photo by alexliivet

What’s wrong with that headline, other than the fact that I just called you stupid? Could it be the spelling errors my fourth-grader would catch? Yep.

As you may have guessed, I do not fall into the camp that forgives illiteracy on the web. I have no problem with the democratization of information putting a virtual printing press in the hands of every content reader yearning to jump the divide and become a publisher. But I’d prefer it if said publishers had a basic grasp of spelling. Not perfection, mind you … just the basics.

For example:

“Their” is the possessive form of “they.” “They’re” means “they are.”

“Its” is the possessive form of “it.” “It’s” means “it is.”

“Your” is the possessive form of you. “You’re” is short for “you are.”

Apparently fine distinctions like these don’t really matter if we’re chattin’ it up on the Internet. It’s appalling how many otherwise bright, articulate people can’t seem to master this stuff. I recently read a report from a self-anointed Twitter guru who reminded me that “first impressions count” before ruining his with bad spelling and typos.

Sorry, but when I’m reading some post on how social media is transforming marketing and the author doesn’t know the difference between “affect” and “effect,” it tends to affect my opinion of them. I just naturally assume that people in the communication business have achieved mastery over general communication concepts. Like spelling. (Punctuation’s good to know, too.)

There’s no shortage of bloggers out there bemoaning the fact that journalists and prissy English teachers are quick to attack their little errors. Sorry, but if you want to be a content producer, quality assurance is part of the game. Unless you work for FOX News, of course.

Here’s the bottom line: Do you really want anything in your writing to suggest that maybe you don’t know what the hell you’re talking about? Bad spelling, typos and other writing mistakes undermine your credibility.

Your audience may be pretty forgiving now, but that won’t always be the case. Content on the web is going to continue to improve over time. You can either get better along with it or stay stupid. The choice is yours.

photo by Collin Anderson

Why is it that so many people consider simple writing too simplistic? I edit other people’s writing and my own with an eye toward directness and ease of comprehension. But I’ve found that many people have an annoying tendency to try to “re-complicate” what I’ve simplified.

Maybe they think a simple, straightforward approach reflects poorly on them. Maybe they’re afraid that readers won’t think them capable of complex thought. But if you’re looking to ensure the greatest comprehension among members of your target audience, then you should be doing everything you can to be clear. Direct. Easy to understand.

I’m a little embarrassed to admit that I only recently started using the Flesch-Kincaid Readability Tests as a gut-check on my own writing. It’s an invaluable tool for helping you polish your writing and ferreting out whatever is getting in the way of clarity and conciseness.

There are two tests. One measures reading ease and the other lets you know the grade level at which you’re writing. A reading ease score of 80 percent means that 80 percent of readers should understand what you’re writing. A grade level score of 8 means that anyone with an eighth-grade education will get it.

Most newspapers are geared toward this reading level for a simple reason: They want to maximize their potential readership. They understand that overly complicated, dense writing drives readers away. You should too.

By the way, I ran this entry through Flesch-Kincaid and got a reading ease score of 65 and a grade level score of 7.6. Not bad, but it could be better.

photo by Jasoon

The statistics on reading in the United States are enough to make me slash my wrists. While the latest survey of reading habits by the National Endowment for the Arts found that fiction reading is up (half of Americans reported reading novels, short stories, poems or plays in 2008), 54.3 percent of us admit to not reading any book not required for work or school.

The average American claims to read four books annually. I read two to four books a week, depending on what’s going on in my life. My reading runs the gamut—from business and current events to literary fiction and guilty pleasures like science fiction and horror (my dream read would be literary zombie fiction, but that’s a story for another day). I also read newspapers online and off, magazines, blogs, etc.

The line that connects all my varied reading is that I’m attracted to really good writers. Reading great writing helps me with my own writing. It inspires me, expands my vocabulary, exercises my brain and challenges me to be a better writer.

My point isn’t that my reading makes me special. It’s that my reading improves my writing. Reading and writing are inextricably linked. If you’re not reading on a regular basis, crack a book. And another. And another.