The Secret Social Media Skill

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writingIf you’ve designs on making an impact on the web for your work, do yourself (and your business) a favor.

Improve your writing skills.

Just because Twitter is only 140 characters doesn’t mean that spelling, grammar, and clarity don’t matter. In fact, I’d argue they matter more because you’re communicating in such a compact package, and you’ve only a moment to make an impression (or break it). You can still make your Facebook updates coherent and well-composed. And by all means, if you’re blogging, you’d better be working on the fundamental skill that helps you articulate your thoughts.

And please note: I’m not suggesting that everyone needs to be a Paulo Coelho and write staggeringly beautiful prose like he does (oh, how I wish). But you can and should be paying attention to fundamental writing and communication skills. Spell things correctly. Use clear vocabulary. Understand grammar rules. Stop using adolescent abbreviations as you would in a text message. If you can’t spare the characters to spell out the word “you” in your updates, you’re using too many words, and it looks lazy.

Whether you like it or not, your participation in social media – whatever your ultimate goal – makes you a communicator by practice, if not by profession. It is to your benefit to constantly hone your written communication skills.

A few ways to do that:

  • Get a copy of Strunk and White‘s Elements of Style. It’s a classic, and gives you the fundamentals you need.
  • Read. Read lots. The more you read good writing, the more your writing will reflect what you absorb. Not sure what good writing is? The more you read, the more you’ll learn.
  • Subscribe to Copyblogger and Men With Pens. Heed their writing guidance.
  • If you’re often confused by some English usage (things like their vs. there, lie vs. lay, or its vs. it’s), I love Paul Brians’ Common Errors in English Usage.
  • When in doubt, look it up.

Writing is a skill that can be taught, refined, and improved. And the written word is still a powerful tool. Learn to wield it well.

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  • http://inoveryourhead.net julien

    btw, it’s all about writing every day– a blog post, an essay, part of a book, whatever… doing that and reading every day (40 pages as mentioned above, or a book a week) means i learn a ton about writing along the way.
    .-= julien´s last blog ..Reeking of Desperation =-.

  • http://www.momblebee.com/blog Cheryl Andonian

    Right there with you on this. Just because one can type, doesn’t mean one can write. The texting shortcuts and cute-isms detract, not add to messages. Let’s all band together and outlaw LOL, OMG, BTW, ROFL.
    .-= Cheryl Andonian ´s last blog ..The Lawlessness Of Twitter’s Wild West =-.

  • http://www.momblebee.com/blog Cheryl Andonian

    Right there with you on this. Just because one can type, doesn’t mean one can write. The texting shortcuts and cute-isms detract, not add to messages. Let’s all band together and outlaw LOL, OMG, BTW, ROFL.
    .-= Cheryl Andonian ´s last blog ..The Lawlessness Of Twitter’s Wild West =-.

  • http://www.potluckmama.wordpress.com Beth Coetzee

    Great post! Your concluding comments (“Writing is a skill that can be taught, refined, and improved”) brought another article to mind…check out “The Writing Code” at http://www.thewritingcode.info/2009/12/coyle.html
    .-= Beth Coetzee´s last blog ..Why I loved 2009 =-.

  • http://www.potluckmama.wordpress.com Beth Coetzee

    Great post! Your concluding comments (“Writing is a skill that can be taught, refined, and improved”) brought another article to mind…check out “The Writing Code” at http://www.thewritingcode.info/2009/12/coyle.html
    .-= Beth Coetzee´s last blog ..Why I loved 2009 =-.

  • http://GlobalPatriot.com/ Global Patriot

    I never imagined that Twitter would improve my writing, but being forced to fit big ideas into 140 characters can do just that. I add, delete and modify with the word “message” echoing in my head. Be precise, concise, focused and stay on point. In the end, it’s helped my blog writing too.
    .-= Global Patriot´s last blog ..Climate Change Is Not The (Only) Issue =-.

  • http://GlobalPatriot.com/ Global Patriot

    I never imagined that Twitter would improve my writing, but being forced to fit big ideas into 140 characters can do just that. I add, delete and modify with the word “message” echoing in my head. Be precise, concise, focused and stay on point. In the end, it’s helped my blog writing too.
    .-= Global Patriot´s last blog ..Climate Change Is Not The (Only) Issue =-.

  • http://manydoors.net Bruce Wilson

    Great post, great comments! I’d just add one thing (which relates to Julien’s comment about writing regularly): intense practice leads to improvement in any skill. Experiment! Make mistakes!! Fearlessly write stuff that makes you groan when you read it later. Just don’t stop writing, and don’t stop critiquing and learning about your writing chops as you go.
    .-= Bruce Wilson´s last blog ..When to delete posts to your company’s Facebook page =-.

