Download_YES_Guide_V.. - ysm
Transcription
Download_YES_Guide_V.. - ysm
Yahoo! Voice Click Hyphens Countries Footers Order WWW Verbs Vocabulary Jargon Keys Media Newsletters Brevity Pronouns Help Click Keys Percentages Locations Ellipses Titles Links Ampersands Footers Dimensions Commas Deadwood Person Tense Days Links Glossaries Dimensions Feedback Lists Emphasis Readability Dates Copyrights Headings Commas Modifiers Numbers Voice Jargon Commas Conjunctions Typography Email Dates Voice Jargon Numbers Sentences Readability Summaries Footers Underlining Slashes Abbreviations Files URLs Lists Infinitives Headings Page Days Page Titles Cities Proper Names Dictionaries Number Ranges Apostrophes Person Web Newsletters Presentations Spelling States Abbreviations Underlining Slashes Time Zones Boxes Dictionaries Help Verbs Actions Error Messages Medium Voice Brand Audience Newsletters Months Topics Emails Subject Lines Percentages Locations Misspellings Tips Front Page Nouns Casual Voice Topics Adjectives Commas Titles Help Consistency Years Instructions Click Hyphens Money Participles Ellipses Misspellings Sentences Action Click Hyphens Voice of Yahoo! Buttons Phone Numbers Titles Dates Voice Jargon Lists Infinitives Headings Page Days Page Titles Cities Proper Names Dictionaries Number Ranges Apostrophes Person Web Newsletters Help Click Keys Dimensions Feedback Lists Emphasis Readability Dates Copyrights Headings Commas Modifiers Numbers Voice Jargon Fractions Apostrophes Front Page PowerPoint Commas Decades Ranges Lists Bullets Periods Quotation Marks Misspellings Conjunctions Tense Person Plurals Hyphens Modifiers Infinitives Italic Jargon Abbreviations Money Possessives Numbers Quotations Locations Serial Commas Feedback Footers Definitions titles Buttons Ranges References Semicolons Error Messages Medium Voice Brand Audience Newsletters Months Topics Emails Subject Lines Percentages Locations Ellipses Titles Links Footers Dimensions Commas Deadwood Person Tense Days Links Glossaries Formats Help Hyphens Countries Order WWW Dimensions Voice Jargon Numbers Currency Acronyms Person Pronouns Titles Consistency Plurals Acronyms Years Page Titles Copyrights Headings Capitalization Misspellings Slashes Summaries Lists Bullets Infinitives Sentences Action Keys Help Links Commas Lists Emphasis Semicolons Prompts Adjectives Dashes Readability Dates Copyrights Headings Software Commas Modifiers Numbers Voice Jargon Commas Email Dates Voice Jargon Numbers Sentences Newsletters Centuries Commas Money Jargon Readability Summaries Footers Underlining Slashes Abbreviations Files URLs Lists Infinitives Headings Page Days Page Titles Cities Proper Names Dictionaries Number Ranges Apostrophes Person Web Conjunctions Typography Newsletters Underlining Help Consistency Years Instructions Click Hyphens Money Participles Ellipses Misspellings Sentences Action Click Hyphens Voice of Yahoo! Boxes Buttons Phone Numbers Verbs Actions Links Glossaries Tips Notes Percentages Locations Ellipses Titles Links Ampersands Footers Dimensions Commas Deadwood Person Tense Days Links Glossaries Tips Notes Nouns Pronouns Commas Page Titles Cities Slashes Zones Decades Possessives Currency Days Jargon Sentences Click Serial Commas Feedback Links Periods Dictionaries Hyphens Tips Web Front Page Person Punctuation Capitalizing URLs Readability Privacy Policy Footers Phone Numbers Definitions titles Buttons Ranges References Semicolons Dashes Money Dates Tense Infinitives Conjunctions Prepositions Buttons Voice Nouns Files WWW Negatives Jargon Sentences Consistency Buttons Feedback Casual Voice Topics Years Titles Plurals Copyrights Countries Error Messages Medium Voice Brand Audience Newsletters Months Topics Emails Subject Lines Percentages Locations Misspellings Correlatives Sentences Action Click Page Titles Ampersands Footers Dimensions Commas Topics Tense Help Underlining Slashes Numbers Verbs Actions Percentages Locations Hyphens Modifiers Infinitives Italic Jargon Ellipses Titles Links Ampersands Footers Procedures Dimensions Commas Deadwood Person Tense Days Time Zones Boxes Dictionaries Help Verbs Actions Tips Front Page Nouns Help Casual Voice Topics Adjectives Commas Quotations Jargon Cities Proper Names Possessives Apostrophes Footers Ellipses Titles Links Ampersands Modifiers Verbs Conjunctions Correlatives Commas Abbreviations Tense Click Keys Error Messages Voice Brand Numbers Dictionaries Topics Deadwood Consistency Tense Help Jargon Cities Decades Front Page Apostrophes Quotation Marks Formats Ellipses Years Feedback Emails Newsletters Centuries Commas Money Jargon Sentences Click Serial Commas Feedback Links Dictionaries Hyphens Tips Web Front Page Person Punctuation Colons Capitalizing URLs Privacy Policy Help Links Glossaries Tips Notes Consistency Years Instructions Click Hyphens Money Participles Ellipses Misspellings Sentences Action Click Hyphens Percentages Files Sizes Links Copyrights Headings Tense Misspellings Words Storage TV Nouns Question Marks Definitions titles Buttons Ranges References Semicolons Prompts Adjectives Dashes Slashes Front Page Sentences Spelling Subjects Titles Numbers WWW Underlining Slashes Numbers Verbs Actions Percentages Locations Ellipses Movies Titles Links Ampersands Footers Dimensions Time Commas Deadwood Person Tense Days Time Zones Boxes Dictionaries Help Verbs Actions Tips Front Page Nouns Casual Voice Copyrights Error Messages Medium Voice Brand Audience Newsletters Phone Numbers Months Topics Emails Presentations Punctuation Subject Lines Percentages Locations Plurals Ellipses Consistency Buttons Feedback Casual Voice Boxes Headings Footers Periods Plurals Percentages Copyrights Newsletters Time Readability Dates Words Copyrights Headings WWW Commas Modifiers Numbers Voice Blogs Jargon Commas URLs Participles Serial Commas Feedback URLs Links Periods Dictionaries Hyphens Tips Web Front Page Ellipses Misspellings Lists Infinitives Blogs Headings Email Tense Apostrophes Verbs Time Numbers Titles Conjunctions Web Zones Tips Acronyms Hyphens Modifiers Infinitives Italic Jargon Headlines Dimensions Titles Consistency Tense Help Jargon Cities Decades Front Page Apostrophes Quotation Marks Formats Ellipses Years Emails Tense Links Yahoo! Voice Editorial Style Guide YES Guide Version 1.book Page i Thursday, November 3, 2005 3:09 PM Editorial Style Guide YES Guide Version 1.book Page ii Thursday, November 3, 2005 3:09 PM First Printing: November, 2005 Copyright © 2005 Yahoo! Inc. All rights reserved Yahoo! Inc. 701 First Avenue Sunnyvale, CA 94089 YES Guide Version 1.book Page iii Thursday, November 3, 2005 3:09 PM Yahoo!’s Editorial Mission INTRODUCTION Introduction Dear Fellow Yahoos, If you're referring to this guide, you're probably involved in the editing, creation, aggregation, organization, or presentation of content associated with the Yahoo! brand. Congratulations! That's a huge opportunity, and accordingly, a huge responsibility. Hundreds of millions of people trust Yahoo! to give them what they need and want, when and where they want it. Yahoo!'s success absolutely depends on maintaining that trust. How do we do that? It's simple: We do what we say, and say what we do. We really understand consumers’ expectations, and we deliver on those expectations consistently, with quality, clarity, and relevance. Every time. And that demands your vigilance. Consumers expect far more information, in much less space, in far less time, than ever before. In a medium where every pixel counts and attention spans are short, there's no room for wasted space or time. Economy of language is essential. We must elevate all our writing and editing to the level of craft. In other words, Yahoo! can afford nothing short of truly great editorial, and we count on you to provide it. I hope this guide serves you well, so that you may in turn serve our audience well. Nothing can better differentiate our brand and reinforce trust than being of service—consistently creating authentic experiences that not only answer, but also anticipate, consumers' needs. You are entrusted to steward our brand and build on the foundation of trust that years of such service have produced. So good luck! Surprise and delight me. And don't disappoint me. No pressure. Srinija Srinivasan Editor in Chief iii YES Guide Version 1.book Page iv Thursday, November 3, 2005 3:09 PM Introduction From the Editorial Director As editors and writers at Yahoo!, we are often ruled by a paradox. To flourish, creativity—the sublime expression of human freedom and innovation— requires more than just inspiration and energy, it requires discipline and structure. With the Yahoo! Editorial Style Guide, we aspire to provide you with both the inspiration and the structure to enlighten your creativity and empower you to create a differentiating and singular online experience. Because we reveal our editorial brand and voice in the sum of our choices and myriad editorial details—from our Front Page down deep to the least-visited pages on our network—this guide seeks to define those common editorial elements and more. Inside you will find not only the usual editorial “rules of the road,” but also helpful usage guidelines, a detailed glossary, lessons on writing in the Yahoo! voice, and some groundbreaking guidelines that focus on our new original content efforts. For example, you’ll find a new series of guidelines titled “Editorial Standards for Original Content and Journalism," created in close collaboration with Yahoo! News and the YMG legal team in Santa Monica. The Yahoo! Editorial Style Guide would not exist without the efforts of the Editorial team and the more than 100 Yahoo! employees worldwide who took the time to review drafts of this guide in various states and submit comments that have improved it immeasurably. No style guide is ever complete and every style guide is only as good as it is truly useful. So please share this resource—which is also available on our Editorial intranet site—with your colleagues and let us know how we can keep it as fresh and relevant as possible. Bill Gannon Editorial Director iv YES Guide Version 1.book Page v Thursday, November 3, 2005 3:09 PM PREFACE Preface How to use this guide The Yahoo! Editorial Style Guide is organized into five major parts: Writing the Yahoo! Way. The Yahoo! voice is distinctive and requires an understanding of the audience, the message, and the medium. Mastering the Mechanics. Even the most experienced writer or editor needs to be reminded occasionally of the mechanics required for good communication. Some preferred Yahoo! mechanics may be different from those you're used to. This section starts with the basic building blocks (words and numbers) and goes on to explain best practices for putting them together to form well-constructed sentences and paragraphs. Techniques, Tips, and Tricks. Avoid common errors, including the ubiquitous typo, by following these techniques, tips, and tricks used by writers and editors everywhere. Resources for Writers and Editors. Find out more about writing or editing for specific Yahoo! properties or about writing and editing in general. Learn how to create your own style guide. Reference. Refer to the Yahoo! Glossary on page 177 for the correct spelling, capitalization, hyphenation, and use of common words and expressions—many unique to Yahoo!. When to use other authorities The Yahoo! Editorial Style Guide is your first stop for matters of style and voice. If you have a question about writing or editing that’s not answered here, refer to these sources, or contact an editor. For contact information, see Getting Editorial help on page 167. Associated Press Stylebook. The Yahoo! style does deviate from the AP style in some cases. You'll find these exceptions noted throughout this guide. The stylebook is available online. See Getting Editorial help on page 167 for information on accessing the stylebook online. Chicago Manual of Style. American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language-Fourth Edition. (http://education.yahoo.com/reference/dictionary). v YES Guide Version 1.book Page vi Thursday, November 3, 2005 3:09 PM Preface Be sure to consult the dictionary for the correct usage, hyphenation, and spelling of words and phrases not found in the above resources. Pay particular attention to any usage notes that may follow the definition of a word. Tip You can check the spelling and usage of a word in the American Heritage Dictionary by using a Yahoo! Search Shortcut. Some words (like minuscule) have a variant spelling (miniscule), but the actual dictionary entry is always the preferred spelling. And that's what you should use. Finally, you can always ask an editor for help with any issue related to grammar, spelling, punctuation, language usage, and the Yahoo! voice and style. vi YES Guide Version 1.book Page vii Thursday, November 3, 2005 3:09 PM CONTENTS Contents Writing the Yahoo! Way Writing in the Yahoo! Voice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 What is the Yahoo! voice? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Qualities of the Yahoo! voice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Yahoo! voice spectrum. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Professional voice. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mid-Range voice. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Casual voice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Creating the Yahoo! voice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Specifying voice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 17 18 18 18 19 19 20 Writing for the Audience. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Analyzing your audience . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Choosing the right words . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Considering culture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Achieving the right readability . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Using Microsoft Word to ascertain readability . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Interpreting readability scores. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 22 24 24 25 26 Flesch Reading Ease Score . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 Using the scores to improve your writing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 Writing for the Medium . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 Writing for online reading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Instructing users . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Referring to onscreen elements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Referring to keys. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Describing user actions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 30 30 31 32 Keyboard actions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 Mouse actions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 Writing effective emails . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . General content guidelines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Service announcements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Differences between HTML and text emails . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 34 35 35 vii YES Guide Version 1.book Page viii Thursday, November 3, 2005 3:09 PM Contents Email mechanics. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 Subject lines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 To and From names and addresses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 Footers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 Writing newsletters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Writing help . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Two kinds of help—one standard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Writing effective questions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Writing effective topics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 39 39 39 40 Overviews . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Procedural help . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Glossaries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Notes, cautions, and tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41 42 44 45 Writing user interface text. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46 Writing headings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46 Adding link text . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47 Wording link text . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47 Capitalizing and punctuating link text . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47 Other interface elements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 Choosing the correct words . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 Capitalization and punctuation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49 Footers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50 Contents of footers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51 Formatting footers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51 Partner copyright footers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 Feedback and error messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Writing effective page titles. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Writing Front Page text. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Headlines and summaries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Links on the Front Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Titles on the Front Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Lists of titles on the Front Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ampersands (&) and exclamation points on the FP . . . . . . . . . . . "In the News" box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Marketplace promos . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Integrating third-party content . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 54 56 56 56 57 57 58 58 59 59 Editorial Standards for Original Content and Journalism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61 Background . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Introduction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Attribution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sourcing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Use of anonymous or undisclosed sources or blind quotes . . . . . Promises of anonymity or confidentiality . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Newsgathering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . viii 61 62 62 63 64 66 67 YES Guide Version 1.book Page ix Thursday, November 3, 2005 3:09 PM Contents 67 69 69 70 70 71 71 72 72 73 73 74 74 75 75 76 CONTENTS Corrections and clarifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Plagiarism. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Quotations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Datelines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Bylines and end notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Digital storytelling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Still image manipulation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Use of file images . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Taste and graphic images . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Yahoo! Editorial Code of Ethics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Seek truth and report it . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Minimize harm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Act independently . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Be accountable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Editorial and content decision-making at Yahoo! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Acknowledgment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mastering the Mechanics Handling Numbers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79 Large and small numbers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Computer- and software-related numbers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Storage, memory, and processor speeds. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Software version numbers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Days of the week . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Months . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ordering and punctuating dates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Decades . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Centuries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dimensions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Fractions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Money and currency. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Percentages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Phone numbers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ranges of numbers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79 81 81 81 82 82 82 82 83 83 84 84 84 85 85 86 87 87 88 ix YES Guide Version 1.book Page x Thursday, November 3, 2005 3:09 PM Contents Dealing With Words and Near-Words . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89 A or an . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Abbreviations and acronyms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Capitalization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Yahoo! properties, services, and products . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Personal titles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Headlines and titles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Hyphenated compounds in headlines and titles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Titles of works. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89 90 91 92 92 92 93 93 Capitalization styles of titles of works . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93 Visual treatment of titles of works . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94 Directions, states, regions, and locations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95 Compass directions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95 U.S. states and districts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95 U.S. regions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97 Regions outside the U.S. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98 Person and pronouns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99 Referring to companies. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99 Referring to users . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100 Wrestling with him or her and other pronoun problems . . . . . . . 100 Is who correct? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101 Typography . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101 File names and types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102 URLs and web-related words . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103 Putting Words Together . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105 Punctuation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105 Apostrophes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105 Possessives. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105 Omitted letters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106 Colons. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107 Commas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107 Commas in a series . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Commas and independent clauses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Commas and quotations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Commas and locations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Commas and numbers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107 108 108 109 109 Ellipses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109 Exclamation points . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110 Hyphens and dashes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110 Forming compound modifiers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111 Adding prefixes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112 Periods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113 x YES Guide Version 1.book Page xi Thursday, November 3, 2005 3:09 PM Contents Direct quotations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Definitions and words as words . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Titles of some works . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Punctuation and quotation marks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Semicolons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Constructing sentences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Consider order . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Keep it positive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Constructing paragraphs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Creating lists. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Introducing lists. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Punctuating and capitalizing list elements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Including lists within lists. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Numbered lists . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Bulleted lists . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Gender-neutral writing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Guidelines for gender-neutral writing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Tips for avoiding personal pronouns. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Replacing gender-specific words . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114 114 115 115 CONTENTS Quotation marks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114 116 116 116 117 118 119 119 119 120 120 120 121 121 122 124 Techniques, Tips, and Tricks Proofreading Anything . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129 It really does matter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Before you start . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Proofreading techniques . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . What to look for . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129 129 130 131 Shortening Any Text . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133 Clearing out deadwood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Removing one-word deadwood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Removing deadwood phrases . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Start strong, stay strong . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Avoid "there is," "there are," and "it is" . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Replace weak verbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Stay active . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Cut the crap . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Replacing common phrases. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133 133 134 135 135 136 136 137 138 xi YES Guide Version 1.book Page xii Thursday, November 3, 2005 3:09 PM Contents Avoiding Common Pitfalls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149 Commonly confused or confusing words . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Words that can confuse writers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Words that can confuse readers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Correlative conjunctions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Maintaining parallel structure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Matching the verb and subject . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dangling and misplaced modifiers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Change of person. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Change of tense . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Old "rules" that don't apply any more . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Splitting infinitives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ending with a preposition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Starting with a conjunction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Common misspellings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149 150 157 158 158 159 160 160 161 162 162 162 163 163 Resources for Writers and Editors Yahoo! Resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167 Getting Editorial help . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Property style guides . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Policy and compliance guidelines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Brand and legal guidelines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . UI guidelines. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Glossaries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167 167 168 168 168 168 Other Resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169 Reference material . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Books about general writing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Books about writing for the Web . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Organizations for writers and editors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Web sites and newsletters for writers and editors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169 169 169 170 170 Creating a Style Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171 Starting with a style guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Contents of a style guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Audience and voice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Word usage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Glossary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Calls to action . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xii 171 171 172 172 172 173 YES Guide Version 1.book Page xiii Thursday, November 3, 2005 3:09 PM Contents CONTENTS Use of person . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174 Data formats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174 Capitalization and typography . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174 Reference Yahoo! Glossary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177 Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205 xiii YES Guide Version 1.book Page xiv Thursday, November 3, 2005 3:09 PM YES Guide Version 1.book Page xv Thursday, November 3, 2005 3:09 PM Yahoo! Voice Click Hyphens Countries Footers Order WWW Verbs Vocabulary Jargon Keys Media Newsletters Brevity Pronouns Help Click Keys Percentages Locations Ellipses Titles Links Ampersands Footers Dimensions Commas Deadwood Person Tense Days Links Glossaries Dimensions Feedback Lists Emphasis Readability Dates Copyrights Headings Commas Modifiers Conjunctions Typography Email Dates Voice Jargon Numbers Writing in the Yahoo! Voice Sentences Readability Summaries Footers Underlining Slashes Abbreviations Files URLs Lists Infinitives Headings Page Days Page Titles Cities Proper Names Dictionaries Number Ranges Apostrophes Person Web Newsletters Presentations Spelling States Abbreviations Underlining Slashes Time Zones Boxes Dictionaries Help Verbs Actions Error Messages Medium Voice Brand Audience Newsletters Months Topics Emails Subject Lines Percentages Locations Misspellings Tips Front Page Nouns Casual Voice Topics Adjectives Commas Titles Help Consistency Years Instructions Click Hyphens Money Participles Ellipses Misspellings Sentences Action Click Hyphens Voice of Yahoo! Buttons Phone Numbers Titles Dates Voice Jargon Lists Infinitives Headings Page Days Page Titles Cities Proper Names Dictionaries Number Ranges Apostrophes Person Web Newsletters Help Click Keys Dimensions Feedback Lists Emphasis Readability Dates Copyrights Headings Commas Modifiers Numbers Voice Jargon Fractions Apostrophes Front Page PowerPoint Commas Decades Ranges Lists Bullets Periods Quotation Marks Misspellings Conjunctions Tense Person Plurals Hyphens Modifiers Infinitives Italic Jargon Abbreviations Money Possessives Numbers Quotations Locations Serial Commas Feedback Footers Definitions titles Buttons Ranges References Semicolons Error Messages Medium Voice Brand Audience Newsletters Months Topics Emails Subject Lines Percentages Locations Ellipses Titles Links Footers Dimensions Commas Deadwood Person Tense Days Links Glossaries Formats Help Hyphens Countries Order WWW Dimensions Voice Jargon Numbers Currency Acronyms Person Pronouns Titles Consistency Plurals Acronyms Years Page Titles Copyrights Headings Capitalization Misspellings Slashes Summaries Lists Bullets Infinitives Sentences Action Keys Help Links Commas Lists Emphasis Semicolons Prompts Adjectives Dashes Readability Dates Copyrights Headings Software Commas Modifiers Numbers Voice Jargon Commas Email Dates Voice Jargon Numbers Writing for the Audience Sentences Newsletters Centuries Commas Money Jargon Readability Summaries Footers Underlining Slashes Abbreviations Files URLs Lists Infinitives Headings Page Days Page Titles Cities Proper Names Dictionaries Number Ranges Apostrophes Person Web Conjunctions Typography Newsletters Underlining Help Consistency Years Instructions Click Hyphens Money Participles Ellipses Misspellings Sentences Action Click Hyphens Voice of Yahoo! Boxes Buttons Phone Numbers Verbs Actions Links Glossaries Tips Notes Percentages Links Ampersands Footers Dimensions Commas Deadwood Person Tense Days Links Glossaries Tips Notes Nouns Pronouns Commas Writing tor the Medium Page Titles Cities Slashes Zones Decades Possessives Currency Days Jargon Sentences Click Serial Commas Feedback Links Periods Dictionaries Hyphens Tips Web Front Page Person Punctuation Capitalizing URLs Readability Privacy Policy Footers Phone Numbers Definitions titles Buttons Ranges References Semicolons Dashes Money Dates Tense Infinitives Conjunctions Prepositions Buttons Voice Nouns Files WWW Negatives Jargon Sentences Consistency Buttons Feedback Casual Voice Topics Years Titles Plurals Copyrights Countries Error Messages Medium Voice Brand Audience Newsletters Months Topics Emails Subject Lines Percentages Locations Misspellings Correlatives Sentences Action Click Page Titles Ampersands Footers Dimensions Commas Topics Tense Directions Underlining Slashes Numbers Verbs Actions Percentages Locations Hyphens Modifiers Infinitives Italic Jargon Ellipses Titles Links Footers Procedures Dimensions Commas Deadwood Person Tense Days Time Zones Boxes Dictionaries Help Verbs Actions Tips Front Page Nouns Help Casual Voice Topics Adjectives Commas Quotations Jargon Cities Proper Names Possessives Apostrophes Footers Ellipses Titles Links Ampersands Modifiers Verbs Conjunctions Correlatives Commas Abbreviations Tense Click Keys Error Messages Voice Brand Numbers Dictionaries Topics Deadwood Consistency Tense Help Jargon Cities Decades Front Page Apostrophes Quotation Marks Formats Ellipses Years Feedback Emails Newsletters Centuries Commas Money Jargon Sentences Click Serial Commas Feedback Links Dictionaries Hyphens Tips Web Front Page Person Punctuation Colons Capitalizing URLs Privacy Policy Help Links Glossaries Tips Notes Consistency Years Instructions Click Hyphens Money Participles Ellipses Misspellings Sentences Action Click Hyphens Percentages Files Sizes Links Copyrights Headings Tense Misspellings Words Storage TV Nouns Question Marks Definitions titles Buttons Ranges References Semicolons Prompts Adjectives Dashes Slashes Front Page Sentences Spelling Subjects Titles Numbers WWW Underlining Slashes Numbers Verbs Actions Percentages Locations Ellipses Movies Titles Links Ampersands Footers Dimensions Time Commas Deadwood Person Tense Days Time Zones Boxes Dictionaries Help Verbs Tips Front Page Nouns Casual Voice Copyrights Error Messages Medium Voice Brand Audience Newsletters Phone Numbers Months Topics Emails Presentations Editorial Standards for Original Content and Journalism Punctuation Subject Lines Percentages Locations Plurals Ellipses Consistency Buttons Feedback Casual Voice Boxes Headings Footers Periods Plurals Percentages Copyrights Newsletters Time Readability Dates Words Copyrights Headings WWW Commas Modifiers Numbers Voice Blogs Jargon Commas URLs Participles Serial Commas Feedback URLs Links Periods Dictionaries Hyphens Tips Web Front Page Ellipses Misspellings Lists Infinitives Blogs Headings Email Tense Apostrophes Help Verbs Time Numbers URLs Directions Titles Conjunctions Web Zones Tips Acronyms Hyphens Modifiers Consistency Tense Help Jargon Cities Decades Front Page Apostrophes Quotation Marks Formats Days Ellipses Years Emails Tense URLs Yahoo! Voice Writing the Yahoo! Way YES Guide Version 1.book Page xvi Thursday, November 3, 2005 3:09 PM YES Guide Version 1.book Page 17 Thursday, November 3, 2005 3:09 PM IN THIS CHAPTER ... What is the Yahoo! voice? It’s the way we express ourselves in words, protect the Yahoo! brand, and build and sustain trust. Qualities of the Yahoo! voice. It’s human, friendly, and trustworthy. Yahoo! voice spectrum. From Casual to Professional, the Yahoo! voice is adaptable. Creating the Yahoo! voice. Some guidelines apply, regardless of where you are along the voice spectrum. Specifying voice. Write it down. WRITING IN THE YAHOO! VOICE Writing in the Yahoo! Voice What is the Yahoo! voice? It's how we express ourselves in words. It's Yahoo! branding for everything written across the network. Just as the Yahoo! logo must be used carefully to protect our brand, so must our words be used carefully to protect the Yahoo! voice. The voice applies to every communication with our users and visitors, including the Yahoo! network, emails, newsletters, and other media. Our business is built on collecting and using people's data. We can't get that data unless consumers trust us. Consumers trust us because our voice is trustworthy. Trust is built with care over time, but it can be broken with carelessness in a moment. Qualities of the Yahoo! voice Yahoo! is a smart, trusted friend who'll give the straight scoop in a way that is suitable to the audience, the audience's expectations, and the audience's reasons for visiting. The voice we use in our products and services should fulfill this promise. Our content should always reflect the perspective of the individual visiting our sites. The Yahoo! voice is human, friendly, and trustworthy. It is also inclusive, open, passionate, informed, balanced, straightforward, respectful, and occasionally irreverent. Most important, the words we choose should always maintain a balanced, relevant, and respectful tone. 17 YES Guide Version 1.book Page 18 Thursday, November 3, 2005 3:09 PM Yahoo! voice spectrum Yahoo! voice spectrum Every part of Yahoo! speaks with the Yahoo! voice—but some properties and parts of some properties may need to speak differently from others. Because of the breadth and depth of the Yahoo! network, the voice can range from professional and straightforward to playful and quirky. Yahoo! Finance and Yahoo! Movies should sound human and relevant because these are core Yahoo! values. But Finance should feel informed, balanced, straightforward, and respectful, while Movies should feel friendly, inclusive, open, passionate, and irreverent. The Yahoo! voice ranges from "professional" to "casual," with a mid-range voice in between. Professional voice The Professional voice should sound businesslike but also accessible and friendly. To achieve this, use simple, straightforward language. No technical buzzwords or jargon. Example Welcome to Yahoo! Merchant Solutions. Whether you're an experienced web retailer or new to online selling, we make it as easy as possible for you to get world-class results from your Yahoo! Merchant Solutions plan. Appropriate language for the Professional voice can include contractions, slang common to business situations or within the audience's domain of expertise, and sentence fragments. Because it is straightforward, without unnecessary words, Professional voice is well suited to service announcements, help topics, instructions, and UI text. Mid-Range voice Most of our properties express the Yahoo! voice in a balanced fashion, neither too dry nor too sassy. The Mid-Range Yahoo! voice uses conversational language and a sense of fun, without going over the top. Here's an example from Yahoo! Mobile where the voice is right in the middle. Example Yahoo! Mobile has teamed up with Yahoo! Shopping to provide you with the latest reviews, helpful shopping guides, and the best deals on mobile devices and accessories. 18 YES Guide Version 1.book Page 19 Thursday, November 3, 2005 3:09 PM Creating the Yahoo! voice The Casual voice is the "strong" voice of Yahoo!. It's well-suited for Yahoo!'s entertainment properties, where the tone can be smart, friendly, lively, and a bit edgy, but not "in your face," sarcastic, or arrogant. Ask Yahoo! and Yahoo! Picks are typical of the Casual voice. The Buzz Report is the Casual voice dialed up to the maximum. It's like dishing about pop culture with pals around the water cooler, and the light, entertaining tone reflects Yahoo!'s sense of fun. The Casual voice is also appropriate for Yahoo! Movies and Yahoo! Games, as shown in this excerpt from Yahoo! Games. Example With the "Manticore of Darkness" card, you can send one Beast, Beast-Warrior, or Winged Beast-Type Monster Card from your hand or your side of the field to the Graveyard to Special Summon this card from the Graveyard. Yeah, we don't know what it means either. WRITING IN THE YAHOO! VOICE Casual voice Language appropriate for the Casual voice includes contractions, slang, made-up words and phrases, and sentence fragments. Humor is also appropriate. This example from Yahoo! Movies also illustrates the Casual voice. Example Halle Berry bares her claws against corporate bad girl Sharon Stone. Mee-oww! Creating the Yahoo! voice Regardless of the strength of the voice and the medium, you should keep the following points in mind. They apply to all communication. Avoid technical jargon. See Choosing the right words on page 22 for tips on recognizing and eliminating technical jargon. Focus on the audience. Technology is still scary to many people. Our goal is to make the Internet seem friendly, approachable, and human. Use a conversational tone. Our content should sound very conversational: intelligent, knowledgeable, resourceful, fun, clever, interesting, interested, but never cynical. Keep it simple, short, and direct. Use active verbs whenever possible. Avoid unnecessary language. Review all copy to be sure that every sentence and word is essential. You'll find tips and techniques throughout this guide for creating clear, concise communication. 