All about Words: write your own copy, encourage online completion rates, hyperlinks

Online Writing Training

It’s a fact: online course completion rates are low.

If you manage self-paced online courses in an organisation, this blog is for you: Seven ways to encourage users to complete online courses.

Write your own copy

If you have your own business, this blog is for you.

I was at a networking meeting recently, and someone said: ‘Once you’ve written an online course, you can’t write the copy for the website. You must engage a professional copywriter.’

The group murmured assent and I sat silent because I write my own copy for my online courses and wouldn’t have it any other way.

I would encourage you to write your own copy too, then seek feedback from friends and colleagues and have it professionally proofread. Or you could engage a copywriter to give you feedback and write the final draft.

But you must write the first draft. No one knows your business as well as you do.

Read the rest of my blog.

Prepare your resume for the new year

If you’re thinking of applying for a new job or contract next year, now is a great time to write or update your resume. A well-written resume can make you stand out and leapfrog you onto a shortlist.

Yes, you could do this yourself, but why not seek help from an expert? Styles and formatting change and you need your resume to look modern as well as being clear and concise. (You can write the first draft!)

I don’t very often recommend other people’s services, but I highly recommend workplace expert Jennifer Straughan to get your resume and work life into shape.

Contact Jennifer on + 61 400 225 636 or email her.

Styles for hyperlinks

There were no questions or comments this month, so I updated a post I’d written earlier about writing hyperlinks in print and online material.

A couple of styles have changed:

• Full stops: In the past, I didn’t put a full stop at the end of a sentence with a hyperlink because if the link was copied, the full stop could cause it to fail. This no longer appears to be a problem, so I now use full stops.

• Underlining: In the past, hyperlinks were underlined, and although some websites still use underlining, most just use colour now. Blue is still the most common colour; a choice which has its roots in the history of the internet.

Read the rest of the post.

Learn more about styles
My online course, Grammar, Punctuation and Usage, covers many style issues. I can tailor this section of the course for your organisation based on your style guide. Imagine how wonderful it would be if everyone used the same styles for headings or bulleted lists.

Words of the year

The words of the year announced to date are:

• toxic (Oxford)
• single-use (Collins)
• misinformation (Dictionary.com: false information that is spread, regardless of whether there is intent to mislead.)

What do those words say about our society and times?

Interesting articles about writing

Why you should surround yourself with more books than you’ll ever have time to read
Find out why you don’t need to feel guilty about that pile of unread books.

The most influential book of the last 20 years
What do you think is the most influential book? Read what some scholars think.

Comma Queen: To whom it may concern
Mary Norris, who was previously a copy editor at The New Yorker, has written an article about who and whom. Do you still care about the distinction between these words?

This grammar guru will solve the world’s problems
Only in New York! About three or four times a week, a woman sets up a table in a public place to answer people’s grammar questions. I don’t think I will try that at Bondi Beach! Read more.

5-Hour Rule: If you’re not spending 5 hours per week learning, you’re being irresponsible
Reading plays a big part in learning. Read more.

Quote of the month

‘The most helpful quality a writer can cultivate is self-confidence – arrogance, if you can manage it. You write to impose yourself on the world, and you have to believe in your own ability when the world shows no sign of agreeing with you.’
Hilary Mantel, author