  • http://manydoors.net Bruce Wilson

    Great post, great comments! I’d just add one thing (which relates to Julien’s comment about writing regularly): intense practice leads to improvement in any skill. Experiment! Make mistakes!! Fearlessly write stuff that makes you groan when you read it later. Just don’t stop writing, and don’t stop critiquing and learning about your writing chops as you go.
    .-= Bruce Wilson´s last blog ..When to delete posts to your company’s Facebook page =-.

  • http://www.johnpaulaguiar.com John Paul Aguiar

    I’m guilty of this, sometimes my mind thinks faster then my fingers and I type with only 2 fingers..lol so I see my dilemma :)
    .-= John Paul Aguiar´s last blog ..How I Built My Twitter Marketing Monster From 1 to 36,000 =-.

  • http://www.johnpaulaguiar.com John Paul Aguiar

    I’m guilty of this, sometimes my mind thinks faster then my fingers and I type with only 2 fingers..lol so I see my dilemma :)
    .-= John Paul Aguiar´s last blog ..How I Built My Twitter Marketing Monster From 1 to 36,000 =-.

  • http://jamiefavreau.wordpress.com Jamie Favreau

    Is there a big difference between the Elements of Style and the AP Style Book? I know I need to improve my writing and I can see where it can be improved.

    It also annoys me when people don’t take the time properly to use correct spelling or using Text talk on status messages. Pet peeve of mine.
    .-= Jamie Favreau´s last blog ..Social Media to Save the NHL (Last installment a bit late) =-.

  • http://jamiefavreau.wordpress.com Jamie Favreau

    Is there a big difference between the Elements of Style and the AP Style Book? I know I need to improve my writing and I can see where it can be improved.

    It also annoys me when people don’t take the time properly to use correct spelling or using Text talk on status messages. Pet peeve of mine.
    .-= Jamie Favreau´s last blog ..Social Media to Save the NHL (Last installment a bit late) =-.

  • http://www.vongehrconsulting.com/Finding-Answers-Blog/feed/ Erroin Martin

    Strunk and White’s Elements of Style is essential. I got that as a present from my Grandfather and it has served me ever since.

  • http://www.vongehrconsulting.com/Finding-Answers-Blog/feed/ Erroin Martin

    Strunk and White’s Elements of Style is essential. I got that as a present from my Grandfather and it has served me ever since.

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  • http://www.beastoftraal.com/ Karthik

    Lovely post. Just a point – while writing skills are important and can be nurtured (I strongly believe that no one is a born writer), what really matters for both written and oral communication is the ability to articulate one’s thoughts before it reaches the pen (keyboard) or your mouth. More often than not, I meet people who have some good thought, but the sentences just do not form in their minds.

    It could be lack of adequate exposure to written material or fear of writing/ speaking wrong or even fear of ridicule. But the point is the sentence should form in the mind first – it merely takes a written form in written communication or the spoken form, for a speech/ conversation.

    • http://manydoors.net Bruce Wilson

      Wow Karthik. Speaking of articulate, you’ve got it in spades.

      I like your idea about forming the ideas in the mind before writing. Here’s something else I’ve been meaning to try, something that a CNET blogger acquaintance swears by. Apparently the NYT’s David Pogue uses this too: speaking what you are going to write, then transcribing (Pogue uses Dragon Dictate). Has anyone experience with that? It seems like there might be a shift in style, analogous to left-brain right-brain differences, between composing with one’s fingers versus composing with one’s voice?
      .-= Bruce Wilson´s last blog ..When to delete posts to your company’s Facebook page =-.

      • http://www.beastoftraal.com/ Karthik

        Bruce: Dragon Dictate huh? That’s a great idea – I need to try that. I always find myself with sentences inside my head that I feel the compulsive urge to put them down somewhere. So, I always carry a pen/paper combo or a netbook/ notebook – BlackBerry is a bit cumbersome to type out full sentences…mere gists is what I can do there. Its not as if I will not get those thoughts later on when I sit down to write, but some sentences are so well formed that I feel bad later if I’m not able to recollect them as-is.

        • http://manydoors.net Bruce Wilson

          iPhone has a built in recording feature now, called “Voice Memos,” which I’ve been meaning to try. But I never to seem to be in a quiet place where I can “talk to myself”. :-)
          .-= Bruce Wilson´s last blog ..When to delete posts to your company’s Facebook page =-.

  • http://www.beastoftraal.com/ Karthik

    Lovely post. Just a point – while writing skills are important and can be nurtured (I strongly believe that no one is a born writer), what really matters for both written and oral communication is the ability to articulate one’s thoughts before it reaches the pen (keyboard) or your mouth. More often than not, I meet people who have some good thought, but the sentences just do not form in their minds.