19 YES Guide Version 1.book Page 20 Thursday, November 3, 2005 3:09 PM Specifying voice Make it comprehensive. If you explain a technical point, label it as such and provide links to the background necessary to understand it. Use examples when explaining key features. Offer numbered step-by-step instructions where appropriate. Be consistent. Strive for a consistent tone across all content. This guide to Yahoo! style is the foundation for creating consistency in all you write or edit. Have fun. If we don't make people smile, we're doing something wrong. Avoid using stereotypical sales-speak. The game is invitation, not intimidation. We don't want to sound arrogant or sarcastic. One way to accomplish this is to avoid excessive use of exclamation points or displaying words in all capital letters. Another is to avoid self-serving statements (such as "we strive to," "our products are designed to," and "in an effort to improve") that offer no information or benefit to the reader. Before Yahoo! Small Business was designed to provide a one-stop shop of best-of-breed, user-friendly products and services to broaden your reach and increase your sales! After Broaden your reach and increase sales with Yahoo!'s comprehensive web-based solutions. Specifying voice The voice to use for a specific product, service, or feature should be documented in a style guide. See Creating a Style Guide on page 171. For Yahoo! global sites, the essential characteristics of Yahoo! are the same, but each region has a different audience with its own product needs. 20 YES Guide Version 1.book Page 21 Thursday, November 3, 2005 3:09 PM Writing for the Audience IN THIS CHAPTER ... Analyzing your audience. Know thy reader. It’s the first commandment of writing. Choosing the right words. Jargon is relative. Your audience may understand the domain jargon that comes with their area of expertise, but you should consider technical jargon incomprehensible to everyone. Considering culture. Yahoo! properties are accessible worldwide. How will your message be interpreted in another culture? Analyzing your audience One of the first questions User Experience and Design (UED) asks for any design project is "Who is the target user?" This characterization requires consideration not only of the person's age, computer and Internet experience, and usage profile, but also of cultural differences. Before writing, consider the following questions about the property and its users: Who are the users of the product or service? What qualities do users expect and want most from the product or service? What should be the voice of the product or service? WRITING FOR THE AUDIENCE Achieving the right readability. Are you writing at a graduate-school level for a high-school dropout? Readability scores can help you identify potential problems in your prose if you understand how to interpret and use them. Where will the content appear and how will it be read? Online or in print? Which qualities of the Yahoo! voice are most important? Innovative, fun, trustworthy, human, relevant, friendly, inclusive, open, passionate, informed, balanced, straightforward, respectful, irreverent? People visit and return to a web site for specific information, entertainment, community, or transactions. If the site doesn't serve at least one of these needs, users will leave. Take into account the user's reasons for visiting the site by answering these questions: Which user needs does the product or service address? How will you focus your writing on your users' needs? Does the product or service use content from an external source that follows different style guidelines? If so, how will you reconcile the two? 21 YES Guide Version 1.book Page 22 Thursday, November 3, 2005 3:09 PM Choosing the right words Choosing the right words In all of your writing, avoid the engineering jargon of the Internet, including acronyms and technical terms. Yahoo! is savvy, but not "techie." We're constantly striving to improve the user experience through plain, direct language. Before You can toggle through different news searches for stories, photos, videos, Full Coverage, and Premium Archives--the links are lined up across the top of the results page. (“Toggle” is not only a techie term, but also used incorrectly) After To view different news searches for stories, photos, videos, Full Coverage, and Premium Archives, click the links at the top of the results page. Many words that are familiar to your readers may become jargon in the context of a web page. Before We display breadcrumbs after each search result showing you exactly where in Yahoo! News (or elsewhere at Yahoo!) a news story was found. After "Breadcrumbs" show where in Yahoo! News (or elsewhere at Yahoo!) we found a news story. Look for them at the top of the page. 22 YES Guide Version 1.book Page 23 Thursday, November 3, 2005 3:09 PM Choosing the right words To avoid intimidating people who are just beginning to explore the Web, use simple words where possible. If it's necessary to use a technical term or acronym, explain or define it. Before Right-click the Messenger icon in your system tray (usually in lower right corner of your screen). After Right-click the Messenger icon in the Windows taskbar. The icon is usually on the right of the taskbar at the bottom of your screen. Right-click the Messenger icon Words that are commonplace among developers can creep into your writing. Be on the lookout for these words and find simple substitutes. Before Add a News Tracker Search by filling out the following parameters. Click Save when you're done. After Add a News Tracker Search by filling out this form. Click Save when you're done. WRITING FOR THE AUDIENCE Better with graphic Right-click the Messenger icon in the Windows taskbar. The icon is usually on the right of the taskbar at the bottom of your screen. Some words (like system and machine) are ingrained in our vocabulary, but for the novice web user, may be ambiguous. Before Will the MarketTracker work on my system? After Will MarketTracker work on my computer? Can I use MarketTracker on my computer? 23 YES Guide Version 1.book Page 24 Thursday, November 3, 2005 3:09 PM Considering culture Jargon relating to a subject may be familiar to only some of your readers. For those readers who may be unfamiliar with a word or expression, you can include a link to a glossary or other page defining terms. Example from Yahoo! Finance Yahoo! Insider Trades tracks trading activity and planned sales by insiders for publicly traded U.S. companies (Links to definition of "insider") Considering culture Products at Yahoo!, particularly platform properties, are intended to be used worldwide. It's important that product teams consider cultures outside their own as they design for their users. Some questions to consider: When the interface is translated, does the same terminology apply from one culture to the next? Does a particular icon or color conflict with attitudes in that culture? What customs or traditions in the culture may affect users' interaction with or perception of the product? Achieving the right readability According to the National Adult Literacy Survey, conducted by the U.S. Department of Education, nearly 50 percent of all adults in the U.S., or 90 million people, read at the eighth-grade level or below. Note For a brief discussion on how reading ability affects a user's web experience, see "Making the Web Friendlier for Lower-Literacy Users," Intercom, The Magazine of the Society for Technical Communication, June 2004. Many factors, including sentence structure (such as the use of passive voice, described in Stay active on page 136), sentence length, and word choice affect how easy or hard text is to read and understand. But layout and formatting, overall content organization, illustrations, and other factors can also increase (or decrease) readability. 24 YES Guide Version 1.book Page 25 Thursday, November 3, 2005 3:09 PM Achieving the right readability Using Microsoft Word to ascertain readability One way to ascertain readability is by using readability formulas. Readability formulas have been used (and misused) for decades, and two of the most enduring (Flesch Reading Ease Score and Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level) are included in Microsoft Word. You can use Word for a variety of statistics related to readability, including: Average number of sentences per paragraph Average number of words per sentence Average number of characters per word Number of passive sentences Flesch Reading Ease Score Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level 1 From the Tools menu, select Options. 2 Click the Spelling & Grammar tab. 3 Turn on the Check grammar and spelling option. 4 Make sure the Show readability statistics option is selected. Note Word can check grammar and style when doing a spell-check. However, many of Word's suggested changes or "improvements" conflict with this guide and with general principles of clear communication. If you don't want to be subjected to Word's dicta on style and grammar, turn off these features. To do so, in the Options dialog box, click Settings and uncheck the options under Grammar and Style. WRITING FOR THE AUDIENCE To turn on readability scores: After turning on readability statistics, you can see readability scores only after doing a spell-check on text (all or selected parts of a document). Although you can check selected text, you'll get the most accurate readability scores with longer text. For short text, a few multisyllable words, no matter how comprehensible to your audience, can negatively impact a readability score. To view readability scores: Spell-check the document or selected text. 25 YES Guide Version 1.book Page 26 Thursday, November 3, 2005 3:09 PM Achieving the right readability Interpreting readability scores Using Microsoft Word you can ascertain the Flesch Reading Ease Score and the Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level. Both readability scores are based on the average number of syllables per word and average number of words per sentence. Note Word's readability scores are based on paper-based text only. They are most useful to make "before" and "after" comparisons, especially if editing involves an extreme makeover. Some authorities suggest that it's better to write at a readability level that's below the reading skill level of the intended audience. Text with a lot of short sentences will score well below its actual audience's reading ability. Flesch Reading Ease Score This readability score rates text on a 100-point scale; the higher the score, the easier it is to understand the text. Microsoft recommends that you aim for a score of approximately 60 to 70 for most standard documents. But keep in mind that for onscreen reading, you may want to set your sights on a slightly higher score. Short, choppy, text with little variation in length will score as "easy to read" with this measure, but may not produce compelling copy. To see if you've used many short sentences, check the average sentences per paragraph and average number of words per sentence. Here are how some web sites score in the Flesch Reading Ease Score, according to www.readability.info: ESPN.go.com article 17.4 (although this doesn’t seem likely) Intuitive.com home page 64 Nickelodeon home page 84.2 NY Times article 70.4 PC World article 59.4 White House press release 84.4 Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level The Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level rates text on a U.S. grade-school level. For example, a score of 8.0 means that an eighth grader can understand the text. Most readability experts suggest that for most standard documents, you should aim for a score of approximately 7.0 to 8.0. Again, the recommendations are for reading paper-based documents; you may want to achieve a lower grade level for online copy. 26 YES Guide Version 1.book Page 27 Thursday, November 3, 2005 3:09 PM Achieving the right readability As a point of comparison, look at how some writers' text score using this measure. (Most text with dialog scores considerably lower than the recommended grade level because dialog is usually a series of short paragraphs that can skew the score.) Ernest Hemingway 4.9 William Shakespeare 7.6 Virginia Woolf 7.7 James Joyce 12 Using the scores to improve your writing Use the scores as predictors. Most authorities agree that although readability scores may be flawed in accurately indicating the reading level of text, they are reliable predictors of difficulty. Use the scores for comparisons. If you'll be doing a complete (or near complete) rewrite of text, check the readability scores, number of passive sentences, etc., before editing. Then view the numbers again after the edit as a sanity-check, to be sure that you're not making the text harder to read. Accept that editing alone won't greatly improve readability. Editing can improve readability—up to a point. Lowering the Flesch-Kincaid score from a grade level of 12 to 7 or 8 is almost impossible without an extreme makeover of the text. Changing a few words and shortening a few sentences is seldom enough to move this measure by any significant amount. For suggestions on how to shorten your prose and remove unnecessary verbiage, see Shortening Any Text on page 133. WRITING FOR THE AUDIENCE Although readability scores may have limited use for online text, they do provide insight into the readability of your words. Keep in mind the following when trying to apply the scores to improve your writing: Consider other readability factors. Look at the average number of sentences per paragraph, the number of passive sentences, and other stats available from Word. Also consider that sometimes readability can be improved by changing the format, rather than the text. Don't go too far. Don't try to achieve a level of readability by writing short, choppy, uninteresting text that's inconsistent with the Yahoo! voice. 27 YES Guide Version 1.book Page 28 Thursday, November 3, 2005 3:09 PM YES Guide Version 1.book Page 29 Thursday, November 3, 2005 3:09 PM Writing for the Medium IN THIS CHAPTER ... Writing for online reading. It's different from writing for print. Instructing online users. Keep it short, direct, and relevant. Writing email, newsletters, help, and UI text. Each has its own requirements and challenges. Make sure your writing is appropriate for the message and the medium delivering it. Writing text for the Yahoo! Front Page. It has its own guidelines. Integrating third-party content. Can you make a change? Writing for online reading Reading on paper is different from reading online. It's more difficult to read text onscreen. You have less than 10 seconds for your readers to understand what the page is about and what they're supposed to do next. For more on this topic, see “Be Succinct!" at www.useit.com/alertbox/9703b.html. Online audiences have short attention spans, so use as few words as possible to get the point across. Make every word count and focus on the point. Cut any paper-based text by 50%. Beware of cutting so drastically that you make the text ambiguous or that you deviate from the Yahoo! voice. Make each paragraph short, with a compelling opening sentence. For information on writing effective paragraphs, see Constructing paragraphs on page 118. Move vital but tangential or supplemental material to a secondary position. Convert repeating categories of information into tables. According to a study by Jakob Nielsen, "People rarely read Web pages word by word; instead, they scan the page, picking out individual words and sentences." Write to facilitate scanning by breaking up text with: Bulleted lists (like this one). Creating lists on page 119 gives guidelines for constructing effective, well-formed lists. Tables can make information easier to read and access while adding white space to a page. Meaningful headlines and subheadings can break up paragraphs of text and visually group onscreen elements. WRITING FOR THE MEDIUM Delete fluff. Objective text is often more usable, and is seen as more trustworthy, than promotional copy. 29 YES Guide Version 1.book Page 30 Thursday, November 3, 2005 3:09 PM Instructing users Bold text catches the readers' attention. Short paragraphs are generally more effective than longer blocks of text. See Constructing paragraphs on page 118 for an example of the advantages short paragraphs provide over a single long paragraph. Pull quotes, which are snippets of an article or other text that are pulled out and set off in an eye-catching manner, can also aid in scanning while providing visual relief and interest. Instructing users Regardless of medium—email, newsletters, onscreen, or otherwise—use consistent terminology when instructing users to take some action or perform steps. Note If a property has an established style for instructing users and uses that style consistently, follow it. However, if there is no established style, the style isn't used consistently, or the property is new or changing dramatically, follow the guidelines in this section. Referring to onscreen elements When referring to the label or text of onscreen elements, such as action buttons, radio buttons, and checkboxes, follow these guidelines: Use the same capitalization. Use the same capitalization in text as the capitalization of the onscreen element. For example, if a button label uses Title style capitalization, use that when referring to the button. See Capitalization on page 91 for the rules for using the capitalization styles. Visually distinguish labels. To distinguish a label or onscreen text from surrounding text, use bold for the label or text of the onscreen elements. It's also acceptable to enclose labels and onscreen text in quotation marks, although bold is preferred. Just be sure you're consistent in their use. Use consistent terminology. If it's necessary to include the type of element (list, button, checkboxes, etc.), use consistent terminology. See Yahoo! Glossary on page 177. 30 YES Guide Version 1.book Page 31 Thursday, November 3, 2005 3:09 PM Instructing users Before You can create additional profiles (up to 5) by clicking CREATE A NEW PUBLIC PROFILE. (Actual button text doesn't include "a" and capitalization is Title style) After You can create additional profiles (up to five) by clicking the Create New Public Profile button. Better To create additional profiles (up to five), click Create New Public Profile. Referring to keys When referring to keys on the keyboard, use the following terms. Depending on the property's standard, key names should be in quotes, bold, or plain text without quotes. arrow keys Backspace Break Caps Lock Clear Ctrl Del or Delete the Down Arrow key End Enter Esc Home Insert the Left Arrow key Num Lock Option (Macintosh only) Page Down Page Up Pause Print Screen Reset Return (Macintosh only) the Right Arrow key Scroll Lock Select Shift the spacebar the Tab key the Up Arrow key For keys that must be pressed simultaneously, separate the keys with a plus sign (+). Example Get your friend's attention by pressing Ctrl+G. The window will shake and buzz. WRITING FOR THE MEDIUM Alt 31 YES Guide Version 1.book Page 32 Thursday, November 3, 2005 3:09 PM Instructing users Describing user actions Use consistent language when instructing the user to perform some action, whether it is on the keyboard or with a mouse. Keyboard actions When describing a user keyboard action, use the following words: Use press to describe the action the user takes on the keyboard; don't use hit a key. In general, use type to describe entering text, although type in can be used when describing entering text into a text box. Enter is also an acceptable alternative to type. Before Enter your ID and hit the Enter key. (Don't use "hit" for a keyboard action) After Type your ID and press the Enter key. (Users "press" a key. If there's no chance Type your ID and press Enter. for confusion, you can omit the word "key") Mouse actions When describing the actions the user can take with a mouse, use these guidelines: If the user can perform no other action on the object (and the object is obviously clickable), use click, double-click, right-click, etc., without the word on. This includes radio buttons, action buttons, links, icons, menu items, tabs, and the like. 32 Before Click on the Edit link. (No need for "on" if object is a link) After Click the Edit link. Click Edit. (Users "click" a link. If there's no chance for confusion, you can omit the word "link") YES Guide Version 1.book Page 33 Thursday, November 3, 2005 3:09 PM Writing effective emails If the user could perform some other action on the object, such as open or delete it, use click on, double-click on, right-click on, etc. The object might be a photograph, file name, folder, or similar object. Before Click the photo you want to edit. After Click on the photo you want to edit. (Include "on" if object is a photo or file) Don't use hover or mouseover. Use roll, move, pass your mouse over, or an equivalent phrase. Don't use press or hit to describe the mouse action; use click or click on instead. Reserve the use of press for keystrokes. Before Press the I SEE THE VIDEO button when you see the video clip. After When you see the video clip, click I See the Video. Don't include the words with your mouse when describing an action with the mouse. It's understood. Before Right-click on the file with your mouse. Writing effective emails Customers view marketing email as a disposable commodity. Much goes into the trash without being read or doesn't even make it to the inbox. Usability research shows that recipients don't read email messages; they skim them. Email isn't like a web site. It's more immediate and more personal, but has more limited real estate. Email isn't like direct mail. It's more disposable and less tactile. WRITING FOR THE MEDIUM After Right-click on the file. 33 YES Guide Version 1.book Page 34 Thursday, November 3, 2005 3:09 PM Writing effective emails General content guidelines Follow these guidelines (from the presentation "The Formula for Creating Compelling Email") for writing emails: Condense messages to a single goal. Deliver on expectations quickly. Let splash pages and the rest of the web site provide more information. The purpose of an email is almost always to get someone to do something else. Give them a reason to take the next step. Nearly 70% of customer activity happens on the day of the send, so make your offer of immediate importance. Put a deadline on it and create an expectation that the customer has to act now. Convey your brand identity with tone, voice, color, and images. Be sure that all content fits the Yahoo! tone and style. Make sure that the voice is appropriate for the message. For example, the voice of a marketing email generally is different from the Professional voice of a service announcement. Differentiate your message from that of your competitors. Identify the relationship and personality, and then deliver it consistently. Deliver a consistent message. Provide easy access to information. Organize information in "chunks"—visual groupings of information—to connect related pieces of data and separate nonrelated data. Provide visual clues to help the reader identify the "chunks." Prioritize information so the most important information to the customer is first or otherwise highlighted visually. Re-purpose, but don't re-use, existing information found on the web site. Print and/or web content is rarely effective for email. Make the copy concise. Get to the point, but don't belabor it. Make the tone friendly and helpful. Keep it individual. The audience for every message is one person. Be mindful of email size—a user won't wait for lengthy emails to appear. Leverage the familiar to establish trust. Personify the target. Touch your customers emotionally. Decide what character you want to express and then stick to it. Explanation is better than implication. But in plain, concise language. 34 YES Guide Version 1.book Page 35 Thursday, November 3, 2005 3:09 PM Writing effective emails Service announcements Service announcements are sent to Yahoo! users, customers, members, or others to notify them of a change to a product or service. Use these rules when writing service announcements: Don't use the announcement to sell or promote a product or service. Avoid sales pitches or marketing-speak. The subject line must clearly identify the email as a service announcement so that it's not mistaken for spam. For example, start the subject line with a phrase like "Important notice about" or "Important Notice: Your." The text of the email should be short, direct, clear, and concise, with no room for ambiguity. If the reader must take an action, clearly explain the step or steps. Use the Professional voice and maintain a courteous and respectful tone. Anticipate common questions or concerns and direct readers to the appropriate place to express them or to find answers. If possible, include an email address for feedback and a link to more information. Differences between HTML and text emails Emails are sent as either HTML or plain text. Text emails don't include graphics, special characters, or hypertext links, so they can't be identical to their HTML counterparts. Follow these guidelines for text emails: Take care referring to URLs. When including a URL in a text email, don't use the word click. Instead, use go to, visit, or other wording. Group information visually. To group information visually, use lines of asterisks, hyphens, or equal signs to set off headings or sections of the email. Using all capital letters for important parts of headings is acceptable in text emails as long as it's not overdone. Keep it short. The maximum text line length is 68 characters. WRITING FOR THE MEDIUM Example To review and change your Yahoo! Auctions notifications, visit the preferences page: http://user.auctions.shopping.yahoo.com/show/prefs?select=notify 35 YES Guide Version 1.book Page 36 Thursday, November 3, 2005 3:09 PM Writing effective emails Text emails can use a variety of characters to “chunk” info Judicious use of All Caps is OK in text emails Email mechanics Regardless of the format of the email, pay special attention to the subject line, To and From names, and the footer. Subject lines The subject line is important—it determines whether your email will be read or deleted. Follow these guidelines for subject lines: Identify your offer and/or summarize your message. Avoid overusing uppercase, exclamation points, and superlatives that might be mistaken for spam in the subject line. All uppercase letters triggers spam guards in some email programs. 36 YES Guide Version 1.book Page 37 Thursday, November 3, 2005 3:09 PM Writing effective emails Try to keep the subject line text under 45 characters. Put key words at the start of the subject line because some mail readers cut off long subject lines. Include one compelling and specific detail in the subject line; prices and recognizable names are often effective. Used sparingly, words like deal, sale, special, favorites, bestsellers, and hottest can also be effective. Ampersands and common abbreviations are OK in subject lines to keep the length short. Don't include ending punctuation (except a question mark when appropriate). Of course, if the last word in the subject line is Yahoo!, include the exclamation point. Be consistent with capitalization. Use either Sentence style or Title style caps. If using Title style, watch for words that should be initial cap, but are commonly overlooked, like with and from. See Capitalization on page 91 for the rules that apply to capitalization styles. Examples Sign up now for Fantasy Football Buyer Appreciation on Yahoo! Auctions (Sentence style caps) (Title style caps) To and From names and addresses Include a To name and a From name and address. This information enhances the credibility and professionalism of the communication. Footers Unsubscribe instructions, disclaimers, and links to the Yahoo! Privacy Policy are added to the email footer automatically. Occasionally, an incorrect footer is used for an email. Always check to be sure that the correct footer (including the correct product or service name) is included. WRITING FOR THE MEDIUM Example To: Yahoo! Fantasy Sports Fans From: Yahoo! Fantasy Sports 37 YES Guide Version 1.book Page 38 Thursday, November 3, 2005 3:09 PM Writing newsletters Writing newsletters When writing newsletters, you need to take into account the same factors as you do with emails. See Differences between HTML and text emails on page 35 for details. Text newsletters can use a variety of characters to “chunk” info Judicious use of All Caps is OK in text newsletters 38 YES Guide Version 1.book Page 39 Thursday, November 3, 2005 3:09 PM Writing help Writing help Help is part of a larger body of aids known as "user assistance." User assistance can include embedded help (the text that appears on a page to assist the user in entering the correct information or selecting the appropriate option), tutorials, wizards, tooltips, manuals, and more. Note Although it is beyond the scope of this style guide, all forms of user assistance should adhere to the principles of clear communication and style described in this guide. The guidelines in this section apply to online help; that is, the topics and information displayed when a user clicks a help (or similar) link on a Yahoo! page. Two kinds of help—one standard To simplify the discussion of help, most authorities divide it into two general categories: Procedural (or task-based) help, which explains to the reader how to do something. It's typically written as a series of steps and its title is written as a question. Reference help, which encompasses everything else. It can include summaries, overviews, and explanations of a service or feature; definitions of terms; system requirements, among other subjects. In internal Yahoo! parlance, reference help is often referred to as "topics." Don't combine both procedural and reference help in a single help article; each article should contain either procedural or reference information. Regardless of the type of help you're writing, you should be consistent in your presentation, terminology, typography, and voice. Effective communication for user assistance also requires concise, tight writing. When writing help questions, follow these guidelines: Write questions as if the user were asking them. Write all questions in the same person; that is, all in first person ("How do I close my account?") or all in second person ("Closing your account"). If possible, avoid starting many sequential questions with the same word or words, forcing the reader to plow through several words to get to the part of the question that is unique. Note At present, the list of help questions is derived from the full text of the questions; therefore, in the following example, "How do I" must be repeated with each question. WRITING FOR THE MEDIUM Writing effective questions 39 YES Guide Version 1.book Page 40 Thursday, November 3, 2005 3:09 PM Writing help Before How do I ... How do I edit my Billing and Premium Services? How do I change my membership information? How do I change my address and contact information? How do I create a listing in People Search? How do I close my Yahoo! account? After How do I ... Edit my Billing and Premium Services? Change my membership information? Change my address and contact information? Create a listing in People Search? Close my Yahoo! account? Make sure that each item in the list can complete the question. Before How do I ... How do I post an ad?(Doesn't complete "How do I …") How do I edit or delete my ad?(Doesn't complete "How do I …") Find my ad? Post lots of ads easily? After How do I ... Post an ad? Edit or delete my ad? Find my ad? Post lots of ads easily? Avoid ending a question with Yahoo!, especially if the punctuation could be misunderstood. Writing effective topics Help topics can provide an overview of a property, product, or feature; instructions (procedures) for completing a task; or reference information (such as a glossary and definitions). 40 YES Guide Version 1.book Page 41 Thursday, November 3, 2005 3:09 PM Writing help Regardless of the type of topic you're writing, be brief and to the point. . Before The first thing that you will need to do is choose a name and description for the Mood. After First, choose a name and description for the Mood. When writing topics or answering questions, follow these guidelines: Use simple, friendly language. Make answers short and direct. Use straightforward words and avoid jargon. Use contractions for a friendly tone. Avoid hype and marketing-speak. Don't overuse simply and just in instructions. Overuse of these words can sound condescending. If a question has a "yes" or "no" answer, state that first and then explain the answer. Example Is there another way to use FTP without a special utility? Yes. If you're using Windows, you can access a text-based FTP utility from a DOS prompt. Be consistent. Use the same style and format throughout a property's help topics. For example, if you use quotation marks around a prompt (such as the name of a command button), do it the same way in all sections of the property's help topics. Break up long passages of text into easy-to-read groups. Tip To break up text into shorter paragraphs, use the <p> paragraph tag or equivalent. Overviews If an overview of a product or feature is necessary, write for online reading and scannability. See Writing for online reading on page 29. WRITING FOR THE MEDIUM When linking to another page, use words, not URLs, for the link. For an example, see Adding link text on page 47. 41 YES Guide Version 1.book Page 42 Thursday, November 3, 2005 3:09 PM Writing help Procedural help Break procedures of more than two actions into numbered steps. Tip Use HTML tags (or equivalents) for a numbered lists. Don't use manually entered numbers and indentions. Before You can keep track of the weather in your selected city by first checking the weather box on the Choose Content page. Once you've selected Finish, you'll automatically be directed to the Yahoo! News homepage. Next, you find the weather section on the front page and select Edit. This will take you to Weather on the Front Page. Choose which city appears on the Front Page and click Finished when you're done. If a city you want to appear on the front page of News is not listed, you can edit your weather cities here. After To keep track of the weather in a selected city: 1. On the Choose Content page, check the Weather box and click Finish. 2. In the Weather section on the Yahoo! News home page, click Edit. 3. On the next page, select the city you want to display and click Finished. If the city you want isn't listed, click the Edit button to add it to the list. Avoid creating a procedure consisting of a single numbered step. Incorporate the step into the introduction to the procedure, or if the step is long, set it off as a bullet point. Before To display timestamps within the IM window: 1. Click the View menu in the IM window and select Timestamps. After To display timestamps within the IM window, click the View menu in the IM window and select Timestamps. 42 YES Guide Version 1.book Page 43 Thursday, November 3, 2005 3:09 PM Writing help Introducing procedures If it's necessary to include an introduction to a procedure, start with an infinitive (the “to” form of a verb). Before You can browse your Address Book contacts using Messenger: 1. Make sure the Address Book is visible. 2. … After To browse your Address Book contacts using Messenger: 1. Make sure the Address Book is visible. 2. … Before You can change the default text font for your instant messages by following these steps: After To change the default text font for your instant messages: WRITING FOR THE MEDIUM 43 YES Guide Version 1.book Page 44 Thursday, November 3, 2005 3:09 PM Writing help Inserting comments in a step A lengthy comment to a step should be indented below the step so that it aligns on the left with the text, and not the number, above it. Short comments can be included in the step itself. Before From Yahoo! Travel, click on the Flights link and fill out the form. o Step 1: Select the type of flight you are searching for by clicking the radio button (Round-Trip, One-Way, Multi-Destination). If you are booking a Round-Trip flight, you may opt to add a Hotel by clicking on the checkbox next to "Add a hotel and save!" o Step 2: Enter the origin and destination of your trip. You may enter city names (e.g., Los Angeles) or airport codes (e.g., LAX). o Step 3: If you know the dates you would like to travel, select "Search specific dates" and enter the Departure date and Return Date. If you are flexible on the dates of travel, select "Search a date range" and specify the starting date and ending date of the date range you would like to search. After From Yahoo! Travel, click the Flights link and fill out the form. 1. Select the type of flight you want by clicking the Round-Trip, One-Way, or MultiDestination button. If you are booking a round-trip flight, you can add a hotel by checking the box next to Add a hotel and save! 2. Enter the origin and destination of the trip. You can enter city names (e.g., Los Angeles) or airport codes (e.g., LAX). 3. If you know the dates you would like to travel, select Search specific dates and enter the departure date and return date. If your travel dates are flexible, select Search a date range and specify the starting date and ending date of the date range. Glossaries Follow these guidelines when writing glossaries: Capitalize entries as they appear normally; don't make all entries initial caps unless that's they way they appear elsewhere, outside the glossary. Make sure that the definition of a glossary entry matches the number and part of speech of the entry. For example, if you're defining a verb, start the definition with an infinitive (the to form of a verb). 44 YES Guide Version 1.book Page 45 Thursday, November 3, 2005 3:09 PM Writing help Alphabetize entries. If you're unsure of how to alphabetize, enter the words in a Microsoft Word table or Excel spreadsheet and let the application do the work. Don't repeat the defined term at the start of the definition. Before Yahoo! Wallet: Yahoo! Wallet is a service that allows you to enter and store your credit card information safely and securely with Yahoo!. After Yahoo! Wallet: A service that allows you to enter and store your credit card information safely and securely with Yahoo!. Notes, cautions, and tips Use a note to highlight information of importance to users. Use a caution to warn readers of potential problems. Use a tip or hint to offer a shortcut, an alternative, or other helpful information. Example Tip To close a portfolio, click next to the portfolio name. In general, follow the conventions established by existing help text when writing notes, cautions, or tips. If capitalization or typography are inconsistent, or if there are no existing notes, cautions, or tips, follow these rules: Capitalize the word Note, Caution, or Tip. Make the word Note, Caution, or Tip bold. Example Note: You can create as many sites as you want. Example Tips o Try searching for flowerpotz in all of Shopping. o Try searching for flowerpotz across the Web. o Check your spelling or try different words that mean the same thing. WRITING FOR THE MEDIUM If the text follows the word Note, Caution, or Tip on the same line, include a colon, in bold, and capitalize the first word following the colon. If the text is on a separate line, the colon is unnecessary, but punctuation should be consistent throughout the property. 45 YES Guide Version 1.book Page 46 Thursday, November 3, 2005 3:09 PM Writing user interface text Writing user interface text See Guiding Principles: Visual Design (http://gooey.yahoo.com/visde/principles/principles.html) for more information on these and other guidelines: Clearly confirm user-initiated actions. Clearly communicate system errors or failed actions. Avoid actions that are not user-initiated or that are unexpected, such as pop-ups. Map read-order and visual weight to relevance. Content that is determined to be most relevant should read first. Content that is least relevant should read last. In presenting relevant content, apply the 80/20 rule: 80% of users' needs will be fulfilled by 20% of the content. Determine what is typically most relevant in any context and present that content with the greatest visual weight. Create a consistent page-to-page experience. Ensure consistent placement of persistent page elements. Design with flexible precision for consistent overall experience. Take no detail for granted. Determine an appropriate aesthetic interpretation of the Yahoo! voice for a product's visual design based on knowledge of the specific target audience. Clearly label pages and content. Be consistent with wording. The words used in linking should be consistent with the words used on the resulting pages. Design for scanning. Be concise and compact but avoid compromising clear communication. Avoid foolish consistencies. Consistency should yield to clarity and usability. Place explanations related to the use of personal information close to the request for personal information. Be courteous; use polite language. Make choices clear and obvious. Empower users with choice. Communicate value rather than limiting choices. Clearly attribute content provided by third parties. Writing headings Follow these guidelines for writing headings: Use Title style capitalization for headings. See Capitalization on page 91 for the rules for capitalizing words in Title style. Don't include closing punctuation for a heading unless the heading is phrased as a question when a question mark is required. If a heading is a sentence fragment, use no punctuation. 46 YES Guide Version 1.book Page 47 Thursday, November 3, 2005 3:09 PM Writing user interface text Adding link text When writing text that will become a link, pay special attention to the words you use and how you capitalize them. Wording link text Follow these guidelines for the wording of links: Keep the link text short and descriptive of where the link leads. Avoid using click here, go here, and the like in link text. Before Click here to log in, to view and edit your interests. After Log in to view and edit your interests. Before To learn more about Yahoo!'s Privacy Policy for mobile devices, please click here. After Learn more about Yahoo!'s Privacy Policy for mobile devices. Avoid using More… (or other text ending in an ellipsis) as a link because it doesn't tell users where the link takes them or what action they should take. Learn more is better, and using an active, descriptive link is best. Before You can check out Yahoo! SiteBuilder located at the following URL: http://webhosting.yahoo.com/ps/sb/ After Check out Yahoo! SiteBuilder. Capitalizing and punctuating link text Capitalization and punctuation of link text should be consistent throughout a property. If no standards have been developed (or if they aren't followed consistently), use these guidelines: WRITING FOR THE MEDIUM Don't include the actual URL as the link text, unless the URL is used for branding or brand recognition (such as finance.yahoo.com). 