Last weekend, Yahoo! invited Mother Board members to a summit at their fabulous Sunnyvale office. I can’t wait to share everything with you, but I’ll start with the Yahoo! Style Guide. This amazing book teaches you how to write for the web, which is exactly what I have been looking for. I bought several blogging books at the when I first started La Jolla Mom that were slightly helpful in the beginning. They are collecting dust on our book shelf now. The Yahoo! Style Guide is something that I wish I had on day one and will continue to reference.
The Yahoo! Style Guide teaches how to:
- Shape your text for online reading
- Write eye-catching and effective headlines
- Use proper grammar and punctuation
- Streamline text for mobile users
- Optimize your site for search engines
- Avoid common pitfalls in word choice
- Shorten and strengthen sentences
This short list does not do the book justice. These are just the sections that are most helpful to me. I’m grateful for the grammar and punctuation refresher, as it’s been a while since I took English. However, it’s updated for the online world. For example, if you’re going to insert links to text, don’t link the period at the end of a sentence. I’m pretty sure I’ve done that before. I’m also going to work on headlines, subheaders and so much more. I can’t emphasize how much I love this book and how much I need it. If your goal is to increase traffic and write a better overall website, go get a copy. It’s heavily discounted on Amazon right now.
*The Yahoo! Mother Board members each received a copy of the Yahoo! Style Guide complimentary, as well as paid conference expenses. We’re not under any obligation to mention it, but I will tell you that many of us agree that it’s revolutionary. A lot of LJM readers have websites, so I want to share the information immediately. 
Thanks so much to Amy, Jeanne and the other Yodeling Mamas for a fabulous weekend. More to come….
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Twitter: EverydayMama
July 18, 2010 at 8:55 pm
Thanks so much for the tip! I will definitely check it out
Twitter: Birdrockfab
July 21, 2010 at 1:47 pm
I am ordering today!
It was wonderful meeting you and I’m thrilled to hear you’re already putting some of the great stuff we talked about to use. Happy reading and can’t wait to read your more-perfect-than-ever writing!
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