    It could be lack of adequate exposure to written material or fear of writing/ speaking wrong or even fear of ridicule. But the point is the sentence should form in the mind first – it merely takes a written form in written communication or the spoken form, for a speech/ conversation.

    • http://manydoors.net Bruce Wilson

      Wow Karthik. Speaking of articulate, you’ve got it in spades.

      I like your idea about forming the ideas in the mind before writing. Here’s something else I’ve been meaning to try, something that a CNET blogger acquaintance swears by. Apparently the NYT’s David Pogue uses this too: speaking what you are going to write, then transcribing (Pogue uses Dragon Dictate). Has anyone experience with that? It seems like there might be a shift in style, analogous to left-brain right-brain differences, between composing with one’s fingers versus composing with one’s voice?
      .-= Bruce Wilson´s last blog ..When to delete posts to your company’s Facebook page =-.

      • http://www.beastoftraal.com/ Karthik

        Bruce: Dragon Dictate huh? That’s a great idea – I need to try that. I always find myself with sentences inside my head that I feel the compulsive urge to put them down somewhere. So, I always carry a pen/paper combo or a netbook/ notebook – BlackBerry is a bit cumbersome to type out full sentences…mere gists is what I can do there. Its not as if I will not get those thoughts later on when I sit down to write, but some sentences are so well formed that I feel bad later if I’m not able to recollect them as-is.

        • http://manydoors.net Bruce Wilson

          iPhone has a built in recording feature now, called “Voice Memos,” which I’ve been meaning to try. But I never to seem to be in a quiet place where I can “talk to myself”. :-)
          .-= Bruce Wilson´s last blog ..When to delete posts to your company’s Facebook page =-.

  • http://www.prolificliving.com/blog Farnoosh

    Excellent post and one that is MOST necessary in today’s jargon-filled error-prone spoken English. Even though English is my 3rd language, I work hard in writing well and I read voraciously. There is no annoyance greater than seeing those common errors (I can add a dozen more to your list easily) and knowing that the writer must know better but may have become complacent. Thank you for writing this post. In addition to your book suggestion, I read (and blogged about) Writing Well which is another excellent book on writing.
    http://www.prolificliving.com/blog/2008/10/20/william-zinsser-on-writing-well/
    Best of luck to us writers out there. :)

  • http://www.prolificliving.com/blog Farnoosh

    Excellent post and one that is MOST necessary in today’s jargon-filled error-prone spoken English. Even though English is my 3rd language, I work hard in writing well and I read voraciously. There is no annoyance greater than seeing those common errors (I can add a dozen more to your list easily) and knowing that the writer must know better but may have become complacent. Thank you for writing this post. In addition to your book suggestion, I read (and blogged about) Writing Well which is another excellent book on writing.
    http://www.prolificliving.com/blog/2008/10/20/william-zinsser-on-writing-well/
    Best of luck to us writers out there. :)

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  • http://edjusten.com Ed Justen

    My addition to this dialogue:
    1. Always have your thesaurus application open when writing or composing
    2. Use it often

    Strunk and White is available on the web here:
    http://www.bartleby.com/141/

  • http://edjusten.com Ed Justen

    My addition to this dialogue:
    1. Always have your thesaurus application open when writing or composing
    2. Use it often

    Strunk and White is available on the web here:
    http://www.bartleby.com/141/

  • http://www.tedlsimon.posterous.com Ted L Simon

    A-MEN! You nailed it, Amber.

    There’s no excuse for a nation of sloppy communicators, and there are lots of contributing factors. My top 5 scapegoats:
    - public schools that don’t teach or hold students to a higher standard
    - managers who don’t demand clearer communication from their staff
    - texting (OMG, I 1der Y…)
    - the phrase “whatever” (which to me exemplifies the problem both in behavior and attitude)

    Keep the good stuff coming! (I hope that is a grammatically correct conclusion)

    Ted
    .-= Ted L Simon´s last blog ..Innovate THIS! =-.

  • http://www.tedlsimon.posterous.com Ted L Simon

    A-MEN! You nailed it, Amber.

    There’s no excuse for a nation of sloppy communicators, and there are lots of contributing factors. My top 5 scapegoats:
    - public schools that don’t teach or hold students to a higher standard
    - managers who don’t demand clearer communication from their staff
    - texting (OMG, I 1der Y…)
    - the phrase “whatever” (which to me exemplifies the problem both in behavior and attitude)

    Keep the good stuff coming! (I hope that is a grammatically correct conclusion)

    Ted
    .-= Ted L Simon´s last blog ..Innovate THIS! =-.

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