47 YES Guide Version 1.book Page 48 Thursday, November 3, 2005 3:09 PM Writing user interface text If the entire link is a sentence or sentence fragment, use Sentence style capitalization for the text. See Capitalization on page 91 for the rules governing Sentence style caps. If the link is embedded in other text (such as within a sentence), don't capitalize the link. Capitalize a proper noun, title, or other text that is normally capitalized in the link text. Don't include closing punctuation unless the link is phrased as a question; in that case, close with a question mark. If the text is a sentence fragment, use no punctuation. Examples Where are my orders? Where are my shopping carts? Help improve Yahoo! Shopping by participating in our user studies. Send us feedback Other interface elements Use a prompt when you want a visitor to do something—follow a link, click a button, make a choice, enter a keyword, submit a page, and so forth. Examples Send us feedback. Check your email. Create a group. Choosing the correct words Keep prompts active and to the point. The prompt should clearly and concisely communicate the action in language appropriate for the target audience. Use a verb that communicates the action you want, such as search, move, submit, check, sign in, join, sign out, create. Avoid using verbs that end in "ing." Note For a list of terms to use, see Glossary: User-Facing Terms (http://ue.corp.yahoo.com/drupal/glossary/18). Consider these suggestions (adapted from Glossary: User-Facing Terms) when choosing between delete and remove or create and add: Use delete when the action will permanently delete an item or object. For example, deleting a contact from the Yahoo! Address Book or deleting the Address Book. 48 YES Guide Version 1.book Page 49 Thursday, November 3, 2005 3:09 PM Writing user interface text Use remove when the action will remove an item or object from its current position or location, but doesn't delete it permanently. The item or object is available to be added to its previous (or other) location. For example, in the Yahoo! Calendar, removing a country from the Your Holidays list, which moves the country to the list of available countries. Use create when the action will create a new item or object. For example, creating a Sub Account or creating a portfolio on Yahoo! Finance. Use add when the action will add an item or object to a list or group of existing objects. For example, adding a task to the task list in Yahoo! Calendar, adding a folder in Yahoo! Notepad, or adding a module to a My Yahoo! page. Capitalization and punctuation Capitalization and punctuation of prompts should be consistent throughout a property. If no standards have been developed (or if they aren't followed consistently), use these guidelines. (See Capitalization on page 91 for a definition of the capitalization styles.) Sentence style capitalization. If a complete sentence, include closing punctuation; otherwise, use no punctuation. Command button text Title style capitalization. No closing punctuation. Instructions, introductory text If a complete sentence, use Sentence style capitalization and include closing punctuation (such as a period or question mark). Otherwise, use no punctuation. If the text is very short (three or fewer words), Title style capitalization is acceptable as long as all similar text uses the same capitalization style. Radio button title and text Sentence style capitalization. If a complete sentence, include closing punctuation; otherwise, use no punctuation. Text entry box names Title style capitalization. If a complete sentence, include closing punctuation; otherwise, use no punctuation. WRITING FOR THE MEDIUM Checkbox text 49 YES Guide Version 1.book Page 50 Thursday, November 3, 2005 3:09 PM Writing user interface text Examples of command/action buttons Title style capitalization Examples of UI text Title style caps for short headings Title style caps for titles of lists and radio buttons Sentence style caps for instructions Sentence style caps for text of radio buttons Footers GUI (Graphic User Interface), Legal, and Production have agreed on a "lowest common denominator" footer for use on Yahoo! properties. Note 50 Guidelines for the contents and appearance of footers are currently under development. YES Guide Version 1.book Page 51 Thursday, November 3, 2005 3:09 PM Writing user interface text Contents of footers Footers on Yahoo! must contain the following: Dated notice of copyright. The copyright date should be for the current year only. In general, a range of copyright dates (such as 1999–2005) should be phased out as pages are updated. Exceptions can be made for static pages or pages that are less likely to be changed annually (such as Help pages). In those cases, a modified version of the copyright notice, omitting the year, can be used. Link to the Privacy Policy. Link to Terms of Service. Disclaimer pertaining to the collection of data, which must appear on all yahoo.com pages, even those that don't collect personally identifiable data. Footers on Yahoo! can also contain: Partner notice of copyright. Help links. (The word "Help" is enough.) Feedback link. Links to Company Information, Suggest a Site, etc. Short disclaimers. Footers on Yahoo! should not contain: Marketing messages or links. Excessive additional text or repetitive links to related sites or properties. The Yahoo! footer should generally denote the end of the page's content and not the beginning of a "bottom of the page" navigation system. Separate links by a space and a single hyphen, not periods or slashes. Before Privacy Policy. Terms of Service. Email Us. Help After Privacy Policy - Terms of Service - Email Us - Help WRITING FOR THE MEDIUM Formatting footers 51 YES Guide Version 1.book Page 52 Thursday, November 3, 2005 3:09 PM Writing user interface text All pages ending in yahoo.com, even those that do not collect personally identifiable information, must also include a disclaimer. This disclaimer, previously required only on data collection pages, must include the two sentences shown in this example: Example Copyright © 2005 Yahoo! Inc. All rights reserved. Copyright Policy - Terms of Service NOTICE: We collect personal information on this site. To learn more about how we use your information, see our Privacy Policy. Partner copyright footers Partner copyrights should be on a separate line from the Yahoo! copyright notice. (In the past, we mandated that partner copyrights follow Yahoo! copyrights, but currently no order is specified.) Do not combine the copyright notices into one entry. Before Copyright © 2005 Yahoo! Inc. and Reuters. All rights reserved. (Don't combine Yahoo! and partner copyrights) After Copyright © 2005 Yahoo! Inc. All rights reserved. Copyright © 2005 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. Feedback and error messages For feedback not involving an error, follow these guidelines: Provide feedback in a consistent, straightforward manner. Clearly confirm user-initiated actions. Error messages can create a resilient, trust-building safety net underneath your web site's applications. As an inherent part of the user interface design and the user experience, they must have the same user-centered design as the overall product UI. To ensure that error messages are user-friendly, specify them as much as the rest of the interface. In general, error messages are displayed in red bold text, near the top of the page, below the ad and title bar. Because many users scroll the page so that the title bar is at the top of the browser window, they may not see the message. If the error involves filling out a required field, pre-fill the form as much as possible with the information the user provided and draw attention to the missing field(s). 52 YES Guide Version 1.book Page 53 Thursday, November 3, 2005 3:09 PM Writing user interface text Use the following guidelines when writing error messages: Be specific. Messages that are too general make it difficult for the user to know what has gone wrong. Avoid simple and condemning messages. Before Invalid data After Enter a day from 1 to 31. Be constructive and positive. Rather than condemning users for what they have done wrong, messages should, where possible, indicate what users need to do to set things right. Before ZIP code is of the wrong length. After Please enter a 5-digit ZIP code. Be user-centered. Be courteous to the user. Use polite language. One way to achieve a friendly tone is to use second person—you and your. But don’t use these pronouns is the result could be interpreted as suggesting blame, especially in error messages. Be consistent. Maintain consistent grammatical form, terminology, and abbreviations. Before Email Address Not Found, Please Try Again After Email address not found. Please try again. Even Better We can't locate the email address you gave us. Please make sure you have the correct address and try again. WRITING FOR THE MEDIUM Use the appropriate capitalization style. Messages in a combination of uppercase and lowercase letters are easier to read than all uppercase text. Use Sentence style capitalization. (See Capitalization on page 91 for the rules governing Sentence style caps.) Use All Caps messages for brief, serious warnings. 53 YES Guide Version 1.book Page 54 Thursday, November 3, 2005 3:09 PM Writing user interface text Avoid technical jargon. Just as you do everywhere else, avoid jargon in feedback and error messages. Before Are you sure you want to navigate away from this page? After Are you sure you want to close this window? Writing effective page titles Often, the page title is the first part of a page users with a slow Internet connection see. The page title should provide a clear, concise description of the page. Note See also Web Dev’s “Best Practices for Page Titles" (http://twiki.corp.yahoo.com/view/Devel/BestPracticesForPageTitles). The text in the HTML title of the page appears in many places in the user's browser and desktop, such as: Title bar of most browsers Windows taskbar Favorites and Bookmarks The title is used by default in the user's Favorites and Bookmarks list. Consider how it will look in a long list of bookmarks. 54 YES Guide Version 1.book Page 55 Thursday, November 3, 2005 3:09 PM Writing user interface text The page title is used by default for Favorites or Bookmarks In IE the page title appears on the Favorites menu and in the Favorites pane Back and Forward buttons and History pane WRITING FOR THE MEDIUM Before Yahoo! Groups After Yahoo! Groups: Cultures & Community 55 YES Guide Version 1.book Page 56 Thursday, November 3, 2005 3:09 PM Writing Front Page text Look at these Yahoo! Directory categories for examples of effective page titles: Hitchhiking Music Reviews English Dictionaries Writing Front Page text As the most visited page on the Web and the front door to the Yahoo! network, the Yahoo! Front Page (www.yahoo.com) presents a unique set of concerns. All placements (paid and internal) are subject to a level of scrutiny above and beyond Yahoo!'s general technical and editorial specifications. See Front Page Mantel Design and Code Specs for additional information (http://ue.corp.yahoo.com/gui/prod/mainsite/mantles/specs/mantelguide/guide/ind ex.html). Space is very tight on the Front Page. Abbreviations, acronyms, ampersands, numerals for numbers under 10, and other nonstandard usage may be necessary to fit text into the available space. However, clarity is still crucial. Avoid unusual abbreviations, truncated sentences that can obscure meaning, and otherwise accepted terms that a general audience may not understand. Headlines and summaries Headlines and summaries can be rewritten for posting as long as they don't misrepresent the content on the page that will be displayed. Links on the Front Page Follow these guidelines for the text of links on the Front Page: Use closing punctuation only if the link is a complete sentence; otherwise, use no punctuation. If the link includes closing punctuation (such as a period), don't include the punctuation in the link. Use Sentence style capitalization for the link text. (See Capitalization on page 91 for the rules governing Sentence style caps.) 56 YES Guide Version 1.book Page 57 Thursday, November 3, 2005 3:09 PM Writing Front Page text Before Get the inside scoop from Entertainment Tonight. Get the Inside Scoop From Entertainment Tonight After Get the inside scoop from Entertainment Tonight (Period part of link) (Title style capitalization) (Period not part of link; Sentence style caps) Titles on the Front Page When including the title of a movie, book, song, video, etc. in a headline or other text (except in lists), follow these guidelines: If the title isn't a link, use single quotation marks around the title. If the title is a link, don't use quotation marks around the title. Before Watch the trailer for 'The Matrix' on Yahoo! Movies. Watch the trailer for "The Matrix" on Yahoo! Movies. (No need for quotes if the title is a link) After Watch the trailer for The Matrix on Yahoo! Movies. Watch the trailer for 'The Matrix' on Yahoo! Movies. (Use single quotes if the title isn't a link) Lists of titles on the Front Page Before Now in Theaters: "Finding Nemo” "Bruce Almighty" Now in Theaters: 'Finding Nemo’ 'Bruce Almighty' After Now in Theaters: Finding Nemo Bruce Almighty (No need for double quotes in a list of titles) (No need for single quotes in a list of titles) (No need for quotes when the list consists only of titles) WRITING FOR THE MEDIUM Don't use single or double quotation marks in a list of titles of movies, books, songs, videos, etc. 57 YES Guide Version 1.book Page 58 Thursday, November 3, 2005 3:09 PM Writing Front Page text Ampersands (&) and exclamation points on the FP Ampersands can be used in headlines on the Front Page only where space is limited. If an ampersand is used in a series of three or more items, don’t include a comma before it. Example Pitt & Jolie visit Canada dinosaur exhibit Avoid extensive use of ampersands (&) and exclamation points. Before 1-800-CONTACTS saves you up to 70% on your contact lenses! (Unnecessary !) After 1-800-CONTACTS saves you up to 70% on your contact lenses. "In the News" box The "In the News" box uses Sentence style capitalization and no closing punctuation for headlines. (See Capitalization on page 91 for the rules governing Sentence style caps.) “In the News” uses Sentence style caps and no closing punctuation 58 YES Guide Version 1.book Page 59 Thursday, November 3, 2005 3:09 PM Integrating third-party content Marketplace promos In Marketplace promos, capitalize the first word after a hyphen. “Marketplace” capitalizes the first word after a hyphen Integrating third-party content Yahoo! can't change content from a third party, even if it's hosted on our site. For example, Yahoo! News carries Associated Press and Reuters news feeds. These news articles use a more traditional print-oriented style that omits things like serial commas. These differences should not affect how we write at Yahoo!. Just be aware that they exist. For guidelines for paid content, go to: Guidelines for Paid Content Integration (http://produce.yahoo.com/edit/advertorial.html). WRITING FOR THE MEDIUM 59 YES Guide Version 1.book Page 60 Thursday, November 3, 2005 3:09 PM YES Guide Version 1.book Page 61 Thursday, November 3, 2005 3:09 PM IN THIS CHAPTER ... Background and Introduction. A little history behind these standards. Attribution. It’s important to clearly identify the sources of quotes and information not produced by your own reporting. Sourcing. Yahoo!’s standards for identifying sources, including standards for anonymity and confidentiality. Newsgathering. What’s legal when gathering information may vary from state to state, but some things are not permissible. Read about them. Corrections and clarifications. If we make a mistake, we acknowledge it. Plagiarism. It’s a direct violation of Yahoo! editorial standards. Quotations. When to use those pesky quotation marks. Datelines. They identify where the substantive information in a story was gathered. Bylines and end notes. When and where to include them. Digital storytelling. The use and misuse of images. Yahoo! Editorial Code of Ethics. The four major pillars of the Code of Ethics and the details behind each one. Editorial and content decision-making. The bases for making decisions related to original content and journalism. Acknowledgment. Anyone producing original content for Yahoo! is required to sign this acknowledgment. EDITORIAL STANDARDS FOR ORIGINAL CONTENT AND JOURNALISM Editorial Standards for Original Content and Journalism Background Despite its deep expertise in a range of aggregation, taxonomies, and related editorial issues, Yahoo! has undertaken relatively little original content creation or original journalism to date. In Q1 2005, Yahoo! announced its decision to establish a Media Center of Excellence in Santa Monica under SVP Lloyd Braun. Shortly after the announcement, it was clear Yahoo! would expand into new original content and journalism areas. These new original journalism and content forms require that Yahoo! adopt new editorial standards to empower these important new efforts in news reporting, editing, blogging, and other forms of digital storytelling. 61 YES Guide Version 1.book Page 62 Thursday, November 3, 2005 3:09 PM Introduction While journalism standards vary widely from publication to web site to broadcast network and even across the 90 partners in Yahoo! News, there are a set of established best practices we can draw from. For any standard to be successfully adopted, Yahoo! writers, journalists, bloggers, content producers, reporters, editors, and business-owners must develop shared values, clear guidelines, and practical protocols that serve our dual goals of journalistic and commercial success. Introduction The policies and standards outlined in these Editorial Standards are an attempt to set forth current best practices for journalists at Yahoo!. They are not intended to be all-encompassing, and Yahoo! reserves the right to make changes to these Standards from time to time based on changes in the law, journalism, technology, and business needs. These policies and standards apply to all content-related decision-making at Yahoo! by writers, journalists, bloggers, content producers, reporters, editors, and others who manage and post content. Failure to abide by these policies and standards may result in disciplinary action, up to and including termination of employment. Attribution Yahoo! will adhere to established best practices in journalism regarding the attribution of original or secondary source material. As the New York Times policy on attribution states, "When we use facts gathered by any other organization, we attribute them." Yahoo! will be truthful about the source of information collected and transparent in the reportorial process. Specifically, facts and quotations in a story that were not produced by our own reporting must be attributed in a clear and specific manner. The phrase "clear and specific manner" of attribution means Yahoo! users must be able to easily distinguish between what the Yahoo! reporter (the terms "reporter" and "writer" are used interchangeably in this document) directly witnessed and what the reporter obtained from other sources such as wire services, other Internet sites, email, other news organizations reporting, broadcast reports, individuals, etc. Yahoo! expects our reporters, when applicable, to personally witness as much as they can of the story they are reporting, and to talk to as many participants as practical in a given situation. Reporters should report from the scene of events they are covering whenever possible. 62 YES Guide Version 1.book Page 63 Thursday, November 3, 2005 3:09 PM Sourcing Sourcing In general, Yahoo! reporters and editors should be prepared to explain what they did to get the story—explain how they got the story—and who told them what they learned and why the sources are credible. A Yahoo! reporter's first goal and expectation is to get all sources on the record and to severely limit the use of anonymous and confidential sources. Yahoo! reporters are urged to get concrete and specific documentation and utilize on-the-record sources who have had direct access to information, who have seen a document, who have listened to a tape or seen a video, or who were otherwise witness to an event. Sometimes, with advance approval from supervising editors, a relevant document can serve as a primary or secondary source. In these cases, Yahoo! will always reveal how we received the document and will seek to place the entire document online for our users to review directly. While routine stories may occasionally be based on a single official named source, significant or controversial stories should be based on multiple sources. Generally speaking, the more controversial or potentially newsworthy the story, the higher the bar for multiple sources and clear attribution. When seeking comment from persons who are the subject of a story, Yahoo! reporters should give story subjects and their intermediaries (press aides, etc.) a reasonable amount of time and opportunity to respond via email, phone, etc. EDITORIAL STANDARDS FOR ORIGINAL CONTENT AND JOURNALISM If they are observing events via broadcast, video, audio, media feed, or the Internet, they should make the manner in which they are witnessing the event clear and specific to Yahoo! users. If a reporter was not present at a scene described in a story, broadcast, or video of any kind, their report of the event should make that fact absolutely clear. Yahoo! reporters should not provide sources with promises of exclusivity, specific positioning on news pages, or pledges that Yahoo! will refrain from additional reporting or efforts to verify the information they may or may not provide to Yahoo!. Yahoo! reporters should generally be able to answer these questions about any source on any story they file: Does the source know enough about the issue to provide credible information? Does the source have a vested interest in getting the story out? Are you reporting on the vested interest in the story? Is there an independent source to call—someone without an interest in the story? Do a variety of sources tell you the same thing? 63 YES Guide Version 1.book Page 64 Thursday, November 3, 2005 3:09 PM Sourcing Use of anonymous or undisclosed sources or blind quotes Yahoo! reporters and editors should press sources to be identified on the record and seek alternative methods of sourcing and attributing information only in rare and very specific circumstances. If a source is not on the record, it is important Yahoo! reporters establish ground rules at the beginning of the discussion, whether it be an interview or a simple conversation. In establishing ground rules, Yahoo! will adhere to the same specific definitions used by major news organizations and adopted as journalistic best practices. The following is from The Washington Post: On the record: For quotation, attributable to the source by name. On background, or not for attribution: These both mean the same thing: information that can be attributed to "a police department official" or "a player on the team" who is not named. Deep background: This is a tricky category, to be avoided if possible. Information accepted on "deep background" can be included in the story, but not attributed. That means there is no way to help readers understand where it is coming from, which is why we discourage the use of deep background. You can also use information received on deep background as the basis for further reporting. Off the record: This is the trickiest of all, because so many people misuse the term. By our definition, off-the-record information cannot be used, either in the paper or in further reporting. But many sources, including some sophisticated officials, use the term when they really mean "not for attribution to me."… If they really mean off the record as we define the term, then in most circumstances, we should avoid listening to such information at all. We do not want to be hamstrung by a source who tells us something that becomes unusable because it is provided on an off-the-record basis…. One alternative to off-therecord is "for guidance." A source may be willing to give us information for our guidance or to prompt further reporting, on the understanding that we will not use his comments as the basis for putting something in the paper." Original news content reporting that relies on undisclosed or confidential sources requires Yahoo! reporters to make a serious attempt to verify the information from another source. There may be situations in which Yahoo! will base its reporting on a single undisclosed or confidential source, but these occasions should be extremely rare and we should do so only after deliberations involving the general manager of News, the Managing Editor, or the Editorial Director and, if necessary, legal counsel. 64 YES Guide Version 1.book Page 65 Thursday, November 3, 2005 3:09 PM Sourcing When using unidentified or confidential sources - a common occurrence in political reporting or reporting on the military, for example - Yahoo! reporters should explain why we could not identify the source in question. Reporters should note in appropriate circumstances when a source "spoke only on the condition that he or she not be named." Spokespersons, by virtue of their role and title, should be on the record when they give briefings or contact Yahoo! reporters or editors with information. If they decline to be quoted by name in such situations, reporters should ask for a publishable explanation as to why, and tell readers what happened, if appropriate. Yahoo! will not use "sources said." Instead, an anonymous source must be identified by his/her affiliation and any information we have regarding his/her respective motivation or stance on an issue. As The Washington Post notes: "When we use an unnamed source, we are asking our readers to take an extra step to trust the credibility of the information we are providing. Our obligation is to serve readers, not sources. This means avoiding attributions to 'sources' or 'informed sources.' Instead we should try to give the reader something more, such as 'sources familiar with the thinking of defense lawyers in the case,' or 'sources whose work brings them into contact with the county executive,' or 'sources on the governor's staff who disagree with his policy.'" The New York Times further explains: "When we agree to anonymity, the reporter's duty is to obtain terms that conceal as little as possible of what the reader needs to gauge reliability. We should distinguish conscientiously between high-level and lower-level executives or officials. We should not use blind attribution - 'sources said,' for example - which is more a tease than a signpost. Attribution should never amount to a truism: since 'source' merely means a provider of information, 'one source said' is equivalent to 'somebody said.' And 'informed' or 'reliable source' is no improvement." EDITORIAL STANDARDS FOR ORIGINAL CONTENT AND JOURNALISM As a general rule, Yahoo! should not report anonymous quotes that attack a person, entity, or product. Any exceptions should be approved by the general manager of News, the Managing Editor, or the Editorial Director. Yahoo! will not allow the use of pseudonyms or nondisclosure of known sourcespecific information. Yahoo! reporters and editors will take care to always prevent our users from being misled about the identities or motivations of story subjects. In the rare situation when someone requests to be identified by less than his/her full and complete name, Yahoo! supervising editors must participate in any and all such decisions, and users must be informed in the body of the story why we are not using full names. 65 YES Guide Version 1.book Page 66 Thursday, November 3, 2005 3:09 PM Sourcing The New York Times Guidelines on Integrity notes: "No reader should find cause to suspect that the paper would knowingly alter facts. For that reason, The Times refrains outright from assigning fictional names, ages, places or dates, and it strictly limits the use of other concealment devices. If compassion or the unavoidable conditions of reporting require shielding an identity, the preferred solution is to omit the name and explain the omission…As a rare last resort, if genuine given names would be too revealing, real or coined single initials (Dr. D, Ms. L) may be used after consultation with senior editors. The article must gracefully indicate the device and the reason." Promises of anonymity or confidentiality Confidential sources must be used with great caution. Yahoo! reporters may grant anonymity or confidentiality only after consulting in advance when possible with, and obtaining the approval of, the general manager of News, the Managing Editor, or Editorial Director, who must be provided with the identity of the source in question so that editors and reporters can jointly assess the appropriateness of this act. Sources should understand this policy. In the event that reporting circumstances (such as distant geographical location or limited availability of a source) make advance approval of a supervising editor impractical, a Yahoo! reporter may gather information from a source with the understanding that a supervising editor must agree to the grant of anonymity or confidentiality or the information will not be used. Promises of confidentiality may be deemed binding contracts. Accordingly, any such promises should be specific: Is the Yahoo! reporter promising total confidentiality? Confidentiality unless there is a subpoena? Confidentiality if the reporter is threatened with imprisonment? Yahoo! reporters should be aware that protection of confidential sources and other issues are not always assured under state or federal law. There must be a forceful reason for promising confidentiality (for example, when the source is a "whistleblower"). Confidential sources should have direct knowledge of the information they are giving Yahoo! - or they must be the authorized representatives of an authority, known to Yahoo!, who has such knowledge. In some cases, sources will be asked to meet directly with Yahoo! editors and may be asked to supply additional information or documentation. Any editor, producer, or staffer who learns a source's identity should maintain exactly the same confidentiality as the reporter. Confidential source material should be specifically labeled and secured. 66 YES Guide Version 1.book Page 67 Thursday, November 3, 2005 3:09 PM Newsgathering Newsgathering First and foremost, in the course of gathering and reporting on the news, Yahoo! reporters must respect and obey the laws of the United States and all other jurisdictions in which we operate. For example, like other citizens, Yahoo! reporters cannot enter homes or other private areas (such as hotel rooms, offices, hospital rooms) without the consent of the owner/occupant. Also, state and federal eavesdropping laws prohibit, to varying degrees, the use of hidden cameras or microphones. This area of the law is very complex and changes frequently. Some states permit one party to a conversation to record a conversation; others do not. Federal law generally prohibits electronic interception of a communication without the consent of at least one party to the conversation. As a general rule, Yahoo! does not identify the victims of sexual assault, or minors who have been arrested or charged with a crime or are under criminal investigation. Any exceptions to this rule must be approved by the general manager of News, the Managing Editor, or the Editorial Director. Yahoo! reporters should not misrepresent themselves in the course of their journalistic activities. Yahoo! reporters will always properly and fully identify themselves in the course of their professional journalistic duties. Any investigative reporting that involves use of hidden cameras or microphones, or other "undercover" techniques; the use of private investigators; or "ride alongs" with authorities, must be approved by the general manager of News, the Managing Editor, or the Editorial Director. EDITORIAL STANDARDS FOR ORIGINAL CONTENT AND JOURNALISM In editing at the news desk or at higher levels, the description of a source should not be altered without consultation with the reporter and editor who made the confidentiality commitment. Yahoo! reporters should always consider their own safety and exercise caution in dangerous or high-risk situations. Any reporter who is concerned about their safety has the right to refuse an assignment and should consult with the general manager of News, the Managing Editor, or the Editorial Director. Corrections and clarifications Yahoo! recognizes that with the creation of original content comes the ethical responsibility to correct any and all errors of fact or omission promptly, fully, and candidly. 67 YES Guide Version 1.book Page 68 Thursday, November 3, 2005 3:09 PM Corrections and clarifications Yahoo! will create a corrections or clarifications page within Yahoo! News and require content-producing entities within the Yahoo! Network to post corrected content contextually (updating posts within a blog for example) in a timely and forthright manner. The prompt investigation of errors and the timely posting of corrected content will be the shared responsibility of the Managing Editor, Editorial Director, the supervising producer of Yahoo! News, and the product manager of Yahoo! News, in consultation with legal counsel if necessary. Individuals reporting errors will be treated with the highest level of respect and taken seriously. Often those reporting errors are directly affected by a story and our respectful treatment of their comments can help eliminate any formal complaints. Yahoo! should adopt the credibility standards researched and created by "Best Practices for Newspaper Journalists" by Robert J. Haiman for the Freedom Forum's Free Press/Fair Press Project. Specifically: Publish corrections prominently and in the same place every day and make the corrections location easy to find via primary product navigation. It will be encouraging to users if we publish corrections as prominently as the error or publish them with consistency and transparency. We could also consider publishing the corrections issues by our licensed news partners for greater credibility and consistency. Provide an easy way for users to report errors and ask for corrections via an email alias and explanation of our corrections policy on the corrections page. Track our own errors: Yahoo! employees who spot errors of fact or omission and report them to an email alias will be eligible for an annual corrections rewards program. Yahoo! reporters who report errors of fact or omission in their own published work will be commended for their integrity and candor. Make the corrections detailed enough to be fully understandable, including repeating the error to help the reader remember the original story. Corrections should inform, not mystify. Each correction should explain how the error occurred and/or who was responsible, if not by name then at least by job title or function. Apologize for any errors and simply state that Yahoo! regrets the error. Yahoo! will publish clarifications when all facts published may have been correct but the overall impression was misleading, or important details were omitted, or significant nuances were missed. Any Yahoo! reporter who receives correspondence from a lawyer or legal papers such as a complaint or subpoena should immediately inform the general manager of News, the Managing Editor, or Editorial Director, who will in turn pass the information on to legal counsel. 68 YES Guide Version 1.book Page 69 Thursday, November 3, 2005 3:09 PM Plagiarism Plagiarism in any form is a direct violation of Yahoo! editorial standards. Two circumstances could give rise to a charge of plagiarism: Intentional plagiarism Misuse of sources or unintentional plagiarism Intentional plagiarism occurs when one knowingly appropriates the work of others and passes it off as his/her own. This can include: Copying entire documents and presenting them as your own; Cutting and pasting from the work of others without properly citing the authors; Stringing together the quotes and ideas of others without connecting their work to your own original work; Asserting ideas without acknowledging their sources, reproducing sentences written verbatim by others without properly quoting and attributing the work to them. Unintentional plagiarism, or the misuse of sources, is the accidental appropriation of the ideas and materials of others due to a lack of understanding of the conventions of citation and documentation. In addition to being unethical, plagiarism and the unauthorized copying of written, graphic, audio, and video material may also violate copyright laws. In general, "fair use" is a narrow exception to liability for violating copyright laws. It allows use of a brief excerpt from copyrighted material without permission for purposes of news reporting, commentary, and other specified purposes. The fair use exception only applies where the amount of copyrighted material taken is the minimum necessary to make the author's point, and does not diminish the value of the copyrighted work. EDITORIAL STANDARDS FOR ORIGINAL CONTENT AND JOURNALISM Plagiarism Copyright infringement and fair use are complicated and technical areas of the law. If a Yahoo! reporter has any question with respect to the permissibility of their use of possibly copyrighted material, they should consult with the general manager of News, the Managing Editor, or the Editorial Director and, if necessary, the Yahoo! legal department. Quotations Yahoo! reporters should take great caution in each use of quotation marks or in specific use of the word "said." Yahoo! writers should only use the word with direct attribution and use content within quotation marks with great care and precision. 69 YES Guide Version 1.book Page 70 Thursday, November 3, 2005 3:09 PM Datelines As The Washington Post notes: "…standing alone, it should be used only when the reporter heard the source say the words quoted, either in person, on television or radio. When we quote a written statement of any kind, we should explain what we are doing accurately in our attribution [e.g. "…the White House said in a written statement."] When we put a source's words inside quotation marks, those exact words should have been uttered in precisely that form. Sometimes we will want to avoid humiliating a speaker by paraphrasing in grammatical form an ungrammatical statement, or by presenting in a form acceptable for publication a statement that includes profanities. When we do so, however, we should not use quotation marks." At The New York Times, the standards on quotations are similar: "Readers should be able to assume that every word between quotation marks is what the speaker or writer said. The Times does not "clean up" quotations. If a subject's grammar or taste is unsuitable, quotation marks should be removed and the awkward passage paraphrased." Datelines At Yahoo!, datelines will be exclusively reserved to indicate when a Yahoo! staff member has been deployed and is/was present in a location specific to the story in question. Accordingly, content generated from Sunnyvale, Santa Monica, or other Yahoo! offices does not require datelines. Datelines should be used to indicate where the substantive information in a story was actually gathered but not necessarily where the events described in the story took place. Ideally, the location of the news event and the dateline location share the same geographical point. But writers should never use a dateline where a news event has occurred unless they are/were physically present and reporting from that specific location. If reporters collaborate on a story from separate locations or editors insert significant facts or additional material to a datelined story, that fact must be stated in an italic note at the bottom of the story. Bylines and end notes Providing bylines conforms to industry best practices. Bylines are generally regarded as necessary to establish professional, transparent, and accountable journalistic practices. 70 YES Guide Version 1.book Page 71 Thursday, November 3, 2005 3:09 PM Digital storytelling Any significant reporting by a stringer, staff member, or contract/freelance employee should be credited in a byline or a tagline at the end of a story or content. Yahoo! editors or reporters who take notes from broadcasts of news events on the Internet, radio, or television; conduct basic research; check routine facts; or copyedit for space and production needs should not be credited with a byline. Instead, an italic end note should give users the names and locations of any other significant contributors to a story. Digital storytelling Yahoo! does not engage in "augmentation" or "rip and stitch." Yahoo! editors and producers do not add sounds or images or other digital content that did not exist when the video footage was shot or when the audio was recorded. Yahoo! does not add sounds or enhanced audio or video effects that were obtained at another scene or from another time/place or created from special effects software. Yahoo editors and producers should be judicious in the use of music and special sound effects in creating original journalism. If music is added to a story, the viewer must understand sounds have been added and done in a way to enhance the digital storytelling form. Yahoo! editors and producers should use special editing sparingly and carefully. Slo-mo, special lighting, and unusual angles can all send subtle or even not-sosubtle messages to the viewer about a person's guilt, power, or authority. Just highlighting an individual or object in a photograph can attract undue attention to that aspect of a photograph. EDITORIAL STANDARDS FOR ORIGINAL CONTENT AND JOURNALISM Studies have also found that bylines can help emerging newspapers and news brands establish credibility. There is ample anecdotal evidence that users/readers like knowing who wrote what they are reading and that no one is "hiding" behind some nameless corporate logo. Raw video or audio should not be streamed without first being reviewed by an editor or producer. Still image manipulation Electronic photo editing technology introduces concerns about the use of image manipulation by editors at Yahoo! including Yahoo! News and Full Coverage. Such technology provides the ability to easily alter image content or create a photograph that could deceive our users and ultimately damage the credibility of the Yahoo! brand and Yahoo! News and other Yahoo! properties as trusted sources of information and news. 71 YES Guide Version 1.book Page 72 Thursday, November 3, 2005 3:09 PM Digital storytelling Yahoo! editors and producers should exercise extreme care when altering an image. For example, photo cropping should not be done with specific intent to alter an image in a way that changes its substance or context. Occasionally, Yahoo! also has had, and is likely to continue to have, the need to alter image backgrounds to make the image more suitable for display- a practice that is permissible under that circumstance. Accordingly, any manipulation or alteration of image content is prohibited with two exceptions: Correction of technical defects in a photo with permission of the content partner. Minor alterations of backgrounds in images for display purposes. All producers and editors at Yahoo! who crop or post photos should be trained in Yahoo! Editorial Standards and acknowledge they are aware of licensing agreements that specifically prohibit any manipulation or alteration of the content of images. Use of file images From time to time a content provider will send a file image with a story. Any and all such images should be clearly marked as such and contain the date when the photograph was made by the news partner, in the following format: "(name of content provider) File Photo - month, year". Yahoo! will not publish or "air" unattributed video or audio provided to us by companies, organizations, non-profits, or governmental agencies. Yahoo! will disclose the origin of information and label all material provided by corporate or other non-editorial sources. For example, graphics on some video tape could denote "Google News video" or clearly indicate by a voiceover that states, "this video was provided by Google News." Yahoo! editors and producers will use file or archive tape or video footage sparingly, and will clearly label the time and source of any archival video. Taste and graphic images Matters of taste and propriety are usually in the eye of the beholder. However, Yahoo! reporters are urged to use good judgment in their reporting, and should not include graphic or salacious material that would needlessly offend a general audience, simply for its "shock value." 