Are You Guilty of a Capital Crime?
Let me tell you a little secret.
Ready for this? Here it is:
Internet gurus are not infallible. (I know, I know. Shocking, isn’t it?)
The curse of infallibility even befalls those who pass themselves off as writing coaches, master copy editors or experts in the use of the English language. (In the interests of full disclosure, I must include myself somewhere in that list.)
Consider this sentence, for example:
“But, as an experienced Newsletter publisher, I know from experience that ezines consume a lot of time and effort to put together.”
That sentence came from one of the biggest of all Internet gurus, a copywriter whose name you probably would know. And I had a bad “experience” when I read it, for at least three reasons:
1. Saying that he is an experienced publisher who knows something from experience is a silly redundancy that makes him look silly, if you catch my drift.
2. Something can “consume” time, but it cannot “consume” effort.
3. The phrase “to put together” is filler – unnecessary words that only clutter up his sentence.
The offending sentence came in his welcome letter to me after I subscribed to his newsletter. I have to assume he was not under any particular deadline pressure when he wrote it. And even if he was, he has to know that his customers and clients look to him to set an example of what good writing can and should be. Here, he failed miserably.
The sentence, properly edited, would read something like this:
“But, as a newsletter publisher, I know from long experience that ezines require a lot of time and effort.”
Simple, straightforward and to the point, with no wasted words, like all good writing should be. We all should strive for that in everything we write, but especially in what we write for our Internet businesses.
But I have an even bigger bone to pick with this particular writer. Consider this paragraph, again from his welcome letter to me:
“I have a Website called (deleted) which contains 7 Stunning Interviews with THE top names in Copywriting and Marketing. Make no mistake, These guys are the Real Thing when it comes to Copywriting and Marketing.”
What outrageous rules of capitalization is this man following? “… Stunning Interviews … Copywriting and Marketing … These … Real Thing … Copywriting and Marketing.” And even in the first paragraph I cited, “Newsletter.”
Gimme a break.
I know, I know, “Capitalitis” is a disease that is endemic on the Internet. People think that it is the way to emphasize a word or phrase to drive home a point.
Hogwash.
All it does is mark you as a rank amateur. The rules of the English language do not call for it, and in fact proscribe it. Nevertheless, there are those who argue that you should bend or even break the rules when you’re writing for the Internet. You have only 3 seconds to grab people’s attention, these Misguided Folks argue, so you have to SMACK them up ALONGSIDE the HEAD!!!
Double hogwash.
You’ve probably heard that when you want to get someone’s attention, whisper …
It’s absolutely true. Whisper. Don’t insult your customers’ intelligence by shouting at them. Treat them with the respect they deserve, and they will return the favor. Treat them like idiots who can’t possibly understand “copywriting and marketing” unless you write it “Copywriting and Marketing,” and sooner or later the “shift” key will be one of the few friends you have left.
Think about that the next time you feel a bout of Capitalitis coming on.
(Incidentally, I wrote to the author of the offending material and asked him, in a nice, professional way, why he capitalized all those words. I received no answer, which is typical of people with outsized egos. They have no room left to allow anyone else in.)
Let’s be honest. Internet marketers do not have a good reputation. In fact, outside of our tight little group of true believers we have a horrible reputation. Part of the reason for that, of course, is that an awful lot of thieves and scammers walk among us.
But we add to the problem when we come off as semiliterate, amateur hucksters in our ad copy, our ezines and newsletters, our ebooks and websites and emails. And yes, in our welcome letters.
So make it a goal to be part of the solution.
Then maybe I won’t come off as a voice crying in the wilderness.
About the author
Dave Tishendorf, whose writing and editing career spans more than four decades, is the owner of YourHelpingHand at http://www.yourhelpinghand.biz He is available to help you make the most of your writing for the Internet.
About the Author
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