The Ultimate Sourcebook for Writing, Editing, and Creating Content for the Digital World,” the first guide of its kind to focus on the specific issues associated with developing content for the online medium.
“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 (styleguide.yahoo.com) covers more information and resources.
Advance praise for “The Yahoo! Style Guide“:
“Yahoo!’s editors have given the rules of the writing road a smart and timely reboot. It’s Strunk and White for the online world.”
– Arianna Huffington
Co-founder and editor in chief of The Huffington Post
“The ‘Yahoo! Style Guide’ is a map through the minefields that stand between communicators in the digital world and their audiences. The guide is well-organized and easy to use. It is an ideal companion text for writing courses…As an educator, I genuinely appreciate that the ‘Yahoo! Style Guide’ continuously reminds the users that communicating with people is the ultimate purpose of mastering the mechanics and tools for creating useful, compelling content for the digital world.”
– Phillip Dixon
Journalism Chair, Howard University
“The Yahoo! Style Guide’ warms the copy editor’s heart, covering the fine points of grammar, where to put a semicolon, and the use of the passive voice. But it aims beyond publishing professionals, offering guidance on how companies large and small can reach wide audiences through the Web.”
– Constance Hale
Author of “Wired Style” and “Sin and Syntax” and editor of sinandsyntax.com
“Yahoo! take[s] a practical and intelligent approach to online style. ‘The Yahoo! Style Guide’ finally sets the standards for online writing that have been missing for 15 years.”
Professor William Sledzik
Kent State University
“The Yahoo! Style Guide” will be released on July 6, 2010, by St. Martin’s Griffin, and is available in print wherever books are sold, and in digital versions for the iPad and Kindle.
To learn more about “The Yahoo! Style Guide,” visit styleguide.yahoo.com, and follow “The Yahoo! Style Guide” on Twitter at: @YahooStyleGuide
About Yahoo!
Yahoo! attracts hundreds of millions of users every month through its innovative technology and engaging content and services, making it one of the most visited Internet destinations and a world-class online media company. Yahoo!’s vision is to be the center of people’s online lives by delivering personally relevant, meaningful Internet experiences. Yahoo! is headquartered in Sunnyvale, California. For more information, visit http://pressroom.yahoo.com or the company’s blog, Yodel Anecdotal (http://yodel.yahoo.com).