72 YES Guide Version 1.book Page 73 Thursday, November 3, 2005 3:09 PM Yahoo! Editorial Code of Ethics Seek truth and report it Yahoo! writers and journalists (includes bloggers, content producers, and editors) should be honest, fair, and accurate in gathering, reporting, and interpreting news and information. Anyone who discovers a breach of journalistic ethics as described in this document has the responsibility to ensure that it is brought to the attention of the Editorial Director or the Editor in Chief of Yahoo!. Specifically: Yahoo! writers and journalists test the accuracy of information from all sources and exercise care to avoid inadvertent error. Deliberate distortion is never permissible. Yahoo! writers and journalists identify sources whenever feasible. Our users are entitled to as much information as possible on sources' reliability. Yahoo! writers and journalists confirm that headlines, blurbs, video teases and promotional material, photos, audio, graphics, sound bites, and quotations do not misrepresent. They should not oversimplify or highlight incidents out of context. Yahoo! writers and journalists never distort the content of news photos or video. Image enhancement for technical clarity is always permissible. Yahoo! writers and journalists always label montages and photo illustrations. Yahoo! writers and journalists never re-enact news, never stage news photos, or "craft" news events. Yahoo! writers and journalists avoid stereotyping by race, gender, age, religion, ethnicity, geography, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, or social status. EDITORIAL STANDARDS FOR ORIGINAL CONTENT AND JOURNALISM Yahoo! Editorial Code of Ethics Yahoo! writers and journalists support the open exchange of views, including views they find repugnant. Yahoo! writers and journalists seek to give voice to the voiceless; official and unofficial sources of information should be held to be equally valid. Yahoo! writers and journalists do not engage in advocacy news reporting. Yahoo! analysis and commentary should be labeled and not misrepresent fact or context. Yahoo! writers and journalists carefully distinguish content from commerce, distinguish news from advertising, and shun hybrids or micro sites that blur the lines between the two. 73 YES Guide Version 1.book Page 74 Thursday, November 3, 2005 3:09 PM Yahoo! Editorial Code of Ethics Minimize harm Ethical journalists treat sources, subjects, and colleagues as human beings deserving of respect. Yahoo! writers and journalists show compassion for those who may be affected adversely by news coverage. They exercise special sensitivity when dealing with children and inexperienced sources or subjects. Yahoo! writers and journalists display sensitivity when seeking or using interviews, photographs, or video of those affected by tragedy or grief. Yahoo! writers and journalists recognize that gathering and reporting information may cause harm or discomfort. Yahoo! writers and journalists recognize that private people have a greater right to control information about themselves than do public officials and others who seek power, influence, or attention. Yahoo! writers and journalists recognize that only an overriding public need can justify intrusion into anyone's privacy. Yahoo! writers and journalists demonstrate good taste and avoid pandering to lurid curiosity. Yahoo! writers and journalists do not identify juvenile crime suspects or victims of sex crimes. Act independently Yahoo! writers, journalists, bloggers, content producers, reporters, editors, and business-owners should engage in journalism that is free of conflicts of interest or obligation to any interest other than the public's right to know. Yahoo! writers and journalists avoid conflicts of interest, real or perceived. Yahoo! writers and journalists are free of associations and activities that may compromise integrity or damage credibility. Yahoo! writers and journalists refuse gifts, favors, fees, free travel, and special treatment, and shun secondary employment, political involvement, public office, and service in community organizations if they compromise journalistic integrity. Yahoo! writers and journalists disclose unavoidable conflicts. Yahoo! writers and journalists deny favored treatment to advertisers and special interests and resist their pressure to influence news coverage. Yahoo! writers and journalists are wary of sources offering information for favors or money and avoid bidding for news. 74 YES Guide Version 1.book Page 75 Thursday, November 3, 2005 3:09 PM Editorial and content decision-making at Yahoo! Journalists are accountable to their readers, listeners, viewers, and each other. Yahoo! writers and journalists clarify and explain news coverage and invite dialogue with the public over journalistic conduct. Yahoo! writers and journalists encourage the public to voice grievances against the news media. Yahoo! writers and journalists admit mistakes and correct them promptly. Yahoo! writers and journalists abide by the same high standards to which they hold others. Editorial and content decision-making at Yahoo! The following standards will be applied to content-related decision-making at Yahoo! by writers, journalists, bloggers, content producers, reporters, editors, and others who manage and post content. News and content decisions should not show favoritism to advertisers or to their requests for coverage or themed content packages. It should be clear to all advertisers that they have no influence over news or editorial content decisions. Content should be generated based on journalistic merits and not on its value as an advertising vehicle. The most important professional responsibility of a journalist at Yahoo! is to report the news. Everything else comes second. Editors and content producers should carefully consider instances when ratings and demographics drive coverage decisions and ensure that news coverage remains journalistically sound and serves the public interest. Editors and content producers should protect the integrity of coverage against any potential conflict of interest arising from Yahoo's own commercial or other interests. Any questions about a possible violation should be reported to the Editorial Director or the Editor-in-Chief. EDITORIAL STANDARDS FOR ORIGINAL CONTENT AND JOURNALISM Be accountable Yahoo! General Managers and content producers should foster a high degree of communication, collaboration, respect, and trust among business leaders and editorial staff members. Business managers should be encouraged to understand that journalistic independence and credibility are among Yahoo!'s most important core values. Editors and content producers should not accept gifts, favors, or other compensation from those who might seek to influence coverage. Yahoo! editors and content producers should be prepared to explain to users why and how they made decisions, especially if the public might perceive that journalistic independence has been compromised. 75 YES Guide Version 1.book Page 76 Thursday, November 3, 2005 3:09 PM Acknowledgment Acknowledgment By signing below, I acknowledge that I have read and understand the Yahoo! Editorial Standards for Original Content and Journalism (“Editorial Standards”) and agree to abide by the policies and standards included in the Editorial Standards in my work for Yahoo!. I understand that failure to abide by these Editorial Standards can lead to disciplinary action up to and including termination of my employment with Yahoo!. _________________________________________ Name (Print) _________________________________________ Name (Signature) ________________________________________ Date cc: Personnel File 76 YES Guide Version 1.book Page 77 Thursday, November 3, 2005 3:09 PM Yahoo! Voice Click Hyphens Countries Footers Order WWW Verbs Vocabulary Jargon Keys Media Newsletters Brevity Pronouns Help Click Keys Percentages Locations Ellipses Titles Links Ampersands Footers Dimensions Commas Deadwood Person Tense Days Links Glossaries Dimensions Feedback Lists Emphasis Readability Dates Copyrights Headings Commas Modifiers Conjunctions Typography Email Dates Voice Jargon Numbers Handling Numbers Sentences Readability Summaries Footers Underlining Slashes Abbreviations Files URLs Lists Infinitives Headings Page Days Page Titles Cities Proper Names Dictionaries Number Ranges Apostrophes Person Web Newsletters Presentations Spelling States Abbreviations Underlining Slashes Time Zones Boxes Dictionaries Help Verbs Actions Error Messages Medium Voice Brand Audience Newsletters Months Topics Emails Subject Lines Percentages Locations Misspellings Tips Front Page Nouns Casual Voice Topics Adjectives Commas Titles Help Consistency Years Instructions Click Hyphens Money Participles Ellipses Misspellings Sentences Action Click Hyphens Voice of Yahoo! Buttons Phone Numbers Titles Dates Voice Jargon Lists Infinitives Headings Page Days Page Titles Cities Proper Names Dictionaries Number Ranges Apostrophes Person Web Newsletters Help Click Keys Dimensions Feedback Lists Emphasis Readability Dates Copyrights Headings Commas Modifiers Numbers Voice Jargon Fractions Apostrophes Front Page PowerPoint Commas Decades Ranges Lists Bullets Periods Quotation Marks Misspellings Conjunctions Tense Person Plurals Hyphens Modifiers Infinitives Italic Jargon Abbreviations Money Possessives Numbers Quotations Locations Serial Commas Feedback Footers Definitions titles Buttons Ranges References Semicolons Error Messages Medium Voice Brand Audience Newsletters Months Topics Emails Subject Lines Percentages Locations Ellipses Titles Links Footers Dimensions Commas Deadwood Person Tense Days Links Glossaries Formats Help Hyphens Countries Order WWW Dimensions Voice Jargon Numbers Currency Acronyms Person Pronouns Titles Consistency Plurals Acronyms Years Page Titles Copyrights Headings Capitalization Misspellings Slashes Summaries Lists Bullets Infinitives Sentences Action Keys Help Links Commas Lists Emphasis Semicolons Prompts Adjectives Dashes Readability Dates Copyrights Headings Software Commas Modifiers Numbers Voice Jargon Commas Email Dates Voice Jargon Numbers Sentences Newsletters Centuries Commas Money Jargon Readability Summaries Footers Underlining Slashes Abbreviations Files URLs Lists Infinitives Headings Page Days Page Titles Dealing With Words and Near-Words Cities Proper Names Dictionaries Number Ranges Apostrophes Person Web Conjunctions Typography Newsletters Underlining Help Consistency Years Instructions Click Hyphens Money Participles Ellipses Misspellings Sentences Action Click Hyphens Voice of Yahoo! Boxes Buttons Phone Numbers Verbs Actions Links Glossaries Tips Notes Percentages Links Ampersands Footers Dimensions Commas Deadwood Person Tense Days Links Glossaires Tips Notes Nouns Pronouns Commas Page Titles Cities Slashes Zones Decades Possessives Currency Days Jargon Sentences Click Serial Commas Feedback Links Periods Dictionaries Hyphens Tips Web Front Page Person Punctuation Capitalizing URLs Readability Privacy Policy Footers Phone Numbers Definitions titles Buttons Ranges References Semicolons Dashes Money Dates Tense Infinitives Conjunctions Prepositions Buttons Voice Nouns Files WWW Negatives Jargon Sentences Consistency Buttons Feedback Casual Voice Topics Years Titles Plurals Copyrights Countries Error Messages Medium Voice Brand Audience Newsletters Months Topics Emails Subject Lines Percentages Locations Misspellings Correlatives Sentences Action Click Page Titles Ampersands Footers Dimensions Commas Topics Tense Directions Underlining Slashes Numbers Verbs Actions Percentages Locations Hyphens Modifiers Infinitives Italic Jargon Ellipses Titles Links Footers Procedures Dimensions Commas Deadwood Person Tense Days Time Zones Boxes Dictionaries Help Verbs Actions Tips Front Page Nouns Help Casual Voice Topics Adjectives Commas Quotations Jargon Cities Proper Names Possessives Apostrophes Footers Ellipses Titles Links Ampersands Modifiers Verbs Conjunctions Correlatives Commas Abbreviations Tense Click Keys Error Messages Voice Brand Numbers Dictionaries Topics Deadwood Consistency Tense Help Jargon Cities Decades Front Page Apostrophes Quotation Marks Formats Ellipses Years Feedback Emails Newsletters Centuries Commas Money Jargon Sentences Click Serial Commas Feedback Links Dictionaries Hyphens Tips Web Front Page Person Punctuation Colons Capitalizing URLs Privacy Policy Help Links Glossaries Tips Notes Consistency Years Instructions Click Hyphens Money Participles Ellipses Misspellings Sentences Action Click Hyphens Percentages Files Sizes Links Copyrights Headings Tense Misspellings Words Storage TV Nouns Question Marks Definitions titles Buttons Ranges References Semicolons Prompts Adjectives Dashes Slashes Front Page Sentences Spelling Subjects Titles Numbers WWW Underlining Slashes Numbers Verbs Actions Percentages Locations Ellipses Movies Titles Links Ampersands Footers Dimensions Time Commas Deadwood Person Tense Days Time Zones Boxes Dictionaries Help Verbs Tips Front Page Nouns Casual Voice Copyrights Error Messages Medium Voice Brand Audience Newsletters Phone Numbers Months Topics Emails Presentations Punctuation Subject Lines Percentages Locations Plurals Ellipses Consistency Buttons Feedback Casual Voice Boxes Headings Footers Periods Plurals Percentages Putting Words Together Copyrights Newsletters Time Readability Dates Words Copyrights Headings WWW Commas Modifiers Numbers Voice Blogs Jargon Commas URLs Participles Serial Commas Feedback URLs Links Periods Dictionaries Hyphens Tips Web Front Page Ellipses Misspellings Lists Infinitives Blogs Headings Email Tense Apostrophes Help Verbs Time Numbers URLs Directions Titles Conjunctions Web Zones Tips Acronyms Hyphens Modifiers Infinitives Italic Jargon Headlines Dimensions Titles Consistency Tense Help Jargon Cities Decades Front Page Apostrophes Quotation Marks Formats Ellipses Directions Years Emails Tense Links URLs Yahoo! Mastering the Mechanics YES Guide Version 1.book Page 78 Thursday, November 3, 2005 3:09 PM YES Guide Version 1.book Page 79 Thursday, November 3, 2005 3:09 PM IN THIS CHAPTER ... Large and small numbers. Simple rules for the general use of words or numerals for numbers large and small. Go figure. Ages. Solutions to dealing with the age-old problem of people and things and their years on this Earth. HANDLING NUMBERS Handling Numbers Computer-related numbers. Abbreviations are common when describing computers and their innards. Are you using the right ones? Dates. Not the kind found on Yahoo! Personals. Dimensions and units of measurement. There’s lots afoot in this section on dealing with lengths, but not the whole nine yards—just the most commonly requested info. Fractions. Half examples, half rules for presenting fractions and mixed numbers. Money and currency. Dollars to donuts, you’re unfamiliar with some of these guidelines—but they all make perfect cents. Percentages. Just two rules to remember, but 100 percent of them may be new to you. Phone numbers. If you’re including the area code in a phone number, follow these guidelines (and use parentheses). Ranges of numbers. If you’re not at home on the range of numbers and which characters to use, check out this section. Time. You won’t need a second opinion on how to write a.m. —it’s in here. Large and small numbers Follow these general guidelines for numbers: In general, spell out whole numbers and ordinals (first, second, and so on) below 10. Use digits for 10 and above. Note If space is extremely tight (as on the Front Page or in email subject lines), digits can be used for numbers and ordinals below 10. Examples Yahoo! GeoCities offers three web hosting packages. Read reviews of more than 350 restaurants in your city. Raiders earn first place in AFC West. "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" ranks 13th at the box office. 79 YES Guide Version 1.book Page 80 Thursday, November 3, 2005 3:09 PM Large and small numbers Large and very large numbers can be expressed in digits followed by million, billion, and so forth. If expressing a number greater than 999 in numerals, use a comma. Examples The Web has more than 60 million users. More than 1,200 delegates attended the convention. Avoid starting a sentence with a number. If it can't be avoided, spell out the number. Years are the lone exception to the rule that a number should not be used to start a sentence. Before 450 gamers participated in last night's chat. After Last night, 450 gamers participated in the chat. If it's necessary to spell out numbers greater than 20, use a hyphen to connect the first part of the number (ending in y) to the number following it, if any. Examples twenty-one one hundred forty-three If a sentence contains two or more numbers and one is 10 or higher, use digits for all numbers. Spelling out one number and using digits for another gives the appearance of inconsistency. (This is an exception to AP style.) Examples The delegation included 3 women and 11 men. (Use digits for both) The most popular vote-getters included three women and nine men. For a compound adjective that includes a number, use digits for the number, regardless of its size. (This is an exception to AP style.) Examples Please enter a 5-digit ZIP code. Enter a 6-character password. 80 YES Guide Version 1.book Page 81 Thursday, November 3, 2005 3:09 PM Ages Follow these guidelines when writing about the age of a person or thing: When referring to the age of a person, always use numerals. When referring to the age of an object, spell out the number if it is nine or less; use numerals for 10 or more. When making a general reference to the age of a person, use numerals and an “s” without an apostrophe. HANDLING NUMBERS Ages Examples The 12-year-old boy was adopted by a couple in their 40s. The girl was only 4 years old. You can restrict a 5-year-old to a different set of web sites. The company, which is four years old, targets 5- to 10-year-olds. Computer- and software-related numbers Technical requirements for products or features often include numbers related to computers and software. And sometimes those numbers need special treatment. Storage, memory, and processor speeds Use the following abbreviations to describe storage and memory sizes or processor speeds. GB (gigabyte) GHz (gigahertz) KB (kilobyte) KHz (kilohertz) MB (megabyte) MHz (megahertz) Follow these rules when describing storage or memory requirements: Don't put a space between the number and the abbreviation for the unit. Examples Your email storage limit has been increased from 4MB to 100MB. You can purchase an additional 2GB of storage. We recommend a 1GHz Pentium III with 128MB of memory and 250MB of disk storage. 81 YES Guide Version 1.book Page 82 Thursday, November 3, 2005 3:09 PM Dates Don’t include an “s” following the abbreviation. Before You can purchase an additional 2GBs of storage. After You can purchase an additional 2GB of storage. (Don’t include an “s”) Repeat the abbreviation in a list. Example Get a 25MB, 50MB, or 100MB mailbox. Software version numbers Maintain a consistent style when referring to software version numbers. When referring to version numbers, use or newer or or older. Examples We recommend Internet Explorer 4 or Netscape Navigator 4 or newer. If you’re using Internet Explorer 3 or older, you must upgrade. Dates Each part of a date is governed by its own set of guidelines. And there are a few rules to follow when you’re putting the parts together. Days of the week Avoid abbreviating days of the week. If it's necessary to abbreviate, use the first three letters, without a period: Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu, Fri, Sat, Sun Months Follow these guidelines when spelling out months: Capitalize the names of months. When possible, spell out the name of the month completely, except if the month is used with a specific date. In that case, you can abbreviate only the following: Jan., Feb., Aug., Sept., Oct., Nov., Dec. 82 YES Guide Version 1.book Page 83 Thursday, November 3, 2005 3:09 PM Dates Just a few rules when dealing with years: Years are the lone exception to the rule that a number should not be used to start a sentence. Use the abbreviations A.D. and B.C. if the date may be unclear otherwise. Include the periods, but don’t put a space after the first. Put A.D. before the year; B.C. after the year. HANDLING NUMBERS Years The alternative abbreviations C.E. and B.C.E. for "common era" and "before the common era" can be appropriate when writing about religions other than Christianity. Include the periods, but don’t put a space after the first. Examples He was born around 20 B.C. and died in A.D. 25. Around 1500 B.C.E. people in the Indus valley wrote the Vedic texts of Hinduism. Ordering and punctuating dates When writing a specific date, try to use the name of the month (July, May, etc.), rather than a numeral because the order of the month and day varies from country to country. December 6, 2005 U.S. style Everywhere else 12/6/05 6/12/05 If it's necessary to use numerals for a full date, separate the parts with slashes, rather than hyphens or other marks. If using only a month and day, don't use the ordinal (first, 1st, second, 2nd, 15th, etc.) for the day. If using only a month and year, don't separate them with a comma. When including the month, day, and year, include a comma after the day and year. Examples February 14 is Valentine's Day. January 1970 was an extremely cold month. (No need for comma) To edit an email listing created after September 1, 1998, sign into your account. (Comma needed after day and year) 83 YES Guide Version 1.book Page 84 Thursday, November 3, 2005 3:09 PM Dimensions Decades To indicate a decade, add an "s" without an apostrophe. Example The cities were reconstructed in the 1930s. To abbreviate a decade, precede the last two digits with an apostrophe. Examples These cities were built during the ‘30s and '40s. His pitching career came to an end in the mid-'70s. Centuries Use digits for the ordinal and lowercase century. Example By the start of the 20th century, international fairs were getting disorganized. Dimensions The Associated Press Stylebook recommends that you "use figures and spell out inches, feet, yards, etc., to indicate depth, height, length and width. Hyphenate adjectival forms before nouns…. Use an apostrophe to indicate feet and quote marks to indicate inches (5' 6") only in very technical contexts." This rule is both too restrictive and incomplete for many situations involving dimensions. For example, describing a photo as "8 inches by 10 inches" doesn't reflect the way these dimensions are commonly expressed. The Yahoo! Editorial Style Guide's enhancements to the AP style are: Use figures when referring to dimensions—height, width, length, and depth. For English units of measurement (inches, feet, yards, etc.) use either the symbol, if one exists (double quote for inches, single quote for feet), the full word, or the abbreviation (in, ft, yd, etc.). Whichever you choose, use it consistently throughout the product, service, feature, page, or communication. If you’re using a symbol, don’t put a space between the figure and the symbol. You can abbreviate a unit of measurement with or without a period—just be consistent in all abbreviations. Don't use an "s" to form the plural for abbreviations for dimensions. The plural and singular forms are the same. For example, use the abbreviation "in." for both "inch" or "inches." 84 YES Guide Version 1.book Page 85 Thursday, November 3, 2005 3:09 PM Fractions Examples Yao Ming, the 7-foot-6-inch center, carried the flag for the Chinese Olympic team. At 7’ 6” Yao Ming is the tallest player in the NBA. Order 4"x6" or 8"x10" prints. HANDLING NUMBERS When describing two or more dimensions of an object (such as a photograph or poster), repeat the symbol for each figure. Separate the dimensions by either an "x" or the word "by." If using an "x," a space before and after is optional—as long as you're consistent. For other situations not covered by these guidelines, contact an editor. See Getting Editorial help on page 167. Fractions Follow these guidelines when writing fractions and mixed numbers: If a fraction stands alone (that is, there’s no whole number associated with it), spell out and hyphenate the fraction. Don't spell out a mixed number. If the number can't be written in decimal notation (or if it's inappropriate to use decimal notation), use digits for the whole number and a character (such as ½) for the fractional part. Don't include a space between the whole number and fraction. If a character isn't available to express the fractional part, use digits for the whole number followed by a hyphen and the fractional part written as x/y. Examples a two-thirds majority four-fifths of the states 2½ 3-7/8 Money and currency Follow these guidelines when referring to prices: On pricing pages, for prices that are a dollar or more, use numerals. On pricing pages, for prices under a dollar, use numerals and include the dollar sign and leading zero. In subject lines, headlines, and body text rewrite to cents. Use either the word cents or the cents sign. 85 YES Guide Version 1.book Page 86 Thursday, November 3, 2005 3:09 PM Percentages On pricing pages, include 0 cents but leave off 0 cents in subject lines, headlines, and body text. Examples You will be charged $20.00. Yahoo! Web Hosting for Only $20 a Month New Ringtones for 99 Cents (Email subj. line, headline, body text) (Email subj. line, headline, body text) Avoid using slashes as an abbreviation for "per" with money amounts, except in subject lines and other places where space is at an absolute premium. Examples Web hosting packages start at $35 per month. Web Hosting From $35/Month (Body text) (Email subject line or headline) If it's necessary to specify U.S. currency, use the format US$xxx (without a space). This is the only use of the abbreviation for United States that doesn't include periods. Example Yahoo! Express requires a US$299.00 non-refundable, recurring annual fee. Percentages You can use either the word percent or the percent sign (%) in text—as long as you're consistent in your choice. When choosing between the word percent and the percent sign, consider the following: AP style is to use digits for the number and spell out the word percent. This style works well if you're including a single percentage in the text. Example Motor vehicles account for about 43 percent of U.S. oil consumption. (Spell out "percent" when showing a single percentage) 86 YES Guide Version 1.book Page 87 Thursday, November 3, 2005 3:09 PM Phone numbers Example Motor vehicles account for about 43% of U.S. oil consumption. Electric energy production accounts for 23%, and lawn mowers account for less than 1%. (Use % sign to aid in comparing percentages) HANDLING NUMBERS If a passage (a single sentence or paragraph) contains two or more percentages, use digits and the percent sign to make it easier for your reader to compare the numbers. (This may be a deviation from the AP style, which is silent on the issue of multiple percentages in a passage.) Phone numbers Phone numbers should be formatted as: (area code) nnn-nnnn. If an international calling code is necessary, add it to the beginning. For U.S. phone numbers, include the area code but not the "1" that some people may have to dial. Example (800) 555-1212 Ranges of numbers Ranges of numbers (such as times, dates, games scores, and pages) can be separated by an en dash or the word to. See Hyphens and dashes on page 110 for more information about the en and em dashes. When writing a range of numbers, follow these guidelines: Use an en dash without a space on either side for a range of numbers. If you precede the range with the word from, don't use an en dash to separate the numbers—use the word to instead. For an open range of numbers, such as a date range with no ending date, use an em dash (simply called a "dash"). Examples Join us at the Open House July 6–7. Hours: 10 a.m.–5 p.m. (en dashes) This offer is valid from July 1 to July 31, 2005. (use "to" with "from") Read more about importing addresses on pages 95–99. (en dash) Greece takes the title in a 2–1 upset over Spain. (en dash) James Van Allen (1914—) lent his name to the invisible particles. (em dash) 87 YES Guide Version 1.book Page 88 Thursday, November 3, 2005 3:09 PM Time Time Follow these guidelines when writing time: Use digits to indicate all times except noon and midnight. Don’t include the number 12 with the word noon or midnight. If space allows, use periods with the abbreviations a.m. and p.m. (lowercase, with a space after the number but no intervening space between the letters). Avoid the redundant in the morning or in the afternoon when including a.m. or p.m. with a time. Abbreviate time zones in all capital letters, without periods. Include the time zone if there is a possibility of ambiguity or confusion. Examples 10:15 a.m. Midnight ET 8:00 p.m. PST 88 YES Guide Version 1.book Page 89 Thursday, November 3, 2005 3:09 PM Dealing With Words and Near-Words IN THIS CHAPTER ... A or an. The definitive word on choosing the indefinite article. Abbreviations and acronyms. A brief summary of forming the plural of common abbreviations and acronyms. Directions, regions, and locations. They’re all over the map. Person and Pronouns. Do you know who "we" is? Do you know who "you" is? Titles of compositions and other works. Should you put it in quotes? Italic? How (and when) to set off titles of books, movies, songs, and other works. Typography. Bold and italic text attract your readers but used together, can distract them. File names and types. How to handle file names, file name extensions, and various file and media types. Words relating to the Web. Are you still using outdated citations for URLs? A or an It’s all about the sound. If a word begins with a consonant sound, precede it with a. If it begins with a vowel sound, precede it with an. It’s that simple, although some vowels and consonants can have either a consonant or a vowel sound. Examples a history lesson, a humorous story, an honor bestowed, an hourlong session a one-hour delay, an only child a utopian society, a united front, an unabated force, an unabridged dictionary a euphemism, a eulogy, an enemy a 1980s hit, an ‘80s hit, an 18-hole course DEALING WITH WORDS AND NEAR-WORDS Capitalizing words. And not capitalizing words. 89 YES Guide Version 1.book Page 90 Thursday, November 3, 2005 3:09 PM Abbreviations and acronyms Even when they start with the same letter, acronyms (which are pronounced like words) and initialisms (where each letter is pronounced separately) can take a different indefinite article. Examples a HUD official, an HBO special a MIDI file, an MP3 player a NATO agreement, an NFL quarterback a RAM controller, an RSS feed a SIDS-related death, an SEC ruling Abbreviations and acronyms An abbreviation is a shortened form of a word or phrase. Depending on the abbreviation, it may be written in uppercase, lowercase, or a combination of upper and lowercase letters (like Kbps) and may or may not include one or more periods. An acronym is based on the first letters of the elements of a name or phrase, producing a pronounceable word. Examples include AIDS, NATO, NASA, and JAMA. An initialism is also based on the first letters, but is read as individual letters (like ATM, CEO, and YMCA). Note For usage, spelling, etc. of specific abbreviations, acronyms, and initialisms commonly used at Yahoo!, see Yahoo! Glossary on page 177. For guidelines for using abbreviations for measurements, see Dimensions on page 84. Use these guidelines when including abbreviations, acronyms, or initialisms in your writing: If the shortened form may be unfamiliar to your readers, spell it out the first time it's used or include the abbreviation, acronym, or initialism (in parentheses) following the spelled-out form. Examples Now web results include sites that support RSS. RSS stands for "Really Simple Syndication" and is a method used to access web content. Now web results include sites that support Really Simple Syndication (RSS). RSS is a method used to access web content. 90 YES Guide Version 1.book Page 91 Thursday, November 3, 2005 3:09 PM Capitalization Form the plural of abbreviations, acronyms, and initialisms by adding an "s" without an apostrophe, unless omitting the apostrophe could cause confusion (for example, if adding an "s" forms a new word). Abbreviations of units of measurement are exceptions; see Dimensions on page 84 for details. Capitalization This guide uses the following rules for the three capitalization styles. Sentence style. Capitalize the text as if it were a sentence: Capitalize the first word and all other words that are normally capitalized (such as proper nouns). If the first word is a proper noun that begins with a lowercase letter (like eBay, iPod, and iMac), capitalize the first letter; for the other letters, replicate the capitalization style of the proper noun (EBay, IPod, and IMac). Title style. This style has a few more rules than Sentence style. Capitalize the first and last words, regardless of length or part of speech. Capitalize all other words except: Articles (a, an, and the). Unless it’s the first word, an article is lowercase. DEALING WITH WORDS AND NEAR-WORDS Examples ISPs URLs PDAs MP3s the Oakland A's Prepositions of three or fewer letters (such as of, in, and for). But capitalize prepositions of four or more letters (like over, from, and with). Conjunctions of three or fewer letters (like and, or, and but). But capitalize conjunctions of four or more letters (like also and since). Tip Verbs (even short ones like is, be, and do) should always be capitalized. If the first word is a proper noun that begins with a lowercase letter (like eBay, iPod, and iMac), capitalize the first letter; for the other letters, replicate the capitalization style of the proper noun (EBay, IPod, and IMac). If it isn’t the first word, use the capitalization style of the proper noun. All Caps style. Every letter in every word is a capital. In general, this style should be avoided. 91 YES Guide Version 1.book Page 92 Thursday, November 3, 2005 3:09 PM Capitalization Don't use All Caps for emphasis in a prompt, teaser, or headline. To indicate emphasis, use bold, italic, or a graphic design. However, All Caps does have many uses: It should be used for file types and many abbreviations and acronyms. All Caps can be acceptable for important parts of headings in text emails, as long as it's not overdone. See Differences between HTML and text emails on page 35 for an example of All Caps in a text email. Examples: Sentence style The long wait is finally over Palmeiro to release test info to Congress EBay announces increase in seller fees Sales of iPods tumble Examples: Title style The Long Wait Is Finally Over Palmeiro to Release Test Info to Congress EBay Announces Increase in Seller Fees Sales of iPods Tumble Yahoo! properties, services, and products Several Yahoo! properties (such as Messenger) are capitalized even when not preceded by Yahoo!. Other properties (like Yahoo! Message Boards) have generic equivalents (message boards) that are lowercase. See Yahoo! Glossary on page 177 for the correct capitalization of specific Yahoo! properties, services, and products. Personal titles Capitalize a formal personal title only when it's used directly before the individual's name. This includes titles pertaining to government positions (like president, senator, mayor, ambassador, chief justice), religious groups (pope, cardinal, monsignor, etc.), and other organizations (chairman, treasurer, general manager, and so on). Examples He was appointed ambassador to the United Nations by President Bush. The president returned to the Oval Office to greet the pope. Headlines and titles Headlines and titles on the Yahoo! network should be in Title style caps. 92 YES Guide Version 1.book Page 93 Thursday, November 3, 2005 3:09 PM Capitalization Hyphenated compounds in headlines and titles If a hyphenated compound appears in a title or headline, capitalize the second element unless it's an article (a, an, or the), preposition (like to or of), or coordinating conjunction (like and, but, or or). Generally, if the second element can stand alone as a word, capitalize it. Titles of works When writing a title of a composition or other work, consider two things: Capitalization style. Depending on the type of work, the title should be in Title or Sentence style caps. Visual treatment. Should the title be in quotation marks or italic? Or does it not merit special treatment? Capitalization styles of titles of works The following titles should appear in Title style caps. (For the rules governing Title style caps, see Capitalization on page 91.) Art work Book, chapter, heading, or other part of a book CD, record album, song Game (including computer games, video games, and board games) Lecture Magazine or magazine article. Lowercase the word magazine unless it’s part of the publication’s title. Movie Newspaper or newspaper article. Capitalize the word the in a newspaper’s title if it’s part of the paper’s preferred name. Opera Play Poem Software Speech Television program DEALING WITH WORDS AND NEAR-WORDS Examples Prime-Time Nielsen Ratings 'Sopranos' to Air Its Fifth-Season Finale Books > Shopping and Services > Booksellers > How-to 93 YES Guide Version 1.book Page 94 Thursday, November 3, 2005 3:09 PM Capitalization Visual treatment of titles of works The visual treatment of titles (whether or not to enclose them in quotation marks or display them in italic), depends on the type of work and the location of the title on the page. Note See also Titles on the Front Page on page 57. The following titles require no special treatment; don’t enclose them in quotation marks and don’t italicize them: Games. Including computer games, video games, board games. Magazines. However, titles of magazine articles should be in quotation marks. Newspapers. However, titles of newspaper articles should be in quotation marks. Software. Examples He downloaded two games, Resident Evil 2 and Trial by Fire. “The Dukes of Hazzard” garnered tepid reviews from The New York Times and Time magazine. For all other titles of works, follow these guidelines: Enclose titles in double quotation marks. Examples Check out the "Fantastic Four" trailer. Win tickets to see "King Kong." See live coverage of the "Memoirs of a Geisha" premiere. Titles in lists. In lists (serial, bulleted, or numbered) made up entirely of titles, the titles don't need to be in italic or enclosed in quotation marks. Example —South Park —Law and Order —The Honeymooners Titles in lists of unlike items. Use double quotation marks when including a title in a list of unlike items. Example "Gilligan’s Island," golf clubs, antiques 94 YES Guide Version 1.book Page 95 Thursday, November 3, 2005 3:09 PM Directions, states, regions, and locations Titles in Yahoo! Directory or Yahoo! Movies. Titles don't need to be enclosed in quotation marks when used in listings in the Directory or Yahoo! Movies. However, titles used in comments and movie descriptions should be enclosed in double quotation marks. Titles in headlines. In some cases, such as within headlines, titles can be enclosed in single quotation marks or indicated with italic. Directions, states, regions, and locations Using the correct capitalization and punctuation for compass directions, cities and states, and regions near and far can help avoid confusion. Compass directions For simple compass directions, use lowercase: north, south, east, west, northeast, northwest, southeast, southwest, northern, southern, eastern, western. Example Clouds cover western Oklahoma, but sun is expected in areas to the east. U.S. states and districts When referring to names of U.S. states, follow these guidelines, which are adapted from AP style: DEALING WITH WORDS AND NEAR-WORDS Examples 'Happy Gilmore' breaks box-office record Original Great Gatsby manuscript found When referring to the U.S. capital, use Washington, D.C. (note comma and periods) or District of Columbia. Washington (without D.C.) is acceptable if there is no chance for confusion with the state. Do not abbreviate Washington when referring to the U.S. capital. When a state name is used alone, without a city, spell out the name of the state. When including a single city and state, spell out the state; include a comma before and after the state. See Commas and locations on page 109 for an example. In a list of cities and states, abbreviate the state names according to the AP abbreviations for states, which are different from postal abbreviations. (See the table below.) Include the period. If an abbreviation consists of two parts (like N.J. and W.Va.), don’t put a space after the first period. Note that eight state names are never abbreviated in text. 95 YES Guide Version 1.book Page 96 Thursday, November 3, 2005 3:09 PM Directions, states, regions, and locations If space is at a premium, you can abbreviate the state name (whether or not it is preceded by a city) using AP state abbreviations. If space is extremely tight, postal abbreviations (shown in parentheses in the table below) are acceptable. 96 State Abbrev. (Postal) State Abbrev. (Postal) Alabama Ala. (AL) Alaska Alaska (AK) Arizona Ariz. (AZ) Arkansas Ark. (AR) California Calif. (CA) Colorado Colo. (CO) Connecticut Conn. (CT) Delaware Del. (DE) Florida Fla. (FL) Georgia Ga. (GA) Hawaii Hawaii (HI) Idaho Idaho (ID) Illinois Ill. (IL) Indiana Ind. (IN) Iowa Iowa (IA) Kansas Kan. (KS) Kentucky Ky. (KY) Louisiana La. (LA) Maine Maine (ME) Maryland Md. (MD) Massachusetts Mass. (MA) Michigan Mich. (MI) Minnesota Minn. (MN) Mississippi Miss. (MS) Missouri Mo.(MO) Montana Mont. (MT) Nebraska Neb. (NE) Nevada Nev. (NV) New Hampshire N.H. (NH) New Jersey N.J. (NJ) New Mexico N.M. (NM) New York N.Y. (NY) North Carolina N.C. (NC) North Dakota N.D. (ND) Ohio Ohio (OH) Oklahoma Okla. (OK) Oregon Ore. (OR) Pennsylvania Pa. (PA) Rhode Island R.I. (RI) South Carolina S.C. (SC) South Dakota S.D. (SD) Tennessee Tenn. (TN) Texas Texas (TX) Utah Utah (UT) Vermont Vt. (VT) Virginia Va. (VA) Washington Wash. (WA) West Virginia W.Va. (WV) Wisconsin Wis. (WI) Wyoming Wyo. (WY) YES Guide Version 1.book Page 97 Thursday, November 3, 2005 3:09 PM Directions, states, regions, and locations U.S. regions Some regions in the U.S. and city neighborhoods are so well-known that they have become proper nouns—complete with initial caps. Usage Bay Area Generally used to refer to the San Francisco Bay Area. If there’s a possibility for confusion, include the city. Deep South Capitalize when referring to the southeast U.S. region consisting of Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, and South Carolina. Down East Capitalize when referring to Maine. According to AP style, use only for the state, and not to denote New England. East Capitalize when referring to the eastern region of the U.S. East Coast Capitalize when referring to the region bordering on the Atlantic Ocean. East Side, Lower East Side, Upper Capitalize when referring to the area of East Side Manhattan east of Fifth Avenue. Eastern Shore Capitalize when referring to the region on the east side of the Chesapeake Bay. Midwest, Midwesterner Capitalize when referring to the Midwest region, which consists of Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin. North, Northern, Northerner Capitalize when referring to the northern part of the U.S., especially the states that fought for the Union during the U.S. Civil War. Northeast Capitalize when referring to the Northeast region, which consists of Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Vermont. South Side of Chicago Capitalize. DEALING WITH WORDS AND NEAR-WORDS Region 97 YES Guide Version 1.book Page 98 Thursday, November 3, 2005 3:09 PM Directions, states, regions, and locations Region Usage South, Southern, Southerner Capitalize when referring to the South region, which consists of Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and West Virginia. Southern California Capitalize when referring to the area of California or its culture. West, Western, Westerner Capitalize when referring to the West region, which consists of Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming. Capitalize when referring to the film or book genre, but lowercase the music genre otherwise know as country (AP style). West Coast Capitalize when referring to the area of the U.S. bordering on the Pacific Ocean—California, Oregon, and Washington. Examples High winds slammed portions of the Northeast and the South and will hit the Midwest. She is considered a Northern liberal in spite of her Southern roots. Of all the West Coast areas, Southern California is best known for western music. Regions outside the U.S. Capitalize the following international areas: 98 Region Usage Central America Capitalize Eastern Hemisphere Capitalize Far East Capitalize when referring to the easternmost region of Asia, including China, Hong Kong, Japan, North and South Korea, eastern region of Russia, and Taiwan. Latin America Capitalize Middle East Capitalize YES Guide Version 1.book Page 99 Thursday, November 3, 2005 3:09 PM Person and pronouns Usage North America Capitalize North Korea Capitalize Northern Hemisphere Capitalize Northern Ireland Capitalize South America Capitalize South Korea Capitalize Southeast Asia Capitalize when referring to the region of the Indochinese Peninsula and the islands to the southeast. Southern Hemisphere Capitalize South Pacific Capitalize West Indies Capitalize Western Hemisphere Capitalize Person and pronouns Use these guidelines and tricks to pick the correct pronoun when referring to people or things. Referring to companies To select the correct pronoun when referring to a company, including Yahoo!, use these rules: DEALING WITH WORDS AND NEAR-WORDS Region When referring to Yahoo! the company, use the first-person plural pronouns we, us, our, and ours. Examples View our tutorials. Contact us about Yahoo! Plus. 99 YES Guide Version 1.book Page 100 Thursday, November 3, 2005 3:09 PM Person and pronouns When referring to any other company, use the third-person singular pronouns it and its. In the U.S., a company is treated as a collective noun and requires a singular verb and singular pronoun. Referring to a company in the plural (they, their, theirs) is chiefly a British convention. Before The company are anticipating an increase in their third-quarter spending. After The company is anticipating an increase in its third-quarter spending. Referring to users When referring to users, members, consumers, subscribers, or anyone else reading your text, follow these guidelines: In general, use the second person (you, your, and yours). Although this guide employs the word users to refer to anyone accessing the Yahoo! network, the word user can sound too techie or cold. Depending on context, consider using member, consumer, reader, subscriber, customer, participant, visitor, or similar word. In some cases, partner contracts may impose requirements on how to refer to users. Refer to a user who has a Yahoo! ID, account, etc., as current member, customer, etc., and not as existing member, customer,... Note See also Change of person on page 160. Wrestling with him or her and other pronoun problems A common error concerning pronouns occurs when two or more pronouns are used together. Is it her and me, she and I, or her and I? The rule is: Use the nominative case (I, he, she, we, or they) for the subject of a verb. (If you’re using formal English, also use the nominative case after any form of the verb to be.) Use the objective case (me, him, her, us, or them) for the object of a verb or preposition (like about, of, to, or with). Even die-hard grammarians use a simple trick to select the correct pronouns: Break up the sentence and try it with each pronoun individually. Examples It was a surprise to her and me. (It was a surprise to her and to me) She and I were surprised by her popularity. (She was surprised and I was surprised) 100 YES Guide Version 1.book Page 101 Thursday, November 3, 2005 3:09 PM Typography Is who correct? Who and whom are two special pronouns that often confound writers—if they consider them at all. Who is the nominative case (it can be the subject of a verb) and whom is the objective case (and the object of a verb or preposition). Examples Who will top the list? He is the youngest of those who finished the race. One way to help you choose the correct form is to recast the sentence, substituting he and him for who or whom. If him sounds correct, use whom. (It also helps to remember that both him and whom end in “m.”) Examples The person who was first won the prize. (Substituting “he”: He was first in line) I wonder whom he gave the prize to. (Substituting “him”: He gave the prize to him) Sometimes, it’s just better to rewrite a sentence to avoid a potential grammatical error or a grammatically correct, but awkward or formal-sounding, construction. It’s especially true when who or whom starts a sentence. Who generally sounds correct at the beginning of a sentence, but isn’t always. Before Whom should I give the ticket to? (Grammatically correct, but awkward-sounding) After Who should get the ticket? (Grammatically correct, and natural-sounding) DEALING WITH WORDS AND NEAR-WORDS When faced with selecting between who or whom, don’t panic. You have a 50-50 chance of being correct. And it’s often best to rewrite the sentence. Or contact an editor for advice (see Getting Editorial help on page 167). And if all else fails, use who. Typography In the web world, typography refers to the appearance of text. Bold, italic, and underline all change the appearance of text, but not all are suitable for online reading. Follow these rules for enhancing the appearance of online text: Reserve underlining for link text; don't use it for any other purpose. Online readers are accustomed to clicking underlined words, and using this typographical device for other purposes may lead to confusion. 101 YES Guide Version 1.book Page 102 Thursday, November 3, 2005 3:09 PM File names and types Use bold or italic to indicate emphasis. Don't use all capital letters for emphasis. (Judicious use of all caps is acceptable in plain text emails and newsletters. See Differences between HTML and text emails on page 35.) Examples Play in official Yahoo! tournaments—join a new one every day! Make absolutely sure you filled in your email address. Italic can also be used to indicate titles of compositions, although quotation marks are preferred. See Titles of works on page 93 and Titles on the Front Page on page 57. Examples Yet another Star Wars site Read the latest reviews of Quake II. Use bold and italic sparingly. Don't combine them to increase emphasis. Before Sign up now for a free account! After Sign up now for a free account! Sign up now for a free account! (Both bold and italic) (Use either bold or italic, but not both) Use italic for foreign words. Keep in mind that some non-English words and phrases have entered mainstream American usage (like Cinco de Mayo, in vitro, hors d’oeuvre, and à la mode) and don’t require special treatment. If in doubt, consult the dictionary. Example On September 16, Mexicans celebrate the overthrow of the gachupines, native Spanish rulers who exploited the people. File names and types When referring to file names and file types, use these guidelines: Write file names in lowercase. When referring to a file name extension (generally three letters separated from the file name by a period), use lowercase letters. Don't include the period that separates the file name from the extension. Enclose the extension in quotation marks. 102 YES Guide Version 1.book Page 103 Thursday, November 3, 2005 3:09 PM URLs and web-related words Write file types in all capital letters. Examples You can upload GIF and JPEG files. A JPEG file usually has a file name extension like "jpg" or "jpe"; for example, photo123.jpg. The data is exported to a CSV (comma-separated values) file. Double-click the ymsgr_1643.exe file to begin the installation. When writing a URL or the name of a web site, follow these guidelines: Don't include http:// at the start of URLs that include WWW. Follow the site's convention for capitalization. If there's no clear convention, use all lowercase for URLs, including Yahoo! URLs used for branding or brand recognition (like finance.yahoo.com). Don't use quotation marks around a URL. Before Would you like to set your home page to 'http://www.yahoo.com/'? After Would you like to set your home page to www.yahoo.com? If you refer to the name of a web site (like AmericanGreetings.com) but not its URL, follow its preferred capitalization style. Don’t use quotation marks around the name. DEALING WITH WORDS AND NEAR-WORDS URLs and web-related words Example The Top 10 Yahoo! Picks include Hardy-Boys.com and joshreads.com. Note For the spelling, hyphenation, and usage of other words related to the Web, see Yahoo! Glossary on page 177. 103 YES Guide Version 1.book Page 104 Thursday, November 3, 2005 3:09 PM YES Guide Version 1.book Page 105 Thursday, November 3, 2005 3:09 PM Putting Words Together IN THIS CHAPTER ... Punctuation. It can clarify or obscure your meaning. The most common punctuation marks are listed in this chapter in alphabetical order. Sentences. Use these guidelines to create clear, effective sentences. Paragraphs. Constructing an effective paragraph is a little challenging when you're writing for and online audience. Lists. Formatting text in lists can help simplify complicated steps, add welcome white space to a page, and keep things in order for your readers. Gender-neutral writing. Still referring to your reader with gender-specific pronouns and stereotypes? Stop now before she is offended. Punctuation This section contains the most common usage rules for the most-used punctuation characters, listed in alphabetical order. Apostrophes Use an apostrophe to show possession or the omission of letters or numbers. For additional information, check out: For an explanation of the difference between commonly confused possessives and contractions (like its and it's), see Words that can confuse writers on page 150. For use with decades, see Decades on page 84. Possessives Use an apostrophe to indicate possession. For regular plural nouns, place the apostrophe after the "s." For irregular plurals, place the apostrophe before the "s." PUTTING WORDS TOGETHER For the use of the apostrophe to form the plural of abbreviations or acronyms, see Abbreviations and acronyms on page 90. 105 YES Guide Version 1.book Page 106 Thursday, November 3, 2005 3:09 PM Punctuation Examples many players' scores alumni's contribution children's needs women's clothing pantries' contents For singular common nouns ending in "s," add "'s" unless the next word begins with "s." Examples The business's concerns The business' single concern The campus's largest building The campus' science building For singular proper names ending in "s," use only an apostrophe. Examples George Lucas' latest film Robert Burns' poetry Massachusetts' schoolchildren Yahoo! Movies' rankings Don't use an apostrophe when forming any possessive pronoun, including its, yours, hers, ours, and theirs. Omitted letters Apostrophes can signal the omission of one or more letters in a word. The most common use is in forming contractions of verbs (such as don't, it's, they're). Common contractions sound more friendly than the spelled-out verb and are generally preferable as long as they don't confuse the reader. Keep in mind that spelling out a verb (like cannot, do not, and must not) provides some benefits. Do not can be useful for emphasis in warning messages, for example. And cannot, does not, and other negative forms can be clearer and appear more formal and authoritative than their contractions. 106 YES Guide Version 1.book Page 107 Thursday, November 3, 2005 3:09 PM Punctuation Apostrophes are also useful to indicate an omission of letters so that the resulting text more closely resembles the common pronunciation of words or phrases. This use is particularly appropriate for the Mid-Range and Casual Yahoo! voice. Examples Knowing when to hold 'em and when to fold 'em, poker upped the ante with its World Series. This flick will be rockin' and reelin' in theaters next month. Colons Although a colon is a rather versatile mark of punctuation, it is most often used to: Introduce an element (or a series of elements) that amplifies or illustrates the information that precedes it. Introduce a list (like this one), table, or illustration. Follow these guidelines when dealing with colons: If the colon appears within a sentence, capitalize the first word after the colon if it is a proper noun (of course) or it is the first word of an independent clause (that is, a group of words that could function alone as a complete sentence). Use a single space following the colon. Put colons outside quotation marks unless they apply to the quoted matter. Don’t use a colon immediately before or after a dash: A colonectomy or dashectomy is definitely in order. Commas Commas are used to separate items in a series and independent clauses joined by a conjunction. They’re also useful for introducing a quotation, separating parts of geographic locations, and making large numbers easier to read. Commas in a series "To my parents, Ayn Rand and God." That classic example shows the confusion that can ensue when a comma is omitted before and. It is purportedly from a real book's real dedication page. Including the comma before and (called a "serial comma") clears up the ambiguity. PUTTING WORDS TOGETHER Examples One thing is certain: The team came here to win. Two things are certain: death and taxes. He had one thing to say about “Oliver Twist”: “Please, sir, no more.” 107 YES Guide Version 1.book Page 108 Thursday, November 3, 2005 3:09 PM Punctuation Follow these rules when writing a series of items: In a series consisting of three or more elements, separate the elements by commas. When a conjunction (like and or or) joins the last two elements in a series, include a comma before the conjunction. (This is an exception to AP style, which doesn't recommend a comma before and or or in a simple series.) Examples You can show and hide Time Guides on your day, week, and month views. Discuss sports, health, current events, and more. Sign in to your Yahoo! account and confirm your name, birth date, and gender. Use a comma to separate a series of adjectives equal in rank. Don't use a comma if the last adjective outranks its predecessors. Examples He walked down an unlit, dirty alley. The site features beautiful summer dresses.("Summer dresses" is a noun phrase) Commas and independent clauses When a conjunction such as and or but links two independent clauses (that is, clauses that could stand alone as separate sentences), use a comma before the conjunction. Before An even better sight comes when hidden zones are tapped and a fountain of force gems sprays the screen with dozens of goodies. After An even better sight comes when hidden zones are tapped, and a fountain of force gems sprays the screen with dozens of goodies. Commas and quotations Follow these guidelines for punctuation when citing a quotation: Use a comma to introduce a complete, one-sentence quote. Example The young man said, "I'm out to watch the next Triple Crown winner." 108 YES Guide Version 1.book Page 109 Thursday, November 3, 2005 3:09 PM Punctuation Don't use a comma before an indirect or partial quote. Example The young man was "out to watch the next Triple Crown winner." Use a comma instead of a period at the end of a quote that is followed by an attribution. Example "I'm out to watch the next Triple Crown winner," said the young man. Don't use the comma if the quoted statement ends with a question mark or exclamation point and is followed by an attribution. Example "Why are you here?" the reporter asked the young man in the hat. Commas and locations Use a comma to set off states and nations used with cities. Examples The band traveled from Paris, Texas, to Fargo, North Dakota. The juggler flew from Dublin, Ireland, to Paris, France, and back. Commas and numbers Ellipses Ellipses (three periods in a row) can be used: To indicate an omission of one or more words in sine quoted matter. However, not all omissions from quoted matter require the use of ellipses. If in doubt, contact an editor. See Getting Editorial help on page 167. To indicate a pause in speaking or an incomplete thought by either the writer or the speaker. And a few don'ts: Don't use ellipses in place of a colon when introducing a list, table, or illustration. PUTTING WORDS TOGETHER Use commas for numbers greater than 999 expressed in numerals. See Large and small numbers on page 79 for an example. Don't overuse ellipses on a page. 109 YES Guide Version 1.book Page 110 Thursday, November 3, 2005 3:09 PM Punctuation Avoid using "More…" as a link because it doesn't tell users where the link takes them or what action they should take. "Learn more" is better, and using an active, descriptive link is best. Exclamation points Follow these rules for using exclamation points: When referring to the company, its brands, products, or services, always include the exclamation point when writing Yahoo!. The exclamation point is part of the brand name and isn't being used as punctuation. If Yahoo! ends a sentence, include the ending punctuation (period or question mark). If you’re referring to an employee of Yahoo!, omit the exclamation point. See Yahoo! on page 194 for additional guidelines. Use it for emphatic expression.The exclamation point is an effective piece of punctuation, if—and only if—used sparingly. When overused, the exclamation point loses its impact. Example She couldn't believe her eyes! If the exclamation point ends a quotation, don't use a comma or a period after the exclamation point. Before "Smarty Jones is going to win!", he screamed. (Uses both comma and !) After "Smarty Jones is going to win!" he screamed. (No need for comma) Hyphens and dashes The following three marks are commonly confused and sometimes used interchangeably, but they really are different with different uses: Use a hyphen (-), the shortest of the three, to form compounds and separate prefixes from root words. See the subtopics that follow for more information on the use of the hyphen. Use an en dash (–) —longer than a hyphen, shorter than an em dash—to mean to, up to and including, or through to indicate a range of numbers, dates, game scores, pages, etc. See Ranges of numbers on page 87 for examples. The decimal character reference for an en dash is –. 110 YES Guide Version 1.book Page 111 Thursday, November 3, 2005 3:09 PM Punctuation Use an em dash (—), simply called a "dash," to indicate a break in a sentence; to link independent clauses (in place of a colon or semicolon); or to indicate an open range, such a date range with no ending date (see Ranges of numbers on page 87 for an example). The em dash (decimal character reference —) is the longest of the three marks. Examples Trust Yahoo! Web Hosting—an industry leader—to help. There are four settings—Kids, Teens, Mature Teens, and Full Access. Don't put a space before or after a hyphen. A space before and after an en dash or em dash is optional as long as the use is consistent within a product, service, or property. Headlines, for example, often look better without a space. (See the use of spaces for Marketplace promos on page 59.) For text emails or other times when the en dash or em dash is unavailable, use two hyphens (--), with or without a surrounding space. Be consistent in your use of spaces in the communication. Note Be sure to check the Yahoo! Glossary on page 177 for the hyphenation of commonly used words and phrases. Forming compound modifiers A compound modifier is two or more words that function as a unit. When the compound modifier precedes a noun, hyphen joins the parts of the compound so that your readers understand your intent. Consider the difference, for example, between red and green ties and red-and-green ties. When faced with a compound modifier, follow these rules: Examples The email campaign had a better-than-average response. Go to the sign-in page. Take advantage of the 30-day free trial. You choose your 10-digit account number and private 4-digit PIN. Many compound adjectives (which modify a noun) are hyphenated before a noun, but not hyphenated otherwise. However, if the compound adjective occurs after a form of the verb to be (like is, was, were), the hyphen is retained, even if the compound doesn't precede a noun. PUTTING WORDS TOGETHER Use a hyphen or hyphens to form a single adjective from two or more words preceding a noun. For compound adjectives that include a number, see Large and small numbers on page 79. 111 YES Guide Version 1.book Page 112 Thursday, November 3, 2005 3:09 PM Punctuation Examples It's an easy-to-use tool. You'll find it easy to use. The tool is easy-to-use. (Hyphenate before a noun) (No hyphen required after verb) (Hyphenate after the verb "is") Some combinations of modifiers don’t require hyphenation. A common example is an adverb modifying an adjective. Don't use a hyphen following the adverb very and all adverbs ending in "ly." Examples a very exciting product a completely new promotion (No hyphen required following "very") (No hyphen required following "-ly" adverb) See Hyphenated compounds in headlines and titles on page 93 for information about capitalizing compound modifiers. Adding prefixes See the Yahoo! Glossary on page 177 for the hyphenation of words and phrases commonly used at Yahoo!. If the word or phrase isn't listed, consult a dictionary (http://education.yahoo.com/reference/dictionary/). Tip You can check the hyphenation of a word in the American Heritage Dictionary by using a Yahoo! Search Shortcut. Keep in mind that many prefixes don't require a hyphen. In general, include a hyphen if the prefix ends with the same letter as the first letter in the base word. If a prefix comes before a proper name, use a hyphen. bipartisan bimonthly (See bimonthly on page 178 for alternatives to this often-confused word.) midsemester mid-Atlantic nonaligned non-nuclear prearrange pre-empt semifinal semi-invalid pre-fill Prefixes in titles and headlines may not require hyphenation—Pre-Production could actually be Preproduction and Multi-User could be Multiuser. Always consider the prevailing conventions of the industry or interest group. 112 YES Guide Version 1.book Page 113 Thursday, November 3, 2005 3:09 PM Punctuation Periods Follow these guidelines for periods: Use a period (or other terminating punctuation) at the end of any header or prompt that is a complete sentence, including very short imperative sentences. Examples Start a Yahoo! Group today. Sign up! Check your results. If headers, prompts, or list items are sentence fragments, do not use a period at the end. Use no punctuation for short items or an ellipsis (...) for longer fragments. Use ellipses sparingly. Before antiques, Beanie Babies, golf clubs. more information. (Unnecessary period) (Unnecessary period) After antiques, Beanie Babies, golf clubs more information... If Yahoo! (including the exclamation point) ends a sentence, include the period following the exclamation point. Example Services are partly paid for by ads you see while using Yahoo!. (Include period) Example Offices are open daily throughout the U.S. (Only one period to end sentence) When using periods following the initials in a person’s name, don’t include a space between the first and second initial. When referring to a person solely by initials, do not include periods (for example, JFK, FDR, LBJ). Examples The JFK Library was designed by I.M. Pei. (No space between initials) PUTTING WORDS TOGETHER If an abbreviation that includes a period (such as U.S. or U.K.) ends a sentence, don’t include a second period. Use a single space after a period that ends a sentence. 113 YES Guide Version 1.book Page 114 Thursday, November 3, 2005 3:09 PM Punctuation Quotation marks Use quotation marks for: Direct quotations Definitions and words as words Titles of some works Direct quotations When quoting a person, text, or other source directly, use these guidelines: Use quotation marks to surround the exact words of a speaker or writer. Examples "There are very few people," he said, "who understand the logic." According to the article, his works are "total fictions, not based on anyone’s life." To indicate quotes within quotes, use single quotation marks. Example "I remember my first conversation with him," Gonzales said. "He never came in and said, 'I want my job back.' He said, 'What can you do for me?' He was very genuine, very professional." Definitions and words as words When defining a word or phrase in a sentence or introducing an unfamiliar word or phrase, put it in quotation marks on the first reference only. (Foreign words should be in italic.) Example The browser will accept a "cookie" and open a new window. A cookie is a small amount of data from a web site and stored on your computer. When referring to a word or phrase, enclose it in quotation marks. Example The longest word in the English language is “smiles.” Many writers confuse “ensure” and “insure.” 114 YES Guide Version 1.book Page 115 Thursday, November 3, 2005 3:09 PM Punctuation Titles of some works In general, use quotation marks for the titles of books, lectures, movies, operas, plays, poems, songs, speeches, television programs, and works of art. In some circumstances, the use of single quotation marks may also be acceptable for composition titles. For more information, including a complete list of titles that should be in quotation marks, see Titles of works on page 93 and Titles on the Front Page on page 57. Examples He loved "Nightmare on Elm Street." "Miami Vice" starred Philip Michael Thomas. Punctuation and quotation marks Follow these rules for using punctuation with quotation marks. In general, put periods and commas inside quotation marks. Example The "Private," "Public," and "Show as Busy" permissions determine how the events appear to others viewing your shared calendar. If quotation marks are used to indicate a character or string that the user is to type exactly, put any punctuation mark outside the closing quotation mark. Alternatively, reword the instruction so that the punctuation isn't near the quotation marks or use bold for the string. Put dashes, semicolons, question marks, and exclamation points in quotation marks if they apply to the quoted matter only. Put them outside if they apply to the whole sentence. Examples The coach asked, "Are you ready to win?" What does it mean to be "left high and dry"? For more information about punctuation and quotes, see Commas and quotations on page 108, Ellipses on page 109, and Exclamation points on page 110. PUTTING WORDS TOGETHER Example For current traffic conditions, type the location followed by the word "traffic". 115 YES Guide Version 1.book Page 116 Thursday, November 3, 2005 3:09 PM Constructing sentences Semicolons Follow these guidelines for the use of semicolons: Place semicolons outside quotation marks unless they apply to the quoted matter. Example He said, "I'm out to watch the next Triple Crown winner"; he wasn't the only one. Depending on the font size, semicolons may not be easy to see on a web page. In this case, use an em dash (which is longer than a hyphen or en dash) instead. See also Hyphens and dashes on page 110. Use a semicolon or em dash to separate related independent clauses (that is, clauses that could stand alone as separate sentences) that are not separated by a conjunction (such as and or but) or the word which. Don’t capitalize the word immediately following the semicolon unless it’s a proper noun. Example He was there to watch the next Triple Crown winner; he wasn't the only one. Constructing sentences When writing or editing sentences, make sure that they are well-formed. Consider both the order of elements in every sentence and the number and placement of words and expressions. Consider order Use these guidelines when considering the order of the parts of a sentence: Put the most important part of the sentence at the beginning. Before On the message list page, you have an overview of which posts received recommendations. After See which posts received recommendations on the message list page. 116 YES Guide Version 1.book Page 117 Thursday, November 3, 2005 3:09 PM Constructing sentences If you introduce a list and then explain each list item, maintain the order. Before Yahoo! Plus offers you two types of accounts: Member Accounts and a Primary Account. A Primary Account belongs to the account holder. A Member Account has many of the same benefits as a Primary Account. (Member Accounts is introduced 1st; Primary Account is explained 1st) After Yahoo! Plus offers you two types of accounts: A Primary Account and Member Accounts. A Primary Account belongs to the account holder. A Member Account has many of the same benefits as a Primary Account. (Order of introduction and explanation is the same) Keep if…then in the correct order. Tell the reader the condition (if…) first, and then the consequence (then…). By placing the conditional first, you give the reader a reason to continue reading or move on to the next sentence. Before Click the Edit link if your email address is incorrect. After If your email address is incorrect, click the Edit link. (Put the condition, which starts with "if," first) Before You can request a new password if you forgot your current one. Keep it positive Avoid sentences with more than one negative word (such as no, not, nothing, no one), which can be difficult to read and understand. Before You can’t moblog if you haven’t registered your phone with Yahoo! Mobile. After Before you can moblog, you must register your phone with Yahoo! Mobile. PUTTING WORDS TOGETHER After If you forgot your password, you can request a new one. (Put the condition, which starts with "if," first) 117 YES Guide Version 1.book Page 118 Thursday, November 3, 2005 3:09 PM Constructing paragraphs Before You may not activate Yahoo! Parental Controls when there are no Member accounts created. After Before you can activate Parental Controls, you must set up a Member account for each person. Constructing paragraphs When writing a paragraph, keep in mind that you have only a few seconds to capture your readers' attention. Follow these basic guidelines when writing for online reading: Every paragraph should have a single idea or topic. Place the topic sentence or conclusion first. Readers will skip any additional ideas if they aren't caught by the first few words in a paragraph. This "inverted style" is common in journalism and unlike other writing, doesn't build to a conclusion. Keep paragraphs short—to as few as two or three sentences. "Writing for the Internet" (www.askoxford.com/betterwriting/osa/internet/?view=uk), part of the One Step Ahead series, found that paragraphs of around 30 words and sentences with fewer than 17 words work well for reading onscreen. Before Creating a portfolio on Yahoo! Finance is fast, easy, and free. You can create and maintain as many portfolios as you like with a single Yahoo! ID. If you don't yet have a Yahoo! ID, you will need to register for one before you can create a portfolio (registration is free and also allows you to take advantage of the many other products and services on the Yahoo! network including email, chat, games, and more). Yahoo! currently offers several different ways to track your portfolio (select a link to learn more): (Too many ideas in one paragraph) After Creating a portfolio on Yahoo! Finance is fast, easy, and free. You can create and maintain as many portfolios as you like with a single Yahoo! ID. If you don't have a Yahoo! ID, you must register for one before you can create a portfolio. (Registration is free and allows you to take advantage of the many other Yahoo! products and services including email, chat, games, and more.) Yahoo! offers several ways to track your portfolio (click a link to learn more): 118 YES Guide Version 1.book Page 119 Thursday, November 3, 2005 3:09 PM Creating lists Creating lists Lists can be embedded in sentences (like this list of list types), numbered, or bulleted. Numbered and bulleted lists can facilitate scanning, shorten text, draw a reader's attention, relate items, and show order or precedence. Introducing lists It's OK to introduce a numbered or bulleted list with a sentence fragment ending in a colon. In this case, make sure each list element can complete the sentence. Before To avoid this in the future you can: o Reduce the overall size of your site. o You can sign up for either premium GeoCities or Yahoo! Web Hosting services. After To avoid this in the future: o Reduce the overall size of your site. o Sign up for either premium GeoCities or Yahoo! Web Hosting services. Punctuating and capitalizing list elements Follow these guidelines for the elements in a numbered or bulleted list: If one or more elements are complete sentences, capitalize the first word of every list element and use a period at the end of each list element. PUTTING WORDS TOGETHER If all the list elements are sentence fragments, don't use any terminating punctuation. The first word can be either uppercase or lowercase, as long as every list element is capitalized in the same way in every list in the service, property, or document. 119 YES Guide Version 1.book Page 120 Thursday, November 3, 2005 3:09 PM Creating lists Including lists within lists Avoid embedding a list within an element in a numbered or bulleted list. If it's necessary to include a bulleted list within an element in a bulleted list, use a different bullet style for the embedded list. Example Yahoo! Desktop Search: Indexes only the content that the operating system gives you access to Gives you control of indexing of your browsing history and cache Lets you control indexing of your files, including: o Only index files that are marked for indexing o Only index specific file types o Only index files under a specific file size Numbered lists Use a numbered list when the order or number of list elements is important, such as the steps in a procedure. In all other cases, use a bulleted list. Before Yahoo! Express guarantees: 1. All Yahoo! Express submissions will be evaluated within seven business days. 2. You will receive an email response within seven business days, stating whether your listing is accepted or declined. If your listing is denied, you will be told why. After Yahoo! Express guarantees: o All Yahoo! Express submissions will be evaluated within seven business days. o You will receive an email response within seven business days, stating whether your listing is accepted or declined. o If your listing is denied, you will be told why. Bulleted lists Use bulleted lists for related items. Each item in the list should carry the same weight and importance; for example, all items are movie titles or features of a new product. Each item should be approximately the same word length. 120 YES Guide Version 1.book Page 121 Thursday, November 3, 2005 3:09 PM Gender-neutral writing The items in a bulleted list should be parallel; that is, each should start with the same part of speech. Before You can personalize almost every aspect of My Yahoo! including: o the content on your page o the order of content on your page o if your page has 2 or 3 columns (non-parallel list item) o the colors and background of your page o your My Yahoo! greeting o how many pages of content you have (non-parallel list item) After You can personalize almost every aspect of My Yahoo! including: o Content on your page o Order of content on your page o Number of columns (2 or 3) on your page o Colors and background of your page o Your My Yahoo! greeting o Number of pages of content Gender-neutral writing Gender-neutral writing uses language that doesn't stereotype either sex nor appear to refer to only one sex when that's not the intent. By using gender-neutral writing, you eliminate one factor that may interfere with your readers' reception and understanding of your message. Many of these suggestions are taken from the article “Gender-Neutral Technical Writing" (www.raycomm.com/techwhirl/magazine/writing/genderneutral.html) in TECHWR-L Magazine. Here are some things you shouldn't do: Don't use "he" as a generic pronoun; use it only to refer to a man or boy. Don't use "she" as a generic pronoun; use it only to refer to a woman or girl. Don't use "they" or "them" as a singular pronoun unless you're sure that your audience won't mind. In informal writing, it's OK to use "they" or "them" for the singular if there's no way to avoid using a pronoun. This usage is gaining in popularity and acceptance, but a lot of people dislike it or stumble over it. Avoid phrases like "he or she," "he/she," or any variation of "s/he." PUTTING WORDS TOGETHER Guidelines for gender-neutral writing 121 YES Guide Version 1.book Page 122 Thursday, November 3, 2005 3:09 PM Gender-neutral writing Don't use a feminized noun (such as manageress) when the normal noun (manager) covers both sexes. Some nouns, previously referring only to males (like actor), are now accepted as referring to either sex. Don't use a noun that might imply a single gender. See Replacing genderspecific words on page 124. Tips for avoiding personal pronouns Avoiding singular personal pronouns (he, she, him, her, his, and hers) is possible, but may require rewriting text. Here are some techniques for avoiding genderspecific pronouns: Use imperative mood (that is, use a command or request, with the subject you implied) or second person (you). Before An IM user can send a message to his friend. After Send a message to your friend. Use plural nouns and pronouns. Before Send a message to your friend asking them to download Yahoo! Messenger. After Send a message to your friends asking them to download Yahoo! Messenger. Repeat the noun. Sometimes repeating the noun has the added benefit of making your meaning clearer. Before Chatting with a friend is a great way to stay up-to-date with his news. After Chatting with a friend is a great way to stay up-to-date with your friend's news. Better Chatting is a great way to stay up-to-date with a friend. 122 YES Guide Version 1.book Page 123 Thursday, November 3, 2005 3:09 PM Gender-neutral writing Eliminate the pronoun completely. Before When you're chatting with a friend, you can send them a graphic to show them how you feel. After When you're chatting with a friend, you can send a graphic to show how you feel. Before You need to select a friend to message him or her. After You need to select a friend before sending a message. To send a message, first select a friend. Substitute a or the for the pronoun. Before Send a message to your friend to see if his download was successful. After Send a message to your friend to see if the download was successful. Use passive voice when the actor is unimportant. After Send a message to your friend to see if the software was downloaded. Recast the sentence. Sometimes you just have to rewrite the sentence completely to eliminate gender-specific words. Before When you select an Influencer, songs he/she rates highly will be more likely to play on your station. After Songs rated highly by an Influencer are more likely to play on your station. PUTTING WORDS TOGETHER Before Send a message to your friend to see if he downloaded the software. 123 YES Guide Version 1.book Page 124 Thursday, November 3, 2005 3:09 PM Gender-neutral writing Before If you know a friend whose phone you can send ring tones or logos to, put his/her GSM (PCS) chip in your phone, send the media you want to his/her telephone number (using your phone), save the ring tone, and then swap your GSM chip back into your phone. After If a friend has a phone you can send ring tones or logos to, put your friend's GSM (PCS) chip in your phone. Using your phone, send the media you want to your friend's telephone number, save the ring tone, and then put your GSM chip back in your phone. In messages to the user, include or repeat the user's ID, if known and technically feasible. Before %s may be offline. If so, the message will still be sent, and they will see it the next time they log in. After %s may be offline. If so, the message will be sent, and %s will see it after signing in. Replacing gender-specific words Some words may imply one gender to some readers. Replace these words with a general-neutral equivalent. 124 Instead of Use actress actor businessman businessperson, executive, business executive. Or, be specific: stockbroker, shopkeeper, store owner, etc. chairman chair, chairperson, head, coordinator, facilitator, director, moderator craftsman crafts person, artisan, skilled worker draftsman drafter fireman firefighter layman layperson YES Guide Version 1.book Page 125 Thursday, November 3, 2005 3:09 PM Gender-neutral writing Instead of Use mailman letter carrier, mail carrier, postal worker, postal employee man (noun) person, individual, people, human man (verb) operate, staff man, mankind humanity, people, the human race, humankind manmade synthetic, manufactured, artificial, constructed, handmade, made, fabricated, hand-crafted, machine-made, created, produced, simulated manpower workforce, staff, personnel, human resources, workers, employees, labor, labor force policeman police officer postman letter carrier, mail carrier, postal worker, postal employee salesman, saleslady salesperson, sales representative, sales rep, sales clerk spokesman spokes person, representative stewardess, steward flight attendant waitress waiter, server, wait staff, waitperson PUTTING WORDS TOGETHER 125 YES Guide Version 1.book Page 126 Thursday, November 3, 2005 3:09 PM YES Guide Version 1.book Page 127 Thursday, November 3, 2005 3:09 PM Yahoo! Voice Click Hyphens Countries Footers Order WWW Verbs Vocabulary Jargon Keys Media Newsletters Brevity Pronouns Help Click Keys Percentages Locations Ellipses Titles Links Ampersands Footers Dimensions Commas Deadwood Person Tense Days Links Glossaries Dimensions Feedback Lists Emphasis Readability Dates Copyrights Headings Commas Modifiers Conjunctions Typography Email Dates Voice Jargon Numbers Proofreading Anything Sentences Readability Summaries Footers Underlining Slashes Abbreviations Files URLs Lists Infinitives Headings Page Days Page Titles Cities Proper Names Dictionaries Number Ranges Apostrophes Person Web Newsletters Presentations Spelling States Abbreviations Underlining Slashes Time Zones Boxes Dictionaries Help Verbs Actions Error Messages Medium Voice Brand Audience Newsletters Months Topics Emails Subject Lines Percentages Locations Misspellings Tips Front Page Nouns Casual Voice Topics Adjectives Commas Titles Help Consistency Years Instructions Click Hyphens Money Participles Ellipses Misspellings Sentences Action Click Hyphens Voice of Yahoo! Buttons Phone Numbers Titles Dates Voice Jargon Lists Infinitives Headings Page Days Page Titles Cities Proper Names Dictionaries Number Ranges Apostrophes Person Web Newsletters Help Click Keys Dimensions Feedback Lists Emphasis Readability Dates Copyrights Headings Commas Modifiers Numbers Voice Jargon Fractions Apostrophes Front Page PowerPoint Commas Decades Ranges Lists Bullets Periods Quotation Marks Misspellings Conjunctions Tense Person Plurals Hyphens Modifiers Infinitives Italic Jargon Abbreviations Money Possessives Numbers Quotations Locations Serial Commas Feedback Footers Definitions titles Buttons Ranges References Semicolons Error Messages Medium Voice Brand Audience Newsletters Months Topics Emails Subject Lines Percentages Locations Ellipses Titles Links Footers Dimensions Commas Deadwood Person Tense Days Links Glossaries Formats Help Hyphens Countries Order WWW Dimensions Voice Jargon Numbers Currency Acronyms Person Pronouns Titles Consistency Plurals Acronyms Years Page Titles Copyrights Headings Capitalization Misspellings Slashes Summaries Lists Bullets Infinitives Sentences Action Keys Help Links Commas Lists Emphasis Semicolons Prompts Adjectives Dashes Readability Dates Copyrights Headings Software Commas Modifiers Numbers Voice Jargon Commas Email Dates Voice Jargon Numbers Sentences Newsletters Centuries Commas Money Jargon Readability Summaries Footers Underlining Slashes Abbreviations Files URLs Lists Infinitives Headings Page Days Page Titles Shortening Any Text Cities Proper Names Dictionaries Number Ranges Apostrophes Person Web Conjunctions Typography Newsletters Underlining Help Consistency Years Instructions Click Hyphens Money Participles Ellipses Misspellings Sentences Action Click Hyphens Voice of Yahoo! Boxes Buttons Phone Numbers Verbs Actions Links Glossaries Tips Notes Percentages Links Ampersands Footers Dimensions Commas Deadwood Person Tense Days Links Glossaries Tips Notes Nouns Pronouns Commas Page Titles Cities Slashes Zones Decades Possessives Currency Days Jargon Sentences Click Serial Commas Feedback Links Periods Dictionaries Hyphens Tips Web Front Page Person Punctuation Capitalizing URLs Readability Privacy Policy Footers Phone Numbers Definitions titles Buttons Ranges References Semicolons Dashes Money Dates Tense Infinitives Conjunctions Prepositions Buttons Voice Nouns Files WWW Negatives Jargon Sentences Consistency Buttons Feedback Casual Voice Topics Years Titles Plurals Copyrights Countries Error Messages Medium Voice Brand Audience Newsletters Months Topics Emails Subject Lines Percentages Locations Misspellings Correlatives Sentences Action Click Page Titles Ampersands Footers Dimensions Commas Topics Tense Directions Underlining Slashes Numbers Verbs Actions Percentages Locations Hyphens Modifiers Infinitives Italic Jargon Ellipses Titles Links Footers Procedures Dimensions Commas Deadwood Person Tense Days Time Zones Boxes Dictionaries Help Verbs Actions Tips Front Page Nouns Help Casual Voice Topics Adjectives Commas Quotations Jargon Cities Proper Names Possessives Apostrophes Footers Ellipses Titles Links Ampersands Modifiers Verbs Conjunctions Correlatives Commas Abbreviations Tense Click Keys Error Messages Voice Brand Numbers Dictionaries Topics Deadwood Consistency Tense Help Jargon Cities Decades Front Page Apostrophes Quotation Marks Formats Ellipses Years Feedback Emails Newsletters Centuries Commas Money Jargon Sentences Click Serial Commas Feedback Links Dictionaries Hyphens Tips Web Front Page Person Punctuation Colons Capitalizing URLs Privacy Policy Help Links Glossaries Tips Notes Consistency Years Instructions Click Hyphens Money Participles Ellipses Misspellings Sentences Action Click Hyphens Percentages Files Sizes Links Copyrights Headings Tense Misspellings Words Storage TV Nouns Question Marks Definitions titles Buttons Ranges References Semicolons Prompts Adjectives Dashes Slashes Front Page Sentences Spelling Subjects Titles Numbers WWW Underlining Slashes Numbers Verbs Actions Percentages Locations Ellipses Movies Titles Links Ampersands Footers Dimensions Time Commas Deadwood Person Tense Days Time Zones Boxes Dictionaries Help Verbs Tips Front Page Nouns Casual Voice Copyrights Error Messages Medium Voice Brand Audience Newsletters Phone Numbers Months Topics Emails Presentations Punctuation Subject Lines Percentages Locations Plurals Ellipses Consistency Buttons Feedback Casual Voice Boxes Headings Footers Periods Plurals Percentages Avoiding Common Pitfalls Copyrights Newsletters Time Readability Dates Words Copyrights Headings WWW Commas Modifiers Numbers Voice Blogs Jargon Commas URLs Participles Serial Commas Feedback URLs Links Periods Dictionaries Hyphens Tips Web Front Page Ellipses Misspellings Lists Infinitives Blogs Headings Email Tense Apostrophes Help Verbs Time Numbers URLs Directions Titles Conjunctions Web Zones Tips Acronyms Hyphens Modifiers Infinitives Italic Jargon Headlines Dimensions Titles Consistency Tense Help Jargon Cities Decades Front Page Apostrophes Quotation Marks Formats Ellipses Years Emails Tense Directions URLs Links Yahoo! Techniques, Tips, and Tricks YES Guide Version 1.book Page 128 Thursday, November 3, 2005 3:09 PM YES Guide Version 1.book Page 129 Thursday, November 3, 2005 3:09 PM IN THIS CHAPTER ... Proofread everything. Every word, phrase, and punctuation mark. Errors on a web page can affect credibility. Have the right info at hand. You have to know what's right before you can find what's wrong. Techniques for proofing anything. Tips from the print world and experienced proofreaders can help. PROOFREADING ANYTHING Proofreading Anything Common errors. These errors, minor and major, are just a start for your proofreading checklist. It really does matter The Web Credibility Project, conducted by the Stanford University Persuasive Technology Lab, found that one of the top 10 factors reducing a site's credibility is typographical errors. "Typographical errors and broken links hurt a site's credibility more than most people imagine." (Fogg, B.J. May 2002. "Stanford Guidelines for Web Credibility." A Research Summary from the Stanford Persuasive Technology Lab. Stanford University. www.webcredibility.org/guidelines.) "It's clear from the data that Web users do not overlook simple cosmetic mistakes, such as spelling or grammatical errors. In fact, the findings suggested that typographical errors have roughly the same negative impact on a Web site's credibility as a company's legal or financial troubles." (Fogg, B.J., Kameda, T., Boyd, J., Marshall, J., Sethi, R., Sockol, M., and Trowbridge, T. (2002). "StanfordMakovsky Web Credibility Study 2002: Investigating what makes Web sites credible today." A Research Report by the Stanford Persuasive Technology Lab & Makovsky & Company. Stanford University. www.webcredibility.org.) Before you start Before you start proofreading, make sure you know the preferred style for the property, product, and medium. Use the style guide for the property as well as the Yahoo! Editorial Style Guide and other approved resources. 129 YES Guide Version 1.book Page 130 Thursday, November 3, 2005 3:09 PM Proofreading techniques Proofreading techniques Techniques for proofreading are an attempt to get you to see what is actually on the screen or the page, not what you think or imagine is there. They slow down your reading, forcing you to concentrate on every word, sentence, and punctuation mark. According to an article on the University of Virginia's web site, "when you read normally, you often see only the shells of words—the first and last few letters, perhaps. You 'fix your eyes' on the print only three or four times per line, or less. You take in the words between your fixation points with your peripheral vision, which gets less accurate the farther it is from the point. The average reader can only take in six letters accurately with one fixation. This means you have to fix your eyes on almost every word you have written and do it twice in longer words, in order to proofread accurately. You have to look at the word, not slide over it." Try these techniques when proofreading: Print it. Don't rely on reading any text onscreen to catch errors. In fact, most of these techniques require that you print anything you're proofing. Wait. Put some time between the completion of the writing or editing and the final proofreading. A day or two is best, but even a few hours can be helpful. Ask someone else. One of the most effective ways to proofread is to delegate the responsibility to someone else. Stand on your head. Or at least turn the paper upside down. Some writers proofread a page by turning it upside down and reading it. Read backward. Start on the right and read leftward. Similar to reading upside down, this technique also forces you to concentrate on individual words. Read aloud. Read the text aloud to yourself or ask someone to read the text to you. This technique is especially helpful for text with many or large numbers or unfamiliar or foreign words. Cover the page. Or at least part of it. For paragraphs, cover all but the line you're reading so that you're not distracted by surrounding elements. Read out of order. If the text is in paragraphs, read the second paragraph, then the fourth, then the first. Use a spell checker. Copy the text and paste it into a Word document. One note of warning about spell checkers: They don't find words that are spelled correctly, but used incorrectly. MS Word's spell checker will not flag variants of some words as errors. For example, it accepts both minuscule and miniscule as correct, although the latter is a variant of the former. But it flags judgement as a misspelling, although it's a variant of judgment. If you're unsure of the correct spelling, consult the dictionary. (See Common misspellings on page 163 for a note about variant spellings.) 130 YES Guide Version 1.book Page 131 Thursday, November 3, 2005 3:09 PM What to look for Note If you use Microsoft Word for writing, editing, or proofreading text, be careful if you then copy and paste the text into a tool for display on the Web. Check for special characters or formatting that may have changed during the process. PROOFREADING ANYTHING Change the look. If your text is in Microsoft Word, changing the way the text appears can help in proofing. Change the background color, which changes the background onscreen only, not when you print the document. (To change the background in Word, select Background on the Format menu.) Or just change the text font or color. What to look for Carefully read every title, subheading, and sentence. When proofreading, be on the lookout for these common errors: Errors of consistency, including inconsistent capitalization of titles or subject lines Grammatical errors Spelling errors Missing ! in Yahoo! Missing period at the end of the last sentence in a paragraph Missing serial commas (the comma that comes before and or or in a series of three or more items) Hyphenated email (that is, e-mail—which is incorrect) Misspelled web site (it should always be two words) Out-of-sequence alphabetical lists Poor line breaks such as a line consisting of single word or a single line of text at the top or bottom of a page Footnote markers (like asterisks) in the body of the text without a corresponding footnote; footnotes without a corresponding marker in the body of the text 131 YES Guide Version 1.book Page 132 Thursday, November 3, 2005 3:09 PM YES Guide Version 1.book Page 133 Thursday, November 3, 2005 3:09 PM Shortening Any Text IN THIS CHAPTER ... Clearing out deadwood. You can shorten nearly anything you read or write. Start strong, stay strong. Avoid these weak openings for your sentences and keep the verbs strong. Replacing common phrases. These phrases add length, and not much else, to most writing. Deadwood is a superfluous word or phrase that can be omitted without loss of meaning. Deadwood in writing can take the form of bloated phrases or needless repetition. Removing deadwood not only shortens text but also makes your writing clearer. Once you learn to recognize these constructions, it's easy to eliminate them. Be careful not to cut too deeply into the material, creating text that is choppy, confusing, or inconsistent with the Yahoo! voice. Be on the lookout for: SHORTENING ANY TEXT Clearing out deadwood Deadwood, which adds little or no value to your text Words or phrases that not only add to the length of your writing but also weaken your message Common phrases that are bloated with unnecessary, redundant, or highfalutin words Keep in mind that "deadwood" depends on context. In some cases, you may want to retain some of these words or phrases for emphasis or to maintain the Yahoo! voice. Removing one-word deadwood These words can often be deleted without loss of meaning. However, they can be effective for emphasizing an important fact or concept. actively actual already always any appropriate, appropriately associated automatic, automatically currently easily existing fairly much never particular 133 YES Guide Version 1.book Page 134 Thursday, November 3, 2005 3:09 PM Clearing out deadwood pre-defined previously quickly quite rather really several simply suitable totally very Before To review the items you have previously deleted, click the View Deleted button. After To review deleted items, click the View Deleted button. Before Always make sure you entered the right address and that it is spelled correctly. After Make sure you entered the right address and that it is spelled correctly. Removing deadwood phrases Not all deadwood is a single word. Some phrases or clauses are unnecessary and push the most meaningful or important part of a sentence farther from the forefront. Consider these guidelines when writing or editing: Don't use if you want to, if you wish to, if you need to, if you would like to, or in order to. Use to or recast the sentence. Before If you'd like to block explicit content for every search, you can set this in preferences. After To block explicit content for every search, go to preferences. You can block explicit content for every search in preferences. 134 YES Guide Version 1.book Page 135 Thursday, November 3, 2005 3:09 PM Start strong, stay strong Replace you can with the infinitive (the "to" form of a verb) and rewrite the sentence. Before You can change your avatar by clicking the Customize button to the right of your avatar. After To change your avatar, click the Customize button to the right of your avatar. Replace you can choose to, you can decide to, and the like with a direct verb. After You can then search for airlines, hotels, or car rental chains. Then search for airlines, hotels, or car rental chains. Replace expressions containing you will need to or you need to with you must or the imperative. SHORTENING ANY TEXT Before You may then choose to search for airlines, hotels, or car rental chains. Before The first thing that you will need to do is choose a name and description for the Mood. After First, choose a name and description for the Mood. Start strong, stay strong Start sentences with strong subjects and verbs, which will shorten your text and place the most important words closer to the start of a sentence. Avoid "there is," "there are," and "it is" Sentences starting with there is, there are, and it is push the subject farther away from the front, are generally weak openers, and add to sentence length. Look for ways to rewrite the sentence without loss of meaning or clarity. Eliminating these weak openings often gives you the opportunity to use a stronger verb, but requires recasting the sentence. 135 YES Guide Version 1.book Page 136 Thursday, November 3, 2005 3:09 PM Start strong, stay strong Before There are several ways to prevent our crawler from indexing your site or portions of your site: After To prevent our crawler from indexing your site or portions of your site, do any of the following: Replace weak verbs Some verbs dilute the strength of your message. Look for words like allow, enable, can, and let, which are weak verbs that often add to the length of a sentence. Substitute a direct verb with more strength. Before You can save the car you built by clicking save the car you built. After Save the car you built by clicking save the car you built. To save the car, click save the car you built. Rewriting the sentence is often necessary to avoid weak verbs. Before Yahoo! Bill Pay is a service that lets you pay your bills anytime, anywhere. After With Yahoo! Bill Pay you can pay your bills anytime, anywhere. Use Yahoo! Bill Pay to pay your bills anytime, anywhere. Pay your bills anytime, anywhere with Yahoo! Bill Pay. Stay active When grammarians talk of "voice," they're referring to a property of verbs that indicates the relation between the subject and the action expressed by the verb. In active voice, the subject of a sentence does the action; in passive voice, the subject is acted upon. 136 YES Guide Version 1.book Page 137 Thursday, November 3, 2005 3:09 PM Start strong, stay strong Passive voice The directory is updated weekly. Active voice We update the directory weekly. Use of the passive voice can confuse readers and cause them to lose interest in your message. It also adds to the length of sentences. Before Comparison charts can also be generated for up to four symbols by inputting valid symbols into the comparison form (separated by spaces), or by checking the available index options and clicking the Compare button. After To generate comparison charts for up to four symbols, enter the symbols on the comparison form (separated by spaces), or check the available index options and click the Compare button. SHORTENING ANY TEXT Using active voice does shorten sentences, but more importantly it clearly delineates the actor—who or what did or does something. Passive voice is not grammatically incorrect and in fact is acceptable or even preferable in some circumstances. It's OK to use passive voice when the actor is unimportant or purposely ambiguous. Example The directory is broken up into 13 main categories with numerous subcategories. Tip If you use Microsoft Word for proofreading, it can detect some, but maybe not all, passive sentences and let you know the number used in selected text. See Using Microsoft Word to ascertain readability on page 25. Cut the crap Eliminate unnecessary modifiers and self-serving expressions. Before We established Yahoo! Express as part of a suite of services that Yahoo! has created to service small business needs. After Yahoo! Express is part of a suite of services that meet small business needs. 137 YES Guide Version 1.book Page 138 Thursday, November 3, 2005 3:09 PM Replacing common phrases In general, readers are uninterested in how or why a service or feature was developed. You can safely omit this information. Before This feature was developed so that members who want to skip the day-to-day discussions of the group and instead receive only important updates from the group moderator can do so. After If you select Special Announcements, you'll skip the day-to-day discussions of the group and receive only important updates from the group moderator. Better To skip the day-to-day discussions of the group and receive only important updates from the group moderator, select Special Announcements. Replacing common phrases Many common and redundant phrases can be replaced with shorter, more direct and familiar words. However, don't choose the shorter phrase if confusion or ambiguity could result or if the longer phrase is more consistent with the Yahoo! voice. Before If you have the need to send messages larger than 3MB in size, check out Yahoo! Mail Plus. After If you need to send messages larger than 3MB, check out Yahoo! Mail Plus. Better To send messages larger than 3MB, check out Yahoo! Mail Plus. Be on the lookout for these phrases and others that include superfluous words, needless redundancy, and a high-blown vocabulary. Before Make sure that your phone model is capable of receiving text messages. After Make sure your phone model can receive text messages. 138 YES Guide Version 1.book Page 139 Thursday, November 3, 2005 3:09 PM Replacing common phrases Use a few of the a few a large number of many, most a large part of many, most a large proportion of many, most a lot of many a number of some, many according to our data we find accordingly therefore, so add a new add adequate number (of) enough advance planning planning afford the opportunity to give the chance, enable, let, allow. Consider deleting the phrase. after the conclusion of after ahead of schedule early all of the all almost all most along the lines of like, similar to along with with any of the any arrive at a conclusion conclude as a consequence of because (of) as a result of because (of) as long as if as of this moment now as well as and SHORTENING ANY TEXT Instead of 139 YES Guide Version 1.book Page 140 Thursday, November 3, 2005 3:09 PM Replacing common phrases 140 Instead of Use ascertain the location of find assemble together assemble at a fast rate of speed fast at a time when when at such time as when at the conclusion of after at the moment now at the present time now at the rate of at at this point in time now be a combination of combine be able to can be capable of can be deficient in lack be in a position to can, be able because of the fact that because biography of his life biography both of the both by a factor of two two times, double, twice by means of by, with by virtue of the fact that because came back returned change the size of resize circle around circle circular in shape circular close proximity to close to, near YES Guide Version 1.book Page 141 Thursday, November 3, 2005 3:09 PM Replacing common phrases Use cognizant of know come back return come to a conclusion (an end) conclude, end, finish come to an agreement agree complete list list complimentary gift gift conduct a search of search, find consensus of opinion consensus create a new create despite the fact that although determine the location of find display a list of list does not have lacks drop-down list list due to the fact that because during the time that while each and every each, every each of the each each time when edit an existing edit end result result entirely new new every one of the all, every exactly identical identical exactly the same as identical few of the few SHORTENING ANY TEXT Instead of 141 YES Guide Version 1.book Page 142 Thursday, November 3, 2005 3:09 PM Replacing common phrases 142 Instead of Use fewer in number fewer final completion completion final conclusion conclusion final result result find the location of find, locate for a period of for for the most part mainly for the purpose of for, to for the reason that because for this reason thus, therefore forward progress progress found to be is free gift gift give a summary of summarize give consideration to consider, examine give indication of show, indicate, suggest give rise to cause half of (the) half happen(s) to be am, is, are has a tendency to tends has been proven to be is has the ability to can has the option to can has the need to need to, must honest truth truth if conditions are such that if YES Guide Version 1.book Page 143 Thursday, November 3, 2005 3:09 PM Replacing common phrases Use in all cases always. Consider deleting the phrase. in an effort to to in case of if in conjunction with with in connection with about in excess of more than in large measure largely in many cases usually in no case never in order that to, so in order to to, so in recognition of the fact therefore in reference to about, regarding in some cases sometimes, occasionally in some instances sometimes, occasionally in spite of the fact that although, despite, in spite of in such a manner as to to in terms of in in the case of for in the course of during in the event that (of) if in the field of in in the near future soon in the neighborhood of near, about, nearly in the vicinity of near, about, nearly in view of the fact that because SHORTENING ANY TEXT Instead of 143 YES Guide Version 1.book Page 144 Thursday, November 3, 2005 3:09 PM Replacing common phrases 144 Instead of Use involve the use of use is able to can is capable of can is contingent upon depends on is deficient in lacks is designed to be is is found to be is is in a position to can it appears that apparently it is clear that clearly it is essential that they (it) they (it) must it is evident that evidently it is interesting to note that note that it is obvious that obviously it is our opinion that we think it is possible that perhaps it is possible to you can it should be kept in mind keep in mind, remember it should be noted note join together join joint cooperation cooperation keep track of track learn how to learn to located at at located on on longer in length longer YES Guide Version 1.book Page 145 Thursday, November 3, 2005 3:09 PM Replacing common phrases Use majority of the most make a backup copy of back up make a change correct, edit, change, modify make a copy of copy make a decision decide make a purchase purchase, buy make a statement saying say, state make additions add make an adjustment in adjust make an approximation estimate, approximate make an effort try make an inquiry regarding ask about, inquire about make changes correct, edit, change, modify make corrections correct, edit, change, modify make edits correct, edit, change, modify make modifications correct, edit, change, modify make use of use manner in which how many of the many more complete complete more or less approximately, about, roughly most of the most necessary requirement requirement new breakthrough breakthrough on a daily (weekly, monthly, etc.) basis daily, weekly, monthly, etc. SHORTENING ANY TEXT Instead of 145 YES Guide Version 1.book Page 146 Thursday, November 3, 2005 3:09 PM Replacing common phrases 146 Instead of Use on a few occasions occasionally, sometimes on the basis of from, because, by on the order of approximately, about, roughly on the part of by one of the, two of the, three of the, etc. one, two, three, etc. owing to the fact that because perform a search search personal opinion opinion postpone until later postpone present a list of list present time now previous to before prior to before provide a description of describe provide a list of list provided in in provided that if put an end to end, stop reach a conclusion conclude rearrange the order of rearrange, change the order of recur again recur refer to see repeat again repeat return back return revert back revert YES Guide Version 1.book Page 147 Thursday, November 3, 2005 3:09 PM Replacing common phrases Use run the risk (of) risk send an email message, send an email email serve the function of being is several of the several share the same share shorter in length shorter situated on on some of the some subsequent next subsequent to after succeed in (finding) find sufficient amount of enough surrounded on all sides surrounded temporary loan loan the majority of most total number of number of unable to can't usual habit habit utilize use will be able to can with reference to about with the exception of except, except for would be able to could SHORTENING ANY TEXT Instead of 147 YES Guide Version 1.book Page 148 Thursday, November 3, 2005 3:09 PM YES Guide Version 1.book Page 149 Thursday, November 3, 2005 3:09 PM Avoiding Common Pitfalls IN THIS CHAPTER ... Commonly confused or confusing words. Word pairs (or trios) that you may be using incorrectly and a few words that your reader may be misinterpreting. Correlative conjunctions. If you use either…or in your writing, you need to read this. Not only for the correct placement of this correlative conjunction, but also for the correct verb to use with it. Dangling and misplaced modifiers. This pitfall can be simply avoided. Or avoided simply. Change of person. Changing from talking to your reader to talking about your reader can lead to confusion. Change of tense. Don't leave your reader wondering if something will happen, is happening now, or has already happened by changing the tense of your verbs. Old rules that don't apply. You probably didn't know that some grammarians actually care about these things. Common misspellings. We all mispell at least one of these words at some time. Commonly confused or confusing words Follow these basic guidelines for your writing: Avoid words with many disparate meanings. When in doubt, look up the word in a dictionary and pay special attention to usage notes. Keep in mind that even if you use a spell checker, you could have a perfectly spelled document that contains confused or confusing words. AVOIDING COMMON PITFALLS At times, even the best writers confuse some words, especially when two words sound alike but are spelled differently. And even when using words correctly, a careful writer can create a sentence that is misleading or misinterpreted. 149 YES Guide Version 1.book Page 150 Thursday, November 3, 2005 3:09 PM Commonly confused or confusing words Words that can confuse writers Several words, especially homophones (words that sound alike, but are spelled differently and have different meanings), are commonly confused by writers. affect, effect Both affect and effect have several meanings, which can affect which word you choose. The most common distinction: Use affect as a verb; use effect when you need a noun. Example Color affects your web site's effect on visitors. all ready, already All ready means "completely prepared"; already describes something that has occurred before a specific time. Example If you've already entered your account information, you're all ready to start. Tip If you're struggling with choosing between all ready and already, consider if you really need to include either word. Before If you've already entered your account information, you're all ready to start. After If you've entered your account information, you're ready to start. all right, alright 150 Never use alright; it's always all wrong. YES Guide Version 1.book Page 151 Thursday, November 3, 2005 3:09 PM Commonly confused or confusing words capital, capitol The building where a legislative assembly meets is a capitol. That is the only meaning of capitol. If you mean the city where it meets, money or other resources, or anything else, use capital. Example In the state capital, the governor spoke of raising more capital for schools before he tripped and tumbled down the capitol steps. Tip A capital idea for remembering the difference: A capitol is an office building— the one and only meaning of capitol. compliment(ary), complement(ary) A compliment is a form of praise; a complimentary remark is, too. And if it’s free, as most praise is, it’s complimentary. A complement completes or supplements something. And two things that go well together are complementary. Tip Remember that a complement is an element that completes or supplements. continuous(ly), continual(ly) Use continuous for anything that is uninterrupted; use continual for actions that recur regularly or frequently. Example Continual monitoring of the servers helps to ensure continuous operation of the web site. AVOIDING COMMON PITFALLS Example As a thank-you for your compliments concerning our cheeses, we’re sending you a complimentary bottle of wine, which we hope you’ll find complements the Gouda. 151 YES Guide Version 1.book Page 152 Thursday, November 3, 2005 3:09 PM Commonly confused or confusing words every day, everyday Every day is an adverb; use it when you mean "each and every day." Use everyday, an adjective, when you mean "ordinary." Example Find specialty and everyday items on Yahoo! Auctions every day. Tip Try substituting "each day" in the sentence, and if it sounds right, use every day. farther, further Use farther to refer to distance and further to refer to time or degree. Example To further his career in football, he understood that he'd have to throw the ball farther and faster. it's, its It's is a contraction of "it is." Its is a possessive pronoun. Example It's the first time the company has raised its prices. Tip Try substituting "it is" in the sentence, and if it sounds right, use it's. And remember that possessive pronouns (like hers, yours, ours) never include an apostrophe. lay, lie Both words have a multitude of meanings and can be verbs or nouns. But, they are most often confused when referring to "putting oneself to rest" (use lie in this case) and "putting something down" (this calls for lay). Because idioms for both abound, check with a dictionary to be sure you're using the correct word. Example Before you lie down for a nap, I suggest you lay down your drink. Tip Remember that a bricklayer lays bricks. 152 YES Guide Version 1.book Page 153 Thursday, November 3, 2005 3:09 PM Commonly confused or confusing words less, fewer Use less to refer to an amount; fewer to refer to things that can be counted. Example She took less time processing the entries because there were fewer of them than before. let's, lets Let's is a contraction for let us; it requires an apostrophe. Lets means “allows.” Example Let's see if this password lets us log in. lightening, lightning Lightening means "making or becoming lighter,” either in weight or color; lightning is an electrical discharge into the atmosphere. Example SBC Yahoo! DSL provides a lightning-fast connect, lightening traffic on your phone line. maybe, may be Example This may be the best team ever; maybe they have a shot at the title. peak, peek A peak is a pinnacle, top, or summit. A peek is a quick or furtive look. Example Take a sneak peek at how celebs stay in peak condition. AVOIDING COMMON PITFALLS If you mean "perhaps," use maybe; otherwise, use may be, which is a verb. 153 YES Guide Version 1.book Page 154 Thursday, November 3, 2005 3:09 PM Commonly confused or confusing words principal, principle Principal is a noun and adjective referring to a person or thing of highest rank or importance. Principle is only a noun referring to law or doctrine. Example The students showed the principal the 10 principles of behavior that were the principal reasons for the protest. Tip Is there anyone who doesn't know "the principal is your pal"? The word to use when referring to the top administrator of a school ends in "pal." So does the word meaning the top person or thing. reign, rein A monarch reigns, but you rein in a horse using its reins. Example During his reign as manager, he tried to rein in the players' salaries. When that failed, he gave the negotiators free rein. rite, right Though both words have several meanings, rite is generally used to mean a ceremonial or customary act. If you don't mean that, use right. Example Graduation parties are an annual rite, and many seniors seem to think it's their right to have one. To them, it's a rite of passage and a rite of spring, but I don't think they're right. See right on page 157 for a caution about using right. 154 YES Guide Version 1.book Page 155 Thursday, November 3, 2005 3:09 PM Commonly confused or confusing words stationary, stationery If it’s not moving, it’s stationary. Unless it’s the paper you write on; then it’s stationary stationery. Example The exercise equipment manufacturer’s logo—a stationary bike—appears on the corporate stationery. Tip A mnemonic to help you remember: A letter is written on stationery, which is sold by a stationer. that, which Use that to add necessary information about its antecedent (the word it modifies) or to distinguish or limit something from a larger class or group. Otherwise, use which. Examples Advanced email search is a powerful tool that allows you to search using more fields. Advanced email search, which is a powerful tool, allows you to search using more fields. (that is, it needs a comma before it), you probably want which; otherwise, use that. Before Yahoo! depends solely on our content providers to provide information which is accurate. After Yahoo! depends solely on our content providers to provide information that is accurate. then, than When referring to time or if you mean “therefore,” “accordingly,” or “next,” use then. When making a comparison, use than. AVOIDING COMMON PITFALLS Tip If the phrase sounds better with a pause Example Download the second file (it’s smaller than the first), and then open it. 155 YES Guide Version 1.book Page 156 Thursday, November 3, 2005 3:09 PM Commonly confused or confusing words they're, their, there They're is a contraction for they are. Their is a possessive pronoun like his or hers. For everything else (and that's a lot), use there. Example There are many times when they're ready to update their web site. See also Avoid "there is," "there are," and "it is" on page 135. who, which Use who to refer only to people; use which to refer only to an animal or thing. Some authorities insist that using which to refer to a person isn't incorrect, just impolite. Example The director, who has an unmistakable style, created "The Scream," which had considerable impact. Both who and which can take whose as the possessive form. Example The director, whose style is unmistakable, created "The Scream," whose impact was considerable. If you’re struggling with choosing between who or whom, see Is who correct? on page 101. who's, whose Who's is a contraction of who is or who has. Whose is the possessive form of who or which. Example The customer, who's always right, has forgotten whose computer he used to log on. 156 YES Guide Version 1.book Page 157 Thursday, November 3, 2005 3:09 PM Commonly confused or confusing words you're, your You're is always a contraction of you are. Your is the possessive form of you. Example Now you'll show up online whenever you're on your mobile phone and away from your PC. Tip If you wrote "you're," try substituting you are. If it doesn't work, the word you want is your. Words that can confuse readers Avoid words that have so many meanings that they can mislead readers. Think carefully before using once, right, and since in any sentence. once Once can have several meanings and can be a noun, adjective, adverb, or conjunction. When it comes at the beginning of a sentence, it can lead readers down one path, only to throw them in another direction. After After you click Submit, you're done. Be sure to click Submit one time. Depending on the context, consider substituting as soon as, one time, after, when, or formerly. right If you mean "correct," use correct, not right. Some authorities urge writers to reserve right for the direction and for all other meanings, substitute other words and expressions when possible. But that's not always possible or desirable. Before After entering the right name, assign the user an access right from the right list. AVOIDING COMMON PITFALLS Before Once you click Submit, you're done. Be sure to click Submit once. After After entering the correct name, assign the user an access privilege from the list on the right. 157 YES Guide Version 1.book Page 158 Thursday, November 3, 2005 3:09 PM Correlative conjunctions since Since can relate to either time or causation. If there's any possibility of confusion with the temporal sense of the word, use because. Before Since he was five he wanted to play Little League Baseball. After Because he was five, he wanted to play Little League Baseball. Ever since he was five, he wanted to play Little League Baseball. Correlative conjunctions A correlative is a pair of conjunctions that connect two parts of a sentence that are not adjacent to each other. The most common correlative pairs are either … or and neither… nor, but both… and and not only…but also are also correlatives. Maintaining parallel structure Maintain a parallel structure between elements joined by correlatives. This means that either element joined by the correlative conjunction can be used correctly in the sentence. Tip Try reading the sentence as two separate sentences, each with a joined element. If the sentences are grammatically and syntactically correct, you've placed the correlatives correctly. Before Scores are either updated in real-time or every few minutes. (Without the correlatives, the sentences would read, "Scores are updated in real-time" and "Scores are every few minutes") After Scores are updated either in real-time or every few minutes. Before The funds will either be debited from your account on the pay date or when the payee actually cashes the check. After The funds will be debited from your account either on the pay date or when the payee actually cashes the check. 158 YES Guide Version 1.book Page 159 Thursday, November 3, 2005 3:09 PM Correlative conjunctions Take special care with the correlative conjunction not only…but also. It's frequently misplaced or used incompletely. But using that correlative correctly can produce a style that sounds stilted or formal. In that case, you should consider rewriting the sentence. Before You can change not only your password but your email address, too. After You can change not only your password but also your email address. You can change your password and your email address. Before Not only do we have the Weekend Box Office, but Daily and All Time Box Office charts as well. After We have not only the Weekend Box Office but also Daily and All Time Box Office charts. Make sure that the subject and verb agree when using correlatives or other conjunctions. Many grammar books go into excruciating detail about matching subject and verb when the subject is a compound consisting of two or more elements separated by or or nor. There really is only one rule: The verb must agree in number and person with the word closer to it. Examples Either you or I am going to win the auction. (Grammatically correct, but Either Mary or you are going to win the auction. awkward-sounding, sentences) Neither you nor I am going to win the auction. Neither Mary nor you are going to win the auction. Because the grammatically correct verb may sound unnatural to your readers, consider changing the verb or verb tense when the subjects are joined by or or nor. AVOIDING COMMON PITFALLS Matching the verb and subject Examples Either you or I will win the auction. Either Mary or you will win the auction. Neither you nor I will win the auction. Neither Mary nor you will win the auction. 159 YES Guide Version 1.book Page 160 Thursday, November 3, 2005 3:09 PM Dangling and misplaced modifiers Dangling and misplaced modifiers A dangling modifier is a word or phrase, usually at the beginning of a sentence, that doesn't refer unmistakably to the word it logically modifies. Before When requesting a map, the airport codes below can be used interchangeably with street addresses (except as noted). (Airport codes make the request) After When requesting a map, you can use the airport codes below interchangeably with street addresses (except as noted). (You, the reader, make the request) Be careful positioning modifiers because their position can affect the meaning of a sentence. In some cases, their position can also affect emphasis. Before We will only notify you when there is a change. (But we won't do anything else) After We will notify you only when there is a change. (We won't notify you for any other reason) Change of person We, you, he—first, second, third person. Customer, subscriber, member—third person. If you're referring to your reader as you, whether explicitly or implied, don't switch to third person. The words you and user shouldn't be used interchangeably in the same text. Before Become a Premium GeoCities and Yahoo! Web Hosting member. Both provide increased storage space over free membership. In addition to increased storage space, users are eligible to purchase extra space in the following amounts: (Subject of 1st sentence is 2nd person—an implied "you"; subject in last sentence is 3rd person—users) After Become a Premium GeoCities and Yahoo! Web Hosting member. Both give you more storage space than you get with a free membership. You'll also be eligible to purchase extra space in the following amounts: (Subject throughout is 2nd person—"you") 160 YES Guide Version 1.book Page 161 Thursday, November 3, 2005 3:09 PM Change of tense Don't use the imperative (which has an implied subject of "you") with first person. Before Check the box to hide my online status from other users. (Uses both 2nd person "you," implied by the imperative and 1st person, implied by "my") After Check the box to hide your online status from others. Hide my online status from others. (2nd person) (1st person) Change of tense In general, write in the present tense. Regardless of the tense you choose, don't change it on the reader. After With our ratings feature, you can rate every photo or story you see at Yahoo! News. You can find the ratings feature at the bottom of story and photo pages—and you can rate each as something you would recommend on a scale of 1 through 5. (1 is recommended "Not at All" and 5 is recommended "Highly.") We calculate each story or photo's average rating as well as the number of ratings it received. We also show you the highest and lowest rated stories and photos as ratings are made by all Yahoo! News readers. AVOIDING COMMON PITFALLS Before With our ratings feature, you can rate every photo or story you see at Yahoo! News. You will find the ratings feature at the bottom of story and photo pages - and you can rate each as something you would recommend on a scale of 1 through 5. (1 is recommended "Not at All" and 5 is recommended "Highly.") We will calculate each story or photo's average rating as well as the number of ratings it has received. We will also show you the highest and lowest rated stories and photos as ratings are made by all Yahoo! News users. 161 YES Guide Version 1.book Page 162 Thursday, November 3, 2005 3:09 PM Old "rules" that don't apply any more Old "rules" that don't apply any more Following these old saws can lead to tortured, stilted, unnatural, or unnecessarily formal language: Never split an infinitive Never end a sentence with a preposition Never start a sentence with a conjunction Note If you're writing in the Professional Yahoo! voice, you may want to be more conservative in your use of language and grammar, especially if your readers could view your breaking of these old rules as grammatical gaffes. In this case, rewrite sentences to avoid unnatural language. Splitting infinitives An infinitive is the "to" form of a verb; to go, to download, and to subscribe are all infinitive forms of a verb. A split infinitive places an adverb between the to and the principal verb. The prohibition against splitting infinitives dates back to Roman times and the Latin language. Because Latin infinitives are a single word, all of Caesar's army would not be able to split one. But you can. In fact, putting the adverb in the infinitive can add emphasis and produce a more natural effect. Examples To quickly go to your My Yahoo! page, click the icon. You can expect to more than double your sales. Ending with a preposition Common prepositions include at, about, of, in, with, by, for, and from. At one time, a preposition was not something you ended a sentence with. Writers took great care to avoid that and created sentences that didn't reflect common speech. It was something at which they worked hard. Examples This is the service you've been waiting for. Read, reply, and send emails whenever you need to. 162 YES Guide Version 1.book Page 163 Thursday, November 3, 2005 3:09 PM Common misspellings Ending a sentence with a preposition is fine in casual and informal writing. For more formal writing, you may want to avoid both ending a sentence with a preposition and creating stilted language that doesn't reflect common speech. Before Contact the seller if you don't receive the item for which you have paid. (“For which” is unnatural-sounding construction used to avoid ending with “for”) After Contact the seller if you don't receive the item you paid for. Contact the seller if you don't receive the item you bought. Contact the seller if you don't receive the item. If you don't receive the item you paid for, contact the seller. Starting with a conjunction Most authorities now accept the use of a conjunction (like and, but, and or) as an opening to a sentence in informal writing. But not all. And they have their reasons. Common misspellings Tip Remember, if you're unsure of the spelling of a word, check it out in the American Heritage Dictionary by using a Yahoo! Search Shortcut. Some words (like minuscule) have a variant spelling (miniscule), but the actual dictionary entry is always the preferred spelling. And that's what you should use. acceptable accidentally accommodate accumulate acquire acquit a lot amateur apparent argument atheist believe bellwether calendar category cemetery changeable collectible column committed conscience conscientious conscious consensus daiquiri definite discipline drunkenness dumbbell embarrass equipment exhilarate AVOIDING COMMON PITFALLS This list is based on the 100 most commonly misspelled words according to www.yourdictionary.com, with some additions found at Yahoo.com and in Yahoo! user communications. See also Commonly confused or confusing words on page 149. 163 YES Guide Version 1.book Page 164 Thursday, November 3, 2005 3:09 PM Common misspellings 164 exceed existence experience fiery foreign forty gauge grateful guarantee harass height hierarchy humorous ignorance immediate independent indispensable inoculate intelligence irrelevant jewelry judgment leisure liaison library license maintenance maneuver medieval memento millennium miniature minuscule mischievous misspell neighbor noticeable occasionally occurrence pastime perseverance playwright possession precede privilege pronunciation publicly questionnaire receipt receive recommend referred reference relevant restaurant rhyme rhythm schedule separate sergeant supersede threshold twelfth tyranny until vacuum weather weird YES Guide Version 1.book Page 165 Thursday, November 3, 2005 3:09 PM Yahoo! Voice Click Hyphens Countries Footers Order WWW Verbs Vocabulary Jargon Keys Media Newsletters Brevity Pronouns Help Click Keys Percentages Locations Ellipses Titles Links Ampersands Footers Dimensions Commas Deadwood Person Tense Days Links Glossaries Dimensions Feedback Lists Emphasis Readability Dates Copyrights Headings Commas Modifiers Conjunctions Typography Email Dates Voice Jargon Numbers Yahoo! Resources Sentences Readability Summaries Footers Underlining Slashes Abbreviations Files URLs Lists Infinitives Headings Page Days Page Titles Cities Proper Names Dictionaries Number Ranges Apostrophes Person Web Newsletters Presentations Spelling States Abbreviations Underlining Slashes Time Zones Boxes Dictionaries Help Verbs Actions Error Messages Medium Voice Brand Audience Newsletters Months Topics Emails Subject Lines Percentages Locations Misspellings Tips Front Page Nouns Casual Voice Topics Adjectives Commas Titles Help Consistency Years Instructions Click Hyphens Money Participles Ellipses Misspellings Sentences Action Click Hyphens Voice of Yahoo! Buttons Phone Numbers Titles Dates Voice Jargon Lists Infinitives Headings Page Days Page Titles Cities Proper Names Dictionaries Number Ranges Apostrophes Person Web Newsletters Help Click Keys Dimensions Feedback Lists Emphasis Readability Dates Copyrights Headings Commas Modifiers Numbers Voice Jargon Fractions Apostrophes Front Page PowerPoint Commas Decades Ranges Lists Bullets Periods Quotation Marks Misspellings Conjunctions Tense Person Plurals Hyphens Modifiers Infinitives Italic Jargon Abbreviations Money Possessives Numbers Quotations Locations Serial Commas Feedback Footers Definitions titles Buttons Ranges References Semicolons Error Messages Medium Voice Brand Audience Newsletters Months Topics Emails Subject Lines Percentages Locations Ellipses Titles Links Footers Dimensions Commas Deadwood Person Tense Days Links Glossaries Formats Help Hyphens Countries Order WWW Dimensions Voice Jargon Numbers Currency Acronyms Person Pronouns Titles Consistency Plurals Acronyms Years Page Titles Copyrights Headings Capitalization Misspellings Slashes Summaries Lists Bullets Infinitives Sentences Action Keys Help Links Commas Lists Emphasis Semicolons Prompts Adjectives Dashes Readability Dates Copyrights Headings Software Commas Modifiers Numbers Voice Jargon Commas Email Dates Voice Jargon Numbers Sentences Newsletters Centuries Commas Money Jargon Readability Summaries Footers Underlining Slashes Abbreviations Files URLs Lists Infinitives Headings Page Days Page Titles Other Resources Cities Proper Names Dictionaries Number Ranges Apostrophes Person Web Conjunctions Typography Newsletters Underlining Help Consistency Years Instructions Click Hyphens Money Participles Ellipses Misspellings Sentences Action Click Hyphens Voice of Yahoo! Boxes Buttons Phone Numbers Verbs Actions Links Glossaries Tips Notes Percentages Links Ampersands Footers Dimensions Commas Deadwood Person Tense Days Links Glossaries Tips Notes Nouns Pronouns Commas Page Titles Cities Slashes Zones Decades Possessives Currency Days Jargon Sentences Click Serial Commas Feedback Links Periods Dictionaries Hyphens Tips Web Front Page Person Punctuation Capitalizing URLs Readability Privacy Policy Footers Phone Numbers Definitions titles Buttons Ranges References Semicolons Dashes Money Dates Tense Infinitives Conjunctions Prepositions Buttons Voice Nouns Files WWW Negatives Jargon Sentences Consistency Buttons Feedback Casual Voice Topics Years Titles Plurals Copyrights Countries Error Messages Medium Voice Brand Audience Newsletters Months Topics Emails Subject Lines Percentages Locations Misspellings Correlatives Sentences Action Click Page Titles Ampersands Footers Dimensions Commas Topics Tense Directions Underlining Slashes Numbers Verbs Actions Percentages Locations Hyphens Modifiers Infinitives Italic Jargon Ellipses Titles Links Footers Procedures Dimensions Commas Deadwood Person Tense Days Time Zones Boxes Dictionaries Help Verbs Actions Tips Front Page Nouns Help Casual Voice Topics Adjectives Commas Quotations Jargon Cities Proper Names Possessives Apostrophes Footers Ellipses Titles Links Ampersands Modifiers Verbs Conjunctions Correlatives Commas Abbreviations Tense Click Keys Error Messages Voice Brand Numbers Dictionaries Topics Deadwood Consistency Tense Help Jargon Cities Decades Front Page Apostrophes Quotation Marks Formats Ellipses Years Feedback Emails Newsletters Centuries Commas Money Jargon Sentences Click Serial Commas Feedback Links Dictionaries Hyphens Tips Web Front Page Person Punctuation Colons Capitalizing URLs Privacy Policy Help Links Glossaries Tips Notes Consistency Years Instructions Click Hyphens Money Participles Ellipses Misspellings Sentences Action Click Hyphens Percentages Files Sizes Links Copyrights Headings Tense Misspellings Words Storage TV Nouns Question Marks Definitions titles Buttons Ranges References Semicolons Prompts Adjectives Dashes Slashes Front Page Sentences Spelling Subjects Titles Numbers WWW Underlining Slashes Numbers Verbs Actions Percentages Locations Ellipses Movies Titles Links Ampersands Footers Dimensions Time Commas Deadwood Person Tense Days Time Zones Boxes Dictionaries Help Verbs Tips Front Page Nouns Casual Voice Copyrights Error Messages Medium Voice Brand Audience Newsletters Phone Numbers Months Topics Emails Presentations Punctuation Subject Lines Percentages Locations Plurals Ellipses Consistency Buttons Feedback Casual Voice Boxes Headings Footers Periods Plurals Percentages Creating a Style Guide Copyrights Newsletters Time Readability Dates Words Copyrights Headings WWW Commas Modifiers Numbers Voice Blogs Jargon Commas URLs Participles Serial Commas Feedback URLs Links Periods Dictionaries Hyphens Tips Web Front Page Ellipses Misspellings Lists Infinitives Blogs Headings Email Tense Apostrophes Help Verbs Time Numbers URLs Directions Titles Conjunctions Web Zones Tips Acronyms Hyphens Modifiers Infinitives Italic Jargon Headlines Dimensions Titles Consistency Tense Help Jargon Cities Decades Front Page Apostrophes Quotation Marks Formats Ellipses Years URLs Emails Directions Tense Links Yahoo! Resources for Writers and Editors YES Guide Version 1.book Page 166 Thursday, November 3, 2005 3:09 PM YES Guide Version 1.book Page 167 Thursday, November 3, 2005 3:09 PM IN THIS CHAPTER ... Getting editorial help. There’s lots of ways to get the support you need. Property style guides. Some properties maintain style guides that are accessible online. Policy and compliance guidelines. Privacy, advertising, and communication policies are available online. YAHOO! RESOURCES Yahoo! Resources Brand and legal guidelines. Guidelines for protecting the Yahoo! brand and trademarks and writing personal blogs. UI guidelines. For the Front Page and all other pages on the Yahoo! network. Glossaries. Words from Policy and Compliance, Marketing, and UED. Getting Editorial help The Yahoo! Editorial Style Guide is your guide to writing in the Yahoo! voice. The Editorial team is here to help you understand the voice and apply it to your projects. Even the best writers have editors, and in a medium as demanding as the Web, every word needs a second pair of eyes to review it. Yahoo!'s editors can help you write text for your product, service, or feature, from UI instructions to marketing copy. We can copyedit new features and revisions while giving your property another usability test—we're QA for language. We maintain "best practices" standards for marketing emails, property newsletters, and other documents. If you have a question about something as simple as a comma or as complex as sponsored content, ask us. You can find a PDF and web-based copy of the Yahoo! Editorial Style Guide on the Yahoo! Editorial home page (http://editorial.corp.yahoo.com/). You’ll also find information about what Editorial can do for you and how to contact members of the Editorial staff. For a quick response to your grammar, spelling, punctuation, and usage questions, email AskEd@yahoo-inc.com. For editorial support for a new or revised product, service, or feature, email edit-prod-dev@yahoo-inc.com Property style guides Many properties, products, and features have associated guidelines, although not all of them are available online. We may be able to help you locate copies of other property style guides. 167 YES Guide Version 1.book Page 168 Thursday, November 3, 2005 3:09 PM Policy and compliance guidelines Inktomi Style Guidelines (http://internal.inktomi.com/techpubs/Process/style.htm) Yahoo! Sports Editorial Style Guide (http://produce.yahoo.com/sports/editorial/Yahoo_Sports_style_guide.doc) Policy and compliance guidelines Policy and Compliance home page (http://policy.corp.yahoo.com) Privacy Policy (http://policy.corp.yahoo.com/privacy_policy/) Advertising Policy (http://policy.corp.yahoo.com/ad_policy/) Communication Policy (http://policy.corp.yahoo.com/communications_policy/). Includes policies on viral marketing emails and guidelines for service announcements, among others Brand and legal guidelines Yahoo! Brand Guidelines (http://mtb.corp.yahoo.com/app/index.php) Personal Blog Guidelines (http://backyard.yahoo.com/resources/forms/hr/blog/blog_guidelines.pdf) Trademark, copyright, and domain name guidelines (http://backyard.yahoo.com/resources/websites/trademarks.html) UI guidelines Front Page Mantel Design and Code Specs (http://ue.corp.yahoo.com/gui/prod/mainsite/mantles/specs/mantelguide/guide/ index.html) User Experience (http://ue.corp.yahoo.com) User-facing terms (http://ue.corp.yahoo.com/drupal/glossary/18) Glossaries Policy and compliance glossary (http://policy.corp.yahoo.com/images/glossary.html) Marketing Toolbox glossary (http://mtb.corp.yahoo.com/app/glossary.php) User-facing terms (http://ue.corp.yahoo.com/drupal/glossary/18) UED terms (http://ue.corp.yahoo.com/drupal/glossary/9) 168 YES Guide Version 1.book Page 169 Thursday, November 3, 2005 3:09 PM Other Resources IN THIS CHAPTER ... References. The books (some online) that editors and writers use to improve or correct all kinds of communications. Books about writing for the Web. Some of our favorite reads about writing for the Web. Organizations. Join others who share an interest in communicating all kinds of information. Web sites and newsletters. Find it online or have it delivered to your inbox. Reference material Associated Press Stylebook. The stylebook is available online to Yahoo! employees. Contact edit-services@yahoo-inc.com for login and password information to access the site. OTHER RESOURCES Books about writing. The quintessential book for learning the basics of writing effectively and correctly. American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language—Fourth Edition (http://education.yahoo.com/reference/dictionary) Roget's II: The New Thesaurus (http://education.yahoo.com/reference/thesaurus/) Chicago Manual of Style Books about general writing The Elements of Style. William Strunk, Jr. (www.bartleby.com/141/index.html) Lapsing into a Comma. Bill Walsh, Copy Chief, The Washington Post The Elephants of Style. Bill Walsh. Books about writing for the Web Hot Text: Web Writing That Works, Jonathan and Lisa Price Net Words: Creating High-Impact Online Copy, Nick Usborne Don't Make Me Think, Steve Krug Writing for the Web, Sun Microsystems (www.sun.com/980713/webwriting/) 169 YES Guide Version 1.book Page 170 Thursday, November 3, 2005 3:09 PM Organizations for writers and editors Organizations for writers and editors Society for Technical Communication (STC). www.stc.org. The national organization produces a magazine and journal, both of which feature relevant articles. Local chapters hold monthly meetings (open to members and the public) relating to a variety of writing topics. Usability Engineering BOF (Birds of a Feather). www.baychi.org/bof/usability/ American Copy Editors Society (ACES). http://www.copydesk.org/ Web sites and newsletters for writers and editors Poynter Online (www.poynter.org). "Everything you need to be a better journalist." Writing for Multimedia: A Guide, Michael Butzgy (http://home.earthlink.net/~atomic_rom/contents.htm). The chapter Writing for the Web (http://home.earthlink.net/~atomic_rom/web.htm) contains a summary of best practices in web writing. Common Errors in English (www.wsu.edu/~brians/errors/errors.html). User Interface Engineering (www.uie.com). Sign up for Jared Spool's newsletter UIEtips from User Interface Engineering. www.useit.com. Jakob Nielsen's web site. Sign up for the brief Alertbox newsletter. www.wordspy.com. A site "devoted to lexpionage, the sleuthing of new words and phrases." www.excessvoice.com. Nick Usborne (author of Net Words: Creating HighImpact Online Copy) writes the Excess Voice newsletter. techwr-l (www.raycomm.com/techwhirl/). Includes articles on writing; reviews of software, courses, and books on writing; and a very active moderated discussion list. Discussions range from technical writing, tools for writing, writing for the Web, usability and other topics of interest to writers and editors. Maintains a searchable archive of past discussions. copyediting-l (http://ce-l.technology-corner.com). Very active unmoderated list server for copyeditors. Responses to questions relating to copyediting issues can be very fast and authoritative. Maintains a searchable archive of past discussions. The Slot (www.theslot.com). “A spot for copy editors since 1995.” From Bill Walsh. 170 YES Guide Version 1.book Page 171 Thursday, November 3, 2005 3:09 PM Creating a Style Guide IN THIS CHAPTER ... Starting with a style guide. The style guide starts when a new product, service, or property is being developed. Contents. The contents of a style guide will vary by product, service, or property, but should include information about audience and voice, word usage (including a glossary), use of person, and data formats. Starting with a style guide The style guide can serve as a resource for marketing, customer care, PR, other associated product teams, and anyone else who will be communicating directly with users about the product. Contents of a style guide The contents of a style guide will vary by property, but consider including the following topics: Target audience and voice Word usage and glossary Use of person CREATING A STYLE GUIDE The scope of a style guide varies from product to product, but should be an important part of Editorial work on new product development. The style guide and its glossary are the responsibility of the editorial lead/writer assigned to the product team. But the documents emerge as a result of collaboration among all key product stakeholders, including User Experience Research (UER), User Experience and Design (UED), Marketing, and Product. In some cases, the document may require review and approval by Legal and/or Policy. Data formats Navigation and button conventions Some products may require additional topics. 171 YES Guide Version 1.book Page 172 Thursday, November 3, 2005 3:09 PM Contents of a style guide Audience and voice Include a description of the intended audience, which should be available in the Product Requirements Document (PRD). Define the voice of the property (from Professional to Casual) and explain when other voices may be appropriate. Word usage Clearly defined, thoughtful, consistent terminology and nomenclature contribute to usability, help define the user experience, and inform the evolution of the product and its voice. The style guide should include a description of the process that was used to decide words and phrases to be used (or avoided). The words that were considered and rejected can be documented separately or included in the glossary as long as they are clearly and emphatically identified as incorrect or inappropriate for the product. Glossary A glossary is an alphabetical list of words and phrases unique to the property. A good glossary is a living document, expected to change over time and over the life of the product. A product glossary helps to support the evolution of integrated Yahoo! platforms, products, and services and reduce confusion for the user. It can contain: Words, phrases, abbreviations, and acronyms that are unique to the property or that differ from current or recommended usage. Each entry should show the correct spelling, hyphenation, and capitalization. Include all alternate hyphenation (such as log on and log-on) or capitalization (such as a product name that can also be a generic word) with an explanation of use and examples. If the spelling, hyphenation, or capitalization of an entry is unusual or is likely to be overlooked, call attention to it in the definition. For abbreviations and acronyms, the spelled-out form and an explanation of when use of the abbreviation/acronym is acceptable or preferable. Include an entry for both the abbreviation/acronym and the spelled-out form with crossreferences between them, if necessary. Definition and usage of entries, if necessary. If the use of an entry could be confusing, include clarifying remarks and provide examples. Part of speech (verb, noun, adverb, adjective), if necessary. 172 YES Guide Version 1.book Page 173 Thursday, November 3, 2005 3:09 PM Contents of a style guide A glossary may also include: Words that should not be used, with the alternate, accepted word. Include terminology that may be used internally, but should not be used in communications with users. Calls to action Specify the verbs to be used for actions such as selecting a menu item, turning a checkbox or radio button on or off or entering text. These call-to-action terms may be included as part of the glossary or documented in a separate section of the style guide. Note For more information on call-to-action verbs, see Glossary: User-facing terms (http://ue.corp.yahoo.com/drupal/glossary/18). Consider using one of the verbs from these sets as the standard and documenting the decision in the style guide: delete/remove customize/personalize/individualize deny/ignore create/compose log in/log on/sign in/sign on register/sign up/subscribe log out/log off/sign out/sign off check/select/choose uncheck/un-check/unselect/deselect type/enter post/publish email/mail CREATING A STYLE GUIDE edit/change/modify IM/instant message/message open/expand close/collapse 173 YES Guide Version 1.book Page 174 Thursday, November 3, 2005 3:09 PM Contents of a style guide Use of person Text is usually written in the first person (I, we, my, our) or second person (you, your). It may be acceptable to use both; if so, state when. Indicate which person (first or second) will be used in the UI copy for instructions, labels, calls to action, explanatory text, etc. Instructions and labels in second person (“your”) or imperative (“you” understood) Specify if a combination of first and second person is acceptable and the conditions for using both. Label in second person (“your”); radio button text in first person (“me”) Data formats Include the format to be used for the display of dates in messages and the treatment of numbers. Capitalization and typography Specify the use of capitalization styles, bold, italic, and quotation marks for headlines, link text, controls (command buttons, radio buttons, labels, menus, etc.) and for referring to parts of the UI in text such as in instructions and help. 174 YES Guide Version 1.book Page 175 Thursday, November 3, 2005 3:09 PM Yahoo! Voice Click Hyphens Countries Footers Order WWW Verbs Vocabulary Jargon Keys Media Newsletters Brevity Pronouns Help Click Keys Percentages Locations Ellipses Titles Links Ampersands Footers Dimensions Commas Deadwood Person Tense Days Links Glossaries Dimensions Feedback Lists Emphasis Readability Dates Copyrights Headings Commas Modifiers Conjunctions Typography Email Dates Voice Jargon Numbers Yahoo! Glossary Sentences Readability Summaries Footers Underlining Slashes Abbreviations Files URLs Lists Infinitives Headings Page Days Page Titles Cities Proper Names Dictionaries Number Ranges Apostrophes Person Web Newsletters Presentations Spelling States Abbreviations Underlining Slashes Time Zones Boxes Dictionaries Help Verbs Actions Error Messages Medium Voice Brand Audience Newsletters Months Topics Emails Subject Lines Percentages Locations Misspellings Tips Front Page Nouns Casual Voice Topics Adjectives Commas Titles Help Consistency Years Instructions Click Hyphens Money Participles Ellipses Misspellings Sentences Action Click Hyphens Voice of Yahoo! Buttons Phone Numbers Titles Dates Voice Jargon Lists Infinitives Headings Page Days Page Titles Cities Proper Names Dictionaries Number Ranges Apostrophes Person Web Newsletters Help Click Keys Dimensions Feedback Lists Emphasis Readability Dates Copyrights Headings Commas Modifiers Numbers Voice Jargon Fractions Apostrophes Front Page PowerPoint Commas Decades Ranges Lists Bullets Periods Quotation Marks Misspellings Conjunctions Tense Person Plurals Hyphens Modifiers Infinitives Italic Jargon Abbreviations Money Possessives Numbers Quotations Locations Serial Commas Feedback Footers Definitions titles Buttons Ranges References Semicolons Error Messages Medium Voice Brand Audience Newsletters Months Topics Emails Subject Lines Percentages Locations Ellipses Titles Links Footers Dimensions Commas Deadwood Person Tense Days Links Glossaries Formats Help Hyphens Countries Order WWW Dimensions Voice Jargon Numbers Currency Acronyms Person Pronouns Titles Consistency Plurals Acronyms Years Page Titles Copyrights Headings Capitalization Misspellings Slashes Summaries Lists Bullets Infinitives Sentences Action Keys Help Links Commas Lists Emphasis Semicolons Prompts Adjectives Dashes Readability Dates Copyrights Headings Software Commas Modifiers Numbers Voice Jargon Commas Email Dates Voice Jargon Numbers Sentences Newsletters Centuries Commas Money Jargon Readability Summaries Footers Underlining Slashes Abbreviations Files URLs Lists Infinitives Headings Page Days Page Titles Directions Cities Proper Names Dictionaries Number Ranges Apostrophes Person Web Conjunctions Typography Newsletters Underlining Help Consistency Years Instructions Click Hyphens Money Participles Ellipses Misspellings Sentences Action Click Hyphens Voice of Yahoo! Boxes Buttons Phone Numbers Verbs Actions Links Glossaries Tips Notes Percentages Links Ampersands Footers Dimensions Commas Deadwood Person Tense Days Links Glossaries Tips Notes Nouns Pronouns Commas Page Titles Cities Slashes Zones Decades Possessives Currency Days Jargon Sentences Click Serial Commas Feedback Links Periods Dictionaries Hyphens Tips Web Front Page Person Punctuation Capitalizing URLs Readability Privacy Policy Footers URLs Phone Numbers Definitions titles Buttons Ranges References Semicolons Dashes Money Dates Tense Infinitives Conjunctions Prepositions Buttons Voice Nouns Files WWW Negatives Jargon Sentences Consistency Buttons Feedback Casual Voice Topics Years Titles Plurals Copyrights Countries Error Messages Medium Voice Brand Audience Newsletters Months Topics Emails Subject Lines Percentages Locations Misspellings Correlatives Sentences Action Click Page Titles Ampersands Footers Dimensions Commas Topics Tense Directions Underlining Slashes Numbers Verbs Actions Percentages Locations Hyphens Modifiers Infinitives Italic Jargon Ellipses Titles Links Footers Procedures Dimensions Commas Deadwood Person Tense Days Time Zones Boxes Dictionaries Help Verbs Actions Tips Front Page Nouns Help Casual Voice Topics Adjectives Commas Quotations Jargon Cities Proper Names Possessives Apostrophes Footers Ellipses Titles Links Ampersands Modifiers Verbs Conjunctions Correlatives Commas Abbreviations Tense Click Keys Error Messages Voice Brand Numbers Dictionaries Topics Deadwood Consistency Tense Help Jargon Cities Decades Front Page Apostrophes Quotation Marks Formats Ellipses Years Feedback Emails Newsletters Centuries Commas Money Jargon Sentences Click Serial Commas Feedback Links Dictionaries Hyphens Tips Web Front Page Person Punctuation Colons Capitalizing URLs Privacy Policy Help Links Glossaries Tips Notes Consistency Years Instructions Click Hyphens Money Participles Ellipses Misspellings Sentences Action Click Hyphens Percentages Files Sizes Links Copyrights Headings Tense Misspellings Words Storage TV Nouns Question Marks Definitions titles Buttons Ranges References Semicolons Prompts Adjectives Dashes Slashes Front Page Sentences Spelling Subjects Titles Numbers WWW Underlining Slashes Numbers Verbs Actions Percentages Locations Ellipses Movies Titles Links Ampersands Footers Dimensions Time Commas Deadwood URLs Person Tense Days Time Zones Boxes Dictionaries Help Verbs Tips Front Page Nouns Casual Voice Copyrights Error Messages Medium Voice Brand Audience Newsletters Phone Numbers Months Topics Emails Presentations Punctuation Subject Lines Percentages Locations Plurals Ellipses Consistency Buttons Feedback Casual Voice Boxes Headings Footers Periods Plurals Percentages Locations Copyrights Newsletters Time Readability Dates Words Copyrights Headings WWW Commas Modifiers Numbers Voice Blogs Jargon Commas URLs Participles Serial Commas Feedback URLs Links Periods Dictionaries Hyphens Tips Web Front Page Ellipses Misspellings Lists Infinitives Blogs Headings Email Tense Apostrophes Help Verbs Time Numbers URLs Directions Titles Conjunctions Web Zones Tips Acronyms Hyphens Modifiers Infinitives Italic Jargon Headlines Dimensions Titles Consistency Tense Help Jargon Cities Decades Front Page Apostrophes Quotation Marks Formats Ellipses Years Numbers Emails Tense Links Yahoo! Voice Reference YES Guide Version 1.book Page 176 Thursday, November 3, 2005 3:09 PM YES Guide Version 1.book Page 177 Thursday, November 3, 2005 3:09 PM 3D Not 3-D. 401(k) Note parentheses and lowercase k. YAHOO! GLOSSARY Yahoo! Glossary A A.D. Note caps, periods, and no space after the first period. For more information, see Years on page 83. ABA number A routing number devised by the American Bankers Association (ABA). Note capitalization. Address AutoComplete Note capitalization and spacing. address book Lowercase when used generically and not preceded by Yahoo!. See also Yahoo! Address Book on page 194. AddressGuard Note capitalization and no space. African American Note no hyphen when used as an adjective or a noun. aka Abbreviation for also known as. Lowercase, no periods, no spaces. alerts Lowercase when used generically and not preceded by Yahoo!. See also Yahoo! Alerts on page 194. AltaVista Note capitalization. a.m. Lowercase, no space. Not AM, a. m. Include a space between the number and a.m. See also Time on page 88. amidst Don't use; use amid instead, which is the preferred U.S. word. Amidst is chiefly British and is considered a variant of amid in the U.S. amongst Don't use; use among instead, which is the preferred U.S. word. Amongst is chiefly British and is considered a variant of among in the U.S. Anti-Spy Note capitalization and hyphen. 177 YES Guide Version 1.book Page 178 Thursday, November 3, 2005 3:09 PM Yahoo! Glossary Anti-Virus, anti-virus Initial caps and hyphenated when referring to the product that is part of Yahoo! Online Protection. Lowercase, hyphenated when used generically. When referring to the name of a specific antivirus product, use the manufacturer's spelling, hyphenation, and capitalization (for example, Norton AntiVirus, eTrust Antivirus, Computer Associates Antivirus). In a heading or other title using Title style caps, capitalize as AntiVirus. At the start of a sentence, capitalize as Anti-virus. ASCII Acronym for American Standard Code for Information Interchange. All caps. Always acceptable to abbreviate. Ask Yahoo! Note capitalization. auction Lowercase when used generically and not preceded by Yahoo!. See also Yahoo! Auctions on page 194. Audible Note capitalization when referring to the Yahoo! feature. Avatar Capitalize when preceded by Yahoo! or when part of a property component, such as Avatar Preview Window. B B.C. Note caps, periods, and no space after the first period. For more information, see Years on page 83. back up (v.) backup (n., adj.) When used as a verb, it's two words. In all other cases, it's one word. Examples We automatically back up your web site. When the backup is complete, you'll see a list of all backup files. 178 Banking Center Note capitalization. Basic Editor Note capitalization. bimonthly biweekly biannual(ly) Don't use any of these words. They can mean happening either every two months (weeks, years) or twice a month (week, year). Instead, use the longer but unambiguous every two months (weeks, years) or twice a month (week, year). birth date Two words. Not birthdate. YES Guide Version 1.book Page 179 Thursday, November 3, 2005 3:09 PM Yahoo! Glossary Hyphenated when it precedes the word it modifies. Examples You can print the map in black and white. You can print a black-and-white map. BlackBerry Note capitalization. One word. Plural: BlackBerrys. blog Acceptable as a noun, verb, or adjective. Preferred to weblog. blond (n., adj.) blonde (n.) According to AP style, use blond as a noun for a male and as an adjective. Use blonde as a noun for a female. YAHOO! GLOSSARY black and white (n.) black-and-white (adj.) Examples The blond spoke candidly about his last movie and his blond girlfriend. The blonde spoke candidly about her last movie. Bluetooth Initial cap; one word. BMP Abbreviation for bitmap. Generally used to refer to a graphic file. Abbreviation is always OK. bookmark Lowercase when used generically and not preceded by Yahoo!. See also Yahoo! Bookmarks on page 195. bps Abbreviation for bits per second. Lowercase. briefcase Lowercase when used generically and not preceded by Yahoo!. See also Yahoo! Briefcase on page 195. browsable Note spelling. Bulk folder Note capitalization when referring to the folder in Yahoo! Mail. bulk loader Lowercase. bulk mail Lowercase when referring generically to email sent in bulk. Bulk Mail folder Note capitalization when referring to the folder in Yahoo! Mail. bulk mailer Lowercase. buzz Buzz Lowercase when used generically. Initial cap when preceded by Yahoo! or when referring to the Buzz Log or Buzz Index. See also Yahoo! Buzz Index on page 195. 179 YES Guide Version 1.book Page 180 Thursday, November 3, 2005 3:09 PM Yahoo! Glossary C calendar Lowercase when used generically and not preceded by Yahoo!. See also Yahoo! Calendar on page 195. canceled canceling cancellation Note the single l for the verb forms; double l's for the noun. CD All caps. Always OK to abbreviate. Plural: CDs. CD-R All caps, hyphenated. CD-ROM All caps, hyphenated CD-RW All caps, hyphenated. chat Lowercase when used generically and not preceded by Yahoo!. See also Yahoo! Chat on page 195. chat room Lowercase, two words. check out (v.) checkout (n., adj.) When used as a verb, it's two words. In all other cases, it's one word, no hyphen. Examples You'll find that you can check out very quickly. The checkout process is very short. You enter this information during checkout. 180 checkbox One word, no hyphen. Chinese American Note no hyphen when used as an adjective or a noun. City Guides Note capitalization. classifieds Lowercase when used generically and not preceded by Yahoo!. See also Yahoo! Classifieds on page 195. click Depending on the object, use click (for a button, link, other interface element) or click on (for a file, photograph, icon, etc.). See Mouse actions on page 32 for details. clip art Two words. commercial-free Note hyphen. companion Don't use to refer to the Yahoo! Toolbar. Yahoo! Companion is now Yahoo! Toolbar. See Yahoo! Toolbar on page 201. Content Match Feature of Sponsored Search. Note capitalization. YES Guide Version 1.book Page 181 Thursday, November 3, 2005 3:09 PM Yahoo! Glossary One word, no hyphen. CSV Abbreviation for comma-separated values, a file type. Generally used to refer to a file containing values separated by commas. All caps. OK to abbreviate after first explanation. customizable Note spelling. D debut In general, use debut when referring to people. See also premiere on page 188. dial up (v.) dial-up (n., adj.) When used as a verb, it's two words. As a noun or adjective, it's hyphenated. YAHOO! GLOSSARY coworker Examples SBC Yahoo! Dial provides unlimited nationwide dial-up access. Get high-speed access for the price of dial-up. Directory Capitalize when referring to the Yahoo! Directory, even when not preceded by Yahoo!. disk Note spelling when referring to a computer disk. do's and don'ts Note apostrophes. double-click (v.) Note hyphen. drag and drop (v.) drag-and-drop (adj.) When used as a verb, it’s three words. As an adjective, it’s hyphenated. Not drag-n-drop, drag ‘n’ drop. Examples Just drag and drop photos onto the album. Add photos quickly with the drag-and-drop feature. drop-down box Don't use. Use pull-down menu, menu, list. drop-down menu Don't use. Use pull-down menu, menu, list. DVD All caps. Plural: DVDs. E e.g. Abbreviation meaning for example. Note periods, no space after the first period. OK to use when space is a consideration; otherwise, use for example, for instance, such as. If used, include a comma after the last period. See also i.e. on page 184. e-bill Lowercase, hyphenated. 181 YES Guide Version 1.book Page 182 Thursday, November 3, 2005 3:09 PM Yahoo! Glossary e-biller Lowercase, hyphenated. ebook Lowercase, one word, no hyphen. (Exception to AP style.) e-business Lowercase, hyphenated. ecard Lowercase, one word, no hyphen. Note that Yahoo! Greetings uses eCard because that's what the content partner (American Greetings) uses. Yahooligans! refers to it as Yahooligans! Ecards and generically as e-card. e-commerce Lowercase, hyphenated. email Lowercase, one word, no hyphen. (Exception to AP style.) e-tail Lowercase, hyphenated. F FAQ FAQs Frequently Asked Questions. OK to abbreviate on second reference only. Either FAQ or FAQs is acceptable, as long as it is used consistently. fax Lowercase. File Manager Note capitalization. file name Lower case, two words. Not filename. Friend List Don't use to refer to the list of contacts in Yahoo! Messenger 6 or newer. Use Messenger List. Front Page Capitalize when referring to the Yahoo! Front Page (www.yahoo.com), even when not preceded by Yahoo!. FTP Abbreviation for File Transfer Protocol. Abbreviation is always OK. Full Coverage Note capitalization when referring to the Yahoo! News product. Funds Transfer Note capitalization. G 182 Game Boy Note capitalization and space. GameCube Note capitalization and no space. GB Abbreviation for gigabyte. All caps. Don't include a space between the number and GB. GeoCities Note capitalization and no space. Use with singular verb. See also Yahoo! GeoCities on page 197. YES Guide Version 1.book Page 183 Thursday, November 3, 2005 3:09 PM Yahoo! Glossary Note capitalization and no space. GHz Abbreviation for gigahertz. Note capitalization. Don't include a space between the number and GHz. GIF Acronym for Graphic Interchange Format. Generally used to refer to an image file with the file name extension "gif." All caps. Acronym is always OK. gigabyte OK to abbreviate as GB. grey Don't use. Use gray instead, which is the preferred U.S. spelling. Grey is chiefly British and is considered a variant of gray in the U.S. group Lowercase when used generically and not preceded by Yahoo!. See also Yahoo! Groups on page 197. guestbook Lowercase, one word. YAHOO! GLOSSARY GeoPlus H help pages Lowercase when referring to general help pages. high speed (n.) high-speed (adj.) Hyphenated when it precedes the word it modifies. Examples Get high-speed Internet access. Sign up now and soar through the Internet at a truly high speed. hip-hop Lowercase, hyphenated. hit Don’t use. When referring to a key, use press. Use click (for a button, link, or other interface element) or click on (for a file, photograph, icon, etc.) for the mouse action. See Mouse actions on page 32 for details. Before Select the country and hit the "Get Map" button. After Select the country and click the "Get Map" button. home page Lowercase, two words. Not homepage. host name Lowercase, two words. HotJobs Note capitalization and no space. See also Yahoo! HotJobs on page 197. 183 YES Guide Version 1.book Page 184 Thursday, November 3, 2005 3:09 PM Yahoo! Glossary hover Don't use to describe the action of holding the mouse pointer over an area of the page. Use roll, move, pass your mouse over, or an equivalent phrase. HTML Abbreviation for Hypertext Markup Language. All caps. Abbreviation is always OK. I 184 i.e. Abbreviation meaning that is. Note periods and no space after the first. OK to use when space is a consideration; otherwise, use that is, in other words, or equivalent. If used, include a comma after the last period. See also e.g. on page 181. ID All caps, no period, no space. Not Id, id. Plural: IDs. IE Initialism for Internet Explorer. All caps, no periods, no space. Abbreviation acceptable on second reference only. Ignore List Note capitalization when referring to the Messenger Ignore List. IM Initialism for instant message. All caps, no periods, no space. Plural: IMs. Image Search Note capitalization. IMV Abbreviation for IMVironment. Abbreviation is acceptable after first reference only. Plural: IMVs. IMVironment Note capitalization. Abbreviation to IMV acceptable after first reference only. info In general, use information, rather than info. However, if space is tight (such as in the Directory or on the Front Page), info is acceptable. Inside Yahoo! Note capitalization. instant messenger Lowercase. See Messenger on page 187. Insurance Center Note capitalization. Internet Note capitalization. Internet Explorer OK to abbreviate as IE after first reference. Internet service provider Note capitalization. OK to abbreviate as ISP. ISP Abbreviation for Internet service provider. Plural: ISPs. YES Guide Version 1.book Page 185 Thursday, November 3, 2005 3:09 PM Yahoo! Glossary Java Note capitalization. JavaScript Note capitalization. JPEG Abbreviation for Joint Photographic Experts Group. Generally used to refer to any graphic image file produced by using the JPEG standard. All caps. Abbreviation is always OK. Plural: JPEGs. junk mail Lowercase, two words. YAHOO! GLOSSARY J K KB Abbreviation for kilobyte. All caps. Don't include a space between the number and KB. Kbps KBps Abbreviation for kilobits per second (Kbps) and kilobytes per second (KBps). Note difference in capitalization. keyword One word. KHz Abbreviation for kilohertz. Note capitalization. Don't include a space between the number and KHz. kilobyte OK to abbreviate as KB. L LAUNCH All caps. LAUNCHcast Note capitalization. LAUNCHcast Plus Note capitalization. LAUNCHcast Radio Note capitalization. learnt Don't use; use learned instead, which is the preferred U.S. spelling. Learnt is chiefly British and is considered a variant of learned in the U.S. left-hand side Don't use. Use left side instead. list (n.) Lowercase. Also acceptable: pull-down menu, menu. Not dropdown list. Loan Center Note capitalization. local Yahoo!s Note capitalization. 185 YES Guide Version 1.book Page 186 Thursday, November 3, 2005 3:09 PM Yahoo! Glossary log in, log in to (v.) login (n., adj.) When used as a verb, it's two or three words. In all other cases, it's one word. Examples To log in here, enter your login name. You'll enter your password during login and each time you log in. Note that sign in is preferred. log on, log on to (v.) logon (n., adj.) When used as a verb, it's two or three words. In all other cases, it's one word. Note that sign in is preferred. log out (v.) logout (n., adj.) When used as a verb, it's two words. In all other cases, it's one word. Example If you forget to log out, you'll get a logout reminder. Note that sign out is preferred. M Mac Abbreviation is always OK. machine Don't use when referring to a computer; use computer. Before The font face must be present on the machine. After The font face must be present on the computer. 186 mailbox Lowercase, one word. Marketplace Ad Manager Note capitalization. MarketTracker Note capitalization. One word. MasterCard Note capitalization. One word. MB Abbreviation for megabyte. All caps. Don't include a space between the number and MB. Not Mbyte. Mbyte Don't use as an abbreviation for megabyte. See MB. megabyte OK to abbreviate as MB. menu Lowercase. Also acceptable: pull-down menu, list. Not dropdown menu. message board Lowercase when used generically and not preceded by Yahoo!. See also Yahoo! Message Boards on page 198. YES Guide Version 1.book Page 187 Thursday, November 3, 2005 3:09 PM Yahoo! Glossary Capitalized even when not preceded by Yahoo!. MHz Abbreviation for megahertz. Note capitalization. Don't include a space between the number and MHz. MIDI Acronym for Musical Instrument Digital Interface. All caps. Acronym is always OK. Minidisc Note capitalization. mouseover Don't use to describe the action of holding the mouse pointer over an area of the page. Use roll, move, pass your mouse over, or an equivalent phrase. MP3 Plural: MP3s. Musicmatch Note capitalization. Mutual Funds Center Note capitalization. My Web My Web 2.0 Note capitalization and spaces. Not MyWeb. My Yahoo! Note capitalization. YAHOO! GLOSSARY Messenger N name server Two words. Native American Note capitalization. Not hyphenated even when used as an adjective. Net Note capitalization. OK to use as shorthand for the Internet. Netscape Note capitalization. Nielsen//NetRatings An Internet media and market research company. Note spelling, capitalization, slashes, and spacing. noncommercial One word. Not non-commercial. nonfiction One word. Not non-fiction. nonprofit One word. Not non-profit. O offline One word, not hyphenated. Not off-line, off line. OK Note capitalization. Not okay, Ok, or ok. online One word, not hyphenated. Not on-line, on line. Online Protection Note capitalization when referring to Yahoo! Online Protection. 187 YES Guide Version 1.book Page 188 Thursday, November 3, 2005 3:09 PM Yahoo! Glossary P PageBuilder Note capitalization and no space. Parental Controls Note capitalization. See also Yahoo! Parental Controls on page 199. password Lowercase. PC Abbreviation is always OK. Plural: PCs. PC call OK to use for a PC-to-PC phone call. Use as a noun only. For a verb form, use place a PC call, make a PC call, use your PC to call, make calls from your PC, or similar. PDA Abbreviation for personal digital assistant. Abbreviation is always OK. Plural: PDAs. PDF Abbreviation for Portable Document Format. Generally used to refer to files created by using Adobe Acrobat. All caps. Abbreviation is always OK. Plural: PDFs. peer-to-peer (adj.) Note hyphens. percent See Percentages on page 86. PIN All caps. Not PIN number. PlayStation Note capitalization and no space. plug-in (n., adj.) plug in (v.) Note hyphen in the noun and adjective forms. Not plugin. p.m. Lowercase, no space. Not PM, p. m. Include a space between the number and p.m. See also Time on page 88. podcast Lowercase, one word. pop-up (n., adj.) pop up (v.) Note hyphen in the noun and adjective forms. Not popup. Examples Get rid of pop-ups before they pop up. Stop annoying pop-up ads. 188 Pop-Up Blocker Note capitalization and hyphen. premiere In general, use premiere for events. See also debut on page 181. Premium Customer Care Note capitalization. YES Guide Version 1.book Page 189 Thursday, November 3, 2005 3:09 PM Yahoo! Glossary When referring to a key on a keyboard, use press. Use click (for a button, link, or other interface element) or click on (for a file, photograph, icon, etc.) for the mouse action. See Mouse actions on page 32 for details. print print out print off When instructing readers to create a hard copy of a document, page, etc., use print. In some cases, print out can be used; however, don’t use print off, which is chiefly British. promo OK to use when space is tight as a heading for a promotion or promotional box. PS2, PS3 OK to use as abbreviation for PlayStation 2 (PlayStation 3). Note no capitalization and no space. pull-down menu Note hyphen. Not drop-down menu, drop-down box. Also acceptable: menu, list. YAHOO! GLOSSARY press Q QuickBuilder Note capitalization and no space. QuickTime Note capitalization and no space. R RAM Abbreviation for random access memory. Abbreviation is always OK. real time (n.) real-time (adj.) When used as a noun, it's two words. As an adjective, it's hyphenated. Examples Watch the file stream in real time. Watch the real-time video file. Get real-time updates delivered to your phone. Resumix Note capitalization and spelling. right-click (v.) Note hyphen. right-hand side Don't use. Use right side instead. ringtone Lowercase, one word. rock ‘n’ roll Note apostrophes. The variant rock-and-roll (hyphenated) is also acceptable, although rock ‘n’ roll is preferred. 189 YES Guide Version 1.book Page 190 Thursday, November 3, 2005 3:09 PM Yahoo! Glossary S SafeSearch Note capitalization and no space. SBC Yahoo! Note capitalization. SBC Yahoo! Browser Note capitalization. SBC Yahoo! DSL Note capitalization. SBC Yahoo! User Chooser Note capitalization. SBC Yahoo! Web Portal Note capitalization. screen Use only to refer to the computer screen, not a page on a web site. When referring to a web site, use page. search Search Capitalize when referring to Yahoo! Search or the Yahoo! Search box, even when not preceded by Yahoo!. Lowercase when used generically or as a verb. searched on (v.) searched-on (adj.) When used as a verb, it’s two words. As an adjective, it’s hyphenated. Examples Millions of you searched on “hurricane” this week. “Hurricane” is the most searched-on word this week. security key Lowercase. set up (v.) setup (n., adj.) When used as a verb, it's two words. In all other cases, it's one word. Examples Set up your Yahoo! Store. Check your Yahoo! Store setup. Your setup fee is waived. Shortcuts Capitalized when referring to Yahoo! Search Shortcuts, even when not preceded by Yahoo!. sign in, sign in to (v.) sign-in (adj.) When used as a verb, it's two or three words. As an adjective, it's hyphenated. Example All users must sign in on the sign-in page. 190 YES Guide Version 1.book Page 191 Thursday, November 3, 2005 3:09 PM Yahoo! Glossary When used as a verb, it's two words. As an adjective, it's hyphenated. Examples Sign up for Yahoo! Mail. Fill in the sign-up form. Smart Pages Note capitalization. Social Security number Note capitalization. SpamGuard Note capitalization and no space. SpamGuard Plus Note capitalization and spacing. Sponsor Listings Note capitalization. Sponsor Results Note capitalization. Sponsored Search Note capitalization. SSN Abbreviation for Social Security number. Not SSN number. stand-alone Note hyphen. StatTracker Note capitalization and no space. store Store Lowercase when used generically, capitalized when referring to a Yahoo! store, even when not preceded by Yahoo!. See also Yahoo! Store on page 201. Store Editor Note capitalization. Store Manager Note capitalization. sub account Lowercase, two words. Not subaccount, sub-account. Super Webcam Note capitalization. sync Not synch. YAHOO! GLOSSARY sign up (v.) sign-up (adj.) T Tax Center Note capitalization. thank you (v.) thank-you (n., adj.) As a noun or adjective, it's hyphenated. Examples As a thank-you for your participation, you’ll receive... Please accept this thank-you gift for your participation. We would like to thank you for participating. 191 YES Guide Version 1.book Page 192 Thursday, November 3, 2005 3:09 PM Yahoo! Glossary toolbar Toolbar One word. Capitalize when referring to the Yahoo! Toolbar, even when not preceded by Yahoo!. Lowercase when used generically. See also Yahoo! Toolbar on page 201. top Avoid using to mean "highest" or "most." Use most viewed or equivalent. If necessary to use, include qualifier, such as top box office or top 10 searches. traveled, traveling, traveler Note the single l. troubleshoot One word. TrueSwitch Note capitalization and no space. T-shirt Note capitalization and hyphen. TV Abbreviation is always OK. Plural: TVs. U U.K. United Kingdom. Note periods; no space. Not UK, except in postal addresses. UNIX All caps. upper-left corner Note hyphen. Not upper-left hand corner. upper-right corner Note hyphen. Not upper-right hand corner. up-to-date Note hyphens. Examples Keep your calendar up-to-date. Keep an up-to-date calendar. 192 URL All caps. Abbreviation is always OK. Plural: URLs. U.S. United States. Note periods, no space. Not US, U. S. The single exception is specifying currency in prices; in this case, do not include the periods; for example, US$299. user Consider using member, subscriber, customer, reader, visitor, or similar. See Person and pronouns on page 99 for details. User ID Note capitalization. Plural: User IDs. user name Lowercase, two words. Not username. YES Guide Version 1.book Page 193 Thursday, November 3, 2005 3:09 PM Yahoo! Glossary Video Search Note capitalization. Visa Credit card company. Note capitalization. Not VISA. voicemail Lowercase, one word. Not voice mail. W Web web Initial cap when used as a noun to refer to the World Wide Web; that is, when referring to "the Web." In all other cases, lowercase. (In some cases, the result may be an exception to AP style.) web hosting Lowercase, two words. web page Lowercase, two words. (Exception to AP style.) web site Lowercase, two words. Not website. (Exception to AP style.) webcam Lowercase, one word. However, Super Webcam. webcast Lowercase, one word. weblog Lowercase, one word. Use only when describing the origin of the word blog, which is preferred. What's New Capitalized when referring to the page. Wi-Fi Note capitalization and hyphen. Short for wireless fidelity. Shortened form always OK. word-of-mouth (n., adj.) Note hyphens in both the noun and the adjective forms. World Wide Web Note capitalization. worldwide (adj., adv.) One word. YAHOO! GLOSSARY V world Yahoo!s WWW All caps. OK to use as an abbreviation for World Wide Web. X Xbox Note capitalization and no space. Not X Box, X-Box. X-ray Note capitalization and hyphen. 193 YES Guide Version 1.book Page 194 Thursday, November 3, 2005 3:09 PM Yahoo! Glossary Y Y! OK to use as shorthand for Yahoo! when space is tight. Yahoo! Yahoo (n.) yahoo (v.) When referring to the company, its brands, products, or services, use uppercase Y. Be sure to include the exclamation point. Possessive: Yahoo!'s. When referring to an employee of Yahoo!, use uppercase Y and no exclamation point. Plural: Yahoos. When using as a verb, use lowercase y and no exclamation point. The one exception is the tagline Do you Yahoo!?, which uses uppercase and an exclamation point. Don't use yahoo as an exclamation. Examples Yahoo! employees are a dedicated group, often found yahooing on their own time. Yahoo!'s service providers may collect personal information. The company employs dedicated Yahoos. Yahoo! 360° Note the °. Yahoo! Address Book Initial caps when referring to the property. Lowercase when not preceded by Yahoo!. Yahoo! Alerts Use with singular verb. Example Yahoo! Alerts is a convenient way to get your most important information. Yahoo! Astrology Capitalized when referring to the property. Yahoo! Auctions Capitalized when referring to the property. Lowercase when not preceded by Yahoo!. Use with singular verb. Example Yahoo! Auctions is a convenient way to buy and sell. Yahoo! Australia & NZ 194 YES Guide Version 1.book Page 195 Thursday, November 3, 2005 3:09 PM Yahoo! Glossary Use with singular verb. Example What is Yahoo! Autos? Yahoo! Autos is a resource for automotive research, commerce, community, and ownership information. YAHOO! GLOSSARY Yahoo! Autos Yahoo! Bill Pay Yahoo! Billing Yahoo! Bookmarks Capitalized when referring to the property. Lowercase when not preceded by Yahoo!. Yahoo! Brasil Capitalized when referring to the property. Lowercase when not preceded by Yahoo!. Yahoo! Briefcase Yahoo! Browser Yahoo! Buzz Index Capitalized when referring to the property. Lowercase when not preceded by Yahoo!. Yahoo! by Phone Yahoo! Calendar Yahoo! Canada Yahoo! Chat Yahoo! Chinese Yahoo! Classifieds Use with singular verb. Example What is Yahoo! Classifieds? Yahoo! Classifieds is a classified advertising service. Yahoo! Clubs Yahoo! Companion Don't use. Yahoo! Companion is now Yahoo! Toolbar. Yahoo! Connected Office Yahoo! Customer Care Yahoo! Delivers Yahoo! Denmark 195 YES Guide Version 1.book Page 196 Thursday, November 3, 2005 3:09 PM Yahoo! Glossary Yahoo! Desktop Search Yahoo! Direct Yahoo! Directory Yahoo! Domains Use with singular verb. Example What is Yahoo! Domains? Yahoo! Domains provides a place for individuals and organizations to register a new domain name. Yahoo! Drive Yahoo! Driving Directions Use with singular verb. Example Yahoo! Driving Directions is out there waiting for you. Yahoo! Education Yahoo! Employment Yahoo! Enterprise Solutions Yahoo! Entertainment Yahoo! Expense Manager Yahoo! Express Yahoo! Family Accounts Capitalized when referring to the property. Lowercase when not preceded by Yahoo!. Yahoo! Finance Yahoo! France Yahoo! Front Page Note capitalization. Yahoo! Full Coverage Yahoo! Games Use with singular verb. Example What is Yahoo! Games? Yahoo! Games is a collection of free, Java-based games on the Web. Yahoo! Games All-Stars Yahoo! Games on Demand 196 YES Guide Version 1.book Page 197 Thursday, November 3, 2005 3:09 PM Yahoo! Glossary Note capitalization. Use with singular verb. Example Yahoo! GeoCities is the easiest way to build a web page. Yahoo! GeoCities Plus Note capitalization. Use with singular verb. Yahoo! GeoCities Pro Note capitalization. Use with singular verb. YAHOO! GLOSSARY Yahoo! GeoCities Yahoo! Germany Yahoo! Get Local Yahoo! Get Local City Guides Yahoo! Greetings Use with singular verb. Example Yahoo! Greetings has partnered with AmericanGreetings.com. Yahoo! Groups Capitalized when referring to the property. Use with singular verb. Lowercase when not preceded by Yahoo!. Example Yahoo! Groups is a free service that allows you to bring together family, friends, and associates through web site and email groups. Yahoo! Health Yahoo! Help Yahoo! Help Central Yahoo! Hong Kong Yahoo! HotJobs Note capitalization. Use with singular verb. Example Yahoo! HotJobs is a free service. Yahoo! Image Search Yahoo! in Asia Yahoo! Internet Life Yahoo! Italy 197 YES Guide Version 1.book Page 198 Thursday, November 3, 2005 3:09 PM Yahoo! Glossary Yahoo! Japan Yahoo! Korea Yahoo! Local Events Yahoo! Lodging Yahoo! Lottery Yahoo! Lottery Results Yahoo! Mail Yahoo! Mail Plus Yahoo! Maps Use with singular verb. Example Yahoo! Maps provides a map of a street address or intersection. Yahoo! Member Directory Yahoo! Merchant Solutions Use with singular verb. Example Yahoo! Merchant Solutions offers an easy way to own and operate a secure online store. Yahoo! Message Boards Capitalized when referring to the property. Use with singular verb. Lowercase when not preceded by Yahoo!. Example Yahoo! Message Boards provides unmoderated public discussions in a variety of message boards. Yahoo! Messenger Capitalize Messenger even when not preceded by Yahoo!. Yahoo! Mobile Yahoo! Mobile Photos Use with singular verb. Yahoo! Money Manager Yahoo! Movies Use with singular verb. Example Yahoo! Movies is the place on the Web for movie news, reviews, and previews. 198 YES Guide Version 1.book Page 199 Thursday, November 3, 2005 3:09 PM Yahoo! Glossary Yahoo! Music Unlimited Yahoo! Net Events Use with singular verb. Yahoo! network Note lowercase network. Yahoo! News YAHOO! GLOSSARY Yahoo! Music Engine Yahoo! News Search Yahoo! News Ticker Yahoo! Norway Yahoo! Notepad Yahoo! Online Yahoo! Online Protection Note capitalization. Yahoo! Parental Controls Use with singular verb. Example Yahoo! Parental Controls is a powerful tool to help protect your children online. Yahoo! password Yahoo! People Search Yahoo! Personals Use with singular verb. Example What is Yahoo! Personals? Yahoo! Personals helps you build meaningful relationships. Yahoo! Pets Use with singular verb. Example What is Yahoo! Pets? Yahoo! Pets is a resource site for pet owners and animal lovers. Yahoo! Phone Card Yahoo! Photos Use with singular verb. Example Yahoo! Photos is a free service for storing your photos. 199 YES Guide Version 1.book Page 200 Thursday, November 3, 2005 3:09 PM Yahoo! Glossary Yahoo! Picks Capitalized when referring to the property. Yahoo! Picture Gallery Yahoo! Platinum Yahoo! Platinum Visa Yahoo! Plus Yahoo! Points Note capitalization of Points. Yahoo! Polls Yahoo! PortalBuilder Note capitalization and spacing. Yahoo! premium services Yahoo! Privacy Policy Yahoo! Product Search Yahoo! profile An individual's profile on Yahoo!. Yahoo! Profiles Yahoo! Promotions Yahoo! Publisher Network Yahoo! Radio Yahoo! Real Estate Yahoo! Reference Yahoo! Restaurants Yahoo! Resumix Yahoo! Saving Finder Yahoo! Search Yahoo! Search box Yahoo! Search Marketing Yahoo! Search Shortcuts Note capitalization. Yahoo! security key Note capitalization. Yahoo! Servers Yahoo! Shopping 200 YES Guide Version 1.book Page 201 Thursday, November 3, 2005 3:09 PM Yahoo! Glossary Yahoo! Singapore Yahoo! SiteBuilder Note capitalization and spacing. Yahoo! Ski and Snow Yahoo! Small Business YAHOO! GLOSSARY Yahoo! Shopping Gift Card Yahoo! Spain Yahoo! Spanish Yahoo! Sponsored Search Yahoo! Sports Yahoo! Store Initial cap when referring to a Yahoo! store, even when not preceded by Yahoo!. Example Customize your Store. Yahoo! subcategory Note capitalization. Yahoo! Sweden Yahoo! Taiwan Yahoo! Terms of Service Note capitalization. Yahoo! Tickets Yahoo! Toolbar Not Yahoo! Companion. Yahoo! Travel Yahoo! TV Yahoo! UK & Ireland Yahoo! UKIE Internal shorthand for Yahoo! UK & Ireland. Acceptable for internal Yahoo! use only. Yahoo! Video Search Note capitalization. Yahoo! Visa Note capitalization. Yahoo! Wallet Note capitalization. Yahoo! Weather Note capitalization. Yahoo! Web Hosting Note capitalization. 201 YES Guide Version 1.book Page 202 Thursday, November 3, 2005 3:09 PM Yahoo! Glossary Yahoo! What's New Note capitalization. Yahoo! Widgets Note capitalization. Yahoo! Yellow Pages Note capitalization. Use with singular verb. Example Yahoo! Yellow Pages is for the United States and Canada only. Yahoo! Yellow Pages Sponsored Business Program Note capitalization. Yahoo!'s Possessive form of Yahoo!. yahooligan A child who visits the Yahooligans! web site. Note lowercase. Example Find out what yahooligans like you are searching for. Yahooligans! The name of the property. Always capitalize and include the "!". Use with a singular verb. Example Yahooligans! is a browsable, searchable directory of Internet sites for kids. Yahooligans! Animals The Yahooligans! property. Note capitalization. Be sure to include the "!". Use with singular verb. Example Yahooligans! Animals is full of facts. 202 Yahooligans! Ask Earl The Yahooligans! property. Note capitalization. Be sure to include the "!". Yahooligans! Big Picture The Yahooligans! property. Note capitalization. Be sure to include the "!". Yahooligans! Buzz The Yahooligans! property. Note capitalization. Be sure to include the "!". Yahooligans! Cool Page The Yahooligans! property. Note capitalization. Be sure to include the "!". Yahooligans! Directory The Yahooligans! property. Note capitalization. Be sure to include the "!". YES Guide Version 1.book Page 203 Thursday, November 3, 2005 3:09 PM Yahoo! Glossary The Yahooligans! property. Note capitalization and hyphen. Be sure to include the "!". Yahooligans! Games The Yahooligans! property. Note capitalization. Be sure to include the "!". Use with singular verb. Example What is Yahooligans! Games? Yahooligans! Games is a collection of free games. Yahooligans! Jokes The Yahooligans! property. Note capitalization. Be sure to include the "!". Yahooligans! Movies The Yahooligans! property. Note capitalization. Be sure to include the "!". YAHOO! GLOSSARY Yahooligans! E-Cards Example What is Yahooligans! Movies? Yahooligans! Movies is your source for movie summaries, ratings, pictures, and trailers. Yahooligans! Music The Yahooligans! property. Note capitalization. Be sure to include the "!". Yahooligans! News The Yahooligans! property. Note capitalization. Be sure to include the "!". Yahooligans! Reference The Yahooligans! property. Note capitalization. Be sure to include the "!". Yahooligans! Slideshows The Yahooligans! property. Note capitalization. Be sure to include the "!". Yahooligans! TV The Yahooligans! property. Note capitalization. Be sure to include the "!". Z ZIP code Note capitalization. Not Zip code. 203 YES Guide Version 1.book Page 204 Thursday, November 3, 2005 3:09 PM YES Guide Version 1.book Page 205 Thursday, November 3, 2005 3:09 PM A a vs. an 89 abbreviating days of the week 82 decades 84 months 82 state names 95 time zones 88 units of measurement 84 abbreviations about 90 at end of sentence 113 indefinite articles before 89 on Front Page 56 plural of 91 ACES (American Copy Editors Society) 170 acronyms defined 90 indefinite articles before 90 See also abbreviations action buttons, referring to 30 active voice 136 addresses, web. See URLs adjectives compound, hyphenating 111 numbers in 80 adverbs 112 advertising policies 168 affect 150 ages 81 albums, titles of 93 All Caps capitalization 91 all ready 150 all right 150 alphabetizing glossary entries 45 already 150 alright 150 American Copy Editors Society (ACES) 170 INDEX Index ampersands and serial comma 58 in email subject lines 37 on Front Page 56, 58 announcements, service. See service announcements, emails anonymity in journalism 66 anonymous sources 64 apostrophes about 105 and omitted letters 106 and possessives 105 in contractions 106 with decades 84 area codes 87 art work, titles of 93 articles magazine 94 newspaper 94 articles, indefinite 89 Ask Yahoo! 19 attributions 62 audience, analyzing 21 average sentences/paragraph 25 average words/sentence 25 B bias-free writing 121 blind quotes 64 blogs, personal guidelines 168 board games, titles of 93, 94 bold text 102 books, titles of 93 boxes, text entry 49 brand guidelines 168 bulleted lists 120 See also lists buttons, referring to 30 Buzz Log 19 bylines 70 205 YES Guide Version 1.book Page 206 Thursday, November 3, 2005 3:09 PM Index C capital 151 capitalization about 91 All Caps style 91 Sentence style, defined 91 Title style, defined 91 capitalizing email subject lines 37 extensions, file name 102 file names 102 file types 103 glossary entries 44 headlines 92 hyphenated compounds 93 In The News entries 58 links 47 links on Front Page 56 list elements 119 Marketplace promos 59 onscreen elements 30 personal titles 92 prompts 49 titles 92 titles of works 93 URLs 103 Yahoo! properties and products 92 capitol 151 Casual voice 19 cautions, writing 45 CDs, titles of 93 centuries 84 chapters, titles of 93 checkboxes capitalizing text 49 referring to 30 cities and states, punctuating 109 clarifications in original content 67 clauses, independent definition of 116 punctuating 108 Code of Ethics 73 colons about 107 and list intros 119 and quotation marks 107 space following 107 206 command buttons capitalizing 49 referring to 30 commas about 107 and independent clauses 108 and locations 109 and numbers 109 and quotation marks 115 and quotation marks in quotes 110 and quotations 108 and series 107 in dates 83 in numbers 80 common misspellings 163 common phrases, replacing 138 common pitfalls, avoiding 149 commonly confused words 149, 150 communication policy 168 companies, referring to 99 compass directions 95 complement 151 compliance policies 168 compliment 151 compound adjectives hyphenating 111 numbers in 80 computer games, titles of 93, 94 computer-related numbers 81 confidentiality in journalism 66 confused words 149, 150 conjunctions correlative 158, 159 starting sentences with 163 continual 151 continuous 151 contractions 106 copyrights guidelines 168 partner 52 corporations, referring to 99 corrections in original content 67 correlative conjunctions 158 cultural considerations 24 currency 85 YES Guide Version 1.book Page 207 Thursday, November 3, 2005 3:09 PM Index dangling modifiers 160 dashes about 110 and colons 107 and quotation marks 115 and spaces 111 in text emails 111 datelines 70 dates about 82 centuries 84 commas in 83 days of the week 82 decades 84 hyphens in 83 months 82 ordering parts of 83 punctuating parts of 83 ranges of 87 slashes in 83 years 83 days of the week 82 deadwood, removing 133 decades 84 deep background, definition of 64 definitions, writing 44, 114, 172 See also glossaries, writing digital storytelling 71 still image manipulation 71 use of file images 72 dimensions 84 direct quotations 114 directions, compass 95 disclaimers 51 District of Columbia 95 domain name guidelines 168 dot-coms, referring to 103 E editing organizations 170 Editorial Code of Ethics 73 effect 150 ellipses about 109 in links 47 INDEX D em dashes about 111 and colons 107 and spaces 111 in number ranges 87 in text emails 111 emails, writing about 33 dashes in 111 footers 37 instructing users in 30 subject lines 35, 36 punctuating 37 text emails 35 viral marketing policies 168 emphasizing text 102 employees of Yahoo!, referring to 194 en dashes about 110 and spaces 111 in number ranges 87 in text emails 111 end notes 70 error messages, writing 52 ethics code 73 every day 152 everyday 152 exclamation points about 110 and quotation marks 115 and quotations 110 on Front Page 58 extensions, file name 102 F farther 152 feedback link in footers 51 feedback, writing 52 fewer 153 file images, using 72 file name extensions 102 file names 102 file types 102, 103 Flesch Reading Ease Score 26 Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level 26 207 YES Guide Version 1.book Page 208 Thursday, November 3, 2005 3:09 PM Index footers about 50 contents of 51 disclaimers in 51 feedback link in 51 formatting 51 help link in 51 in emails 37 partner copyright in 52 foreign words 102, 114 fractions 85 Front Page abbreviations on 56 ampersands on 56, 58 exclamation points on 58 headlines 56 In the News box 58 links on 56 Marketplace promos 59 numbers on 56, 79 summaries 56 title lists on 57 titles on 57 further 152 G games, titles of 93, 94 gender-neutral writing 121 geographic locations 95 glossaries, writing 44, 172 alphabetizing entries 45 capitalizing entries 44 glossaries, Yahoo! 168 glossary, Yahoo! 177 government titles 92 grade level, ascertaining 26 grammar usage 162 graphic images 72 H headlines capitalizing 92 hyphenated compounds in 93 hyphens in 112 on Front Page 56 titles of works in 95 help link in footers 51 208 help, writing cautions 45 glossaries 44 notes 45 overviews 41 procedures 42 tips 45 homophones 150 hyphenated compounds, capitalizing 93 hyphenating compound adjectives 111 fractions 85 headlines 112 numbers 80 prefixes 112 titles 112 hyphens about 110 and compound adjectives 111 and prefixes 112 and spaces 111 in dates 83 in fractions 85 in headlines 112 in numbers 80 in titles 112 I if...then constructions 117 images, graphic 72 In the News box 58 indefinite articles 89 independent clauses definition of 116 punctuating 108 infinitives, splitting 162 initialisms definition 90 indefinite articles before 90 See also abbreviations initials in names 113 Inktomi style guidelines 168 instructions, writing 49 international calling codes 87 introductory text, writing 49 it’s 152 YES Guide Version 1.book Page 209 Thursday, November 3, 2005 3:09 PM Index and foreign words 102, 114 use for composition titles 102 use for emphasis 102 its 152 J jargon, avoiding 22 journalism standards. See original content standards K key combinations 31 keyboard actions 32 keys, referring to 31 L labels, referring to 30 large numbers 79, 80 lay 152 lectures, titles of 93 less 153 let’s 153 lets 153 letters, omitted 106 lie 152 lightening 153 lightning 153 links capitalizing 47 ellipses in 47 on Front Page 56 punctuating 47 underlining 101 URLs in link text 47 lists bulleted 120 capitalizing elements of 119 city and states in 95 creating 119 introducing 119 numbered 120 punctuating 119 titles of works in 94 within lists 120 INDEX italic lists of titles about 94 on Front Page 57 locations 95, 109 M magazine articles, titles of 94 magazines, titles of 93, 94 manipulating still images 71 marketing glossary 168 Marketplace promos 59 may be 153 maybe 153 measurement, units of 84 memory requirements 81 Microsoft Word proofreading using 130, 131 readability scores using 25 Mid-Range voice 18 misplaced modifiers 160 misspellings, common 163 mixed numbers 85 modifiers, misplaced 160 money and currency 85 months 82, 83 mouse actions 32 movies, title of 93 MS Word. See Microsoft Word N names of persons 113 New York Times Guidelines on Integrity 66 newsgathering 67 newsletters for writers/editors 170 newsletters, writing about 38 instructing users in 30 newspaper articles, titles of 94 newspapers, titles of 93, 94 Nielsen, Jakob 29 nominative case, definition of 100 non-English words 102, 114 not for attribution, definition of 64 notes, writing 45 nouns, plurals of 105 number ranges 87 numbered lists 120 See also lists 209 YES Guide Version 1.book Page 210 Thursday, November 3, 2005 3:09 PM Index numbers ages 81 commas in 80, 109 computer-related 81 currency 85 dates 82 dimensions 84 fractions 85 hyphenating 80 in compound adjectives 80 large 79 memory requirements 81 mixed 85 money 85 on Front Page 56, 79 percentages 86 phone 87 processor speeds 81 ranges of 87 small 79 software versions 82 software-related 81 starting sentences with 80 storage sizes 81 time 88 O objective case, definition of 100 off the record, definition of 64 omitted letters 106 on background, definition of 64 on the record, definition of 64 once 157 online reading, writing for 29 online users, writing for about 30 keys 31 onscreen elements 30 onscreen elements capitalizing in instructions 30 referring to 30 operas, titles of 93 organizational titles 92 organizations for writers/editors 170 210 original content standards 66 about 61 attribution 62 bylines 70 code of ethics 73 corrections/clarifications 67 datelines 70 decision-making 75 digital storytelling 71 graphic images 72 still image manipulation 71 use of file images 72 end notes 70 newsgathering 67 plagiarism 69 quotations 69 sourcing 63 anonymous sources 64 blind quotes 64 P page titles, writing 54 paragraphs length of 25, 118 partner copyrights 51, 52 passive voice 25, 136 peak 153 peek 153 percent 86 percentages 86 periodicals. See magazines, newspapers periods about 113 and abbreviations at end of sentence 113 and initials 113 and lists 113 and quotation marks 110, 115 and Yahoo! at end of sentence 113 in headers 113 in prompts 113 spaces following 113 with time abbreviations 88 periods of time centuries 84 decades 84 person 99 person, change of 160 personal blog guidelines 168 YES Guide Version 1.book Page 211 Thursday, November 3, 2005 3:09 PM Index INDEX personal pronouns, avoiding 122 personal titles, capitalizing 92 phone numbers 87 pitfalls, avoiding 149 plagiarism 69 plays, titles of 93 plurals of abbreviations 91 of units of measurement 84 poems, titles of 93 policies and compliance 168 glossary 168 possessives 105 prefixes 112 prepositions, ending sentences with 162 prices, displaying 85 pricing pages 85 principal 154 principle 154 privacy policies 168 Privacy Policy, link to 51 procedures, writing 42 processor speeds 81 Professional voice 162 about 18 in service announcements 35 prompts capitalizing 49 punctuating 49 pronouns 99 cases of 100 companies, referring to 99 personal 100, 122, 160 users, referring to 100 who vs. whom 101 Yahoo!, referring to 99 proofreading 129 pull quotes 30 punctuating cities and states 109 compound adjectives 111 dates 83 email subject lines 37 headlines 112 independent clauses 108, 116 initials in names 113 links 47 links on Front Page 56 list elements 119 punctuating (cont.) numbers 109 prefixes 112 prompts 49 quotations 108 series 107 titles 112 punctuation apostrophes 105 colons 107 commas 107 dashes 110 ellipses 109 exclamation points 110 hyphens 110 periods 113 quotation marks 114 semicolons 116 Q question marks and quotation marks 115 quotation marks about 114 and colons 107 and commas 115 and dashes 115 and definitions 114 and direct quotations 114 and exclamation points 115 and instructions 115 and other punctuation 115 and periods 115 and question marks 115 and semicolons 115, 116 and titles of works 94, 115 and URLs 103 quotations 114 exclamation points in 110 original content standards 69 punctuating 108 quotes, blind 64 R radio buttons capitalizing 49 referring to 30 ranges of numbers 87 211 YES Guide Version 1.book Page 212 Thursday, November 3, 2005 3:09 PM Index readability factors affecting 24 Flesch Reading Ease Score 26 Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level 26 improving 27 interpreting scores 26 using MS Word to check 25 record albums, titles of 93 records, titles of 93 regions about 95 outside U.S. 98 U.S. 97 U.S. states 95 reign 154 rein 154 religious titles 92 resources for writers/editors 169 newsletters 170 organizations 170 web sites 170 right 154, 157 rite 154 S semicolons about 116 alternatives for 116 and quotation marks 115, 116 sentence fragments 113 sentence length finding using MS Word 25 Sentence style capitalization, defined 91 sentences conditional 117 constructing 116 ending with preposition 162 order of parts 116 shortening 133 space between 113 starting with conjunctions 163 starting with numbers 80 serial commas and ampersands 58 definition of 107 series, punctuating 107 212 service announcements about 35 guidelines for 168 subject lines of 35 voice of 35 shortening text 133 since 158 slashes in dates 83 small numbers 79 Society for Technical Communication (STC) 170 software versions 82 software, titles of 93, 94 software-related numbers 81 songs, titles of 93 sources, anonymous 64 sourcing promising anonymity/confidentiality 66 spaces and hyphens 111 following colons 107 following periods 113 special characters em dash 111 en dash 110 spectrum of Yahoo! voice about 18 Casual voice 19 Mid-Range voice 18 Professional voice 18 speeches, titles of 93 split infinitives 162 sports guidelines 168 standards for original content/journalism. See original content standards states, U.S. 95 stationary 155 stationery 155 STC (Society for Technical Communication) 170 still images, manipulating 71 storage sizes 81 style guides, creating about 171 contents of 171 subject lines in emails 36 in service announcements 35 punctuating 37 YES Guide Version 1.book Page 213 Thursday, November 3, 2005 3:09 PM Index T telephone numbers 87 television programs, titles of 93 tense, change of 161 Terms of Service, links to 51 text boxes 49 text emails about 35 dashes in 111 URLs in 35 text entry boxes 49 text, shortening 133 than 155 that 155 their 156 then 155 there 156 they’re 156 third-party content 59 time 88 time periods centuries 84 decades 84 time zones 88 tips, writing 45 Title style capitalization, defined 91 titles and headlines capitalizing 92 hyphenated compounds in 93 hyphens in 112 on Front Page 57 titles of works about 93 and quotation marks 115 games 94 in Directory 95 in headlines 95 in lists 94 in Yahoo! Movies 95 magazines 94 newspapers 94 software 94 titles, personal 92 TOS. see Terms of Service trademark guidelines 168 TV programs, titles of 93 INDEX subject-verb agreement 159 summaries on Front Page 56 typographical errors 129 typography about 101 bold 102 italic 102 underlining 101 U U.S. regions 97 U.S. states 95 underlining 101 units of measurement 84 URLs about 103 and quotation marks 103 as link text 47 capitalizing 103 in text emails 35 Usability Engineering Birds of a Feather 170 users, referring to 100 V verbs agreement with subject 159 contractions 106 infinitives, split 162 tense of 161 voice of 136 weak 136 version numbers, software 82 video games, titles of 93, 94 viral marketing emails 168 voice of verbs 136 voice of Yahoo!. See Yahoo! voice W Washington, D.C. 95 weak verbs 136 web addresses. See URLs Web Credibility Project 129 web sites for writers/editors 170 web sites, referring to 103 web-related words 103 which 155, 156 who 101, 156 who’s 156 whom 101 213 YES Guide Version 1.book Page 214 Thursday, November 3, 2005 3:09 PM Index whose 156 Word. See Microsoft Word words, commonly confused 149, 150 writing organizations 170 Y Yahoo! Buzz Log 19 Yahoo! Directory, titles of works in 95 Yahoo! Editorial Code of Ethics 73 Yahoo! Editorial features 19 Yahoo! employees, referring to 194 Yahoo! glossaries 168 Yahoo! glossary 177 Yahoo! Movies, titles of works in 95 Yahoo! Picks 19 Yahoo! properties and products capitalizing 92 list of 177 Yahoo! Sports guidelines 168 Yahoo! voice about 17 Casual voice 19 Mid-Range voice 18 Professional voice 18 qualities of 17 spectrum 18 Yahoo!, referring to 99, 194 years 83 you’re 157 your 157 Z zones, time 88 214