140 Characters : A Style Guide for the Short Form

by Dom Sagolla

• ISBN13: 9780470588369
• ISBN10: 0470588365
• Format: eBook
• Copyright: 2009-09-01
• Publisher: Wiley

Summary

Make the most of your messages on Twitter, Facebook, and other social networking sitesThe advent of Twitter and other social networking sites, as well as the popularity of text messaging, have made short-form communication an everyday reality. But expressing yourself clearly in short bursts-particularly in the 140-character limit of Twitter-takes special writing skill.In 140 Characters, Twitter co-creator Dom Sagolla covers all the basics of great short-form writing, including the importance of communicating with simplicity, honesty, and humor. For marketers and business owners, social media is an increasingly important avenue for promoting a business-this is the first writing guide specifically dedicated to communicating with the succinctness and clarity that the Internet age demands. Covers basic grammar rules for short-form writing The equivalent of Strunk and White's Elements of Style for today's social media-driven marketing messages Helps you develop your own unique short-form writing style140 Characters is a much-needed guide to the kind of communication that can make or break a reputation online.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments

Foreword

Introduction

The Short Form

The History of Twitter

Lead

Describe: A Brief Digression to Discuss Journalism Is Warranted

Observe the Truth

Play with Perspective

Lead with Action

Simplify: Say More with Less

Constrain Yourself to the Atomic Unit of One Message

Appreciate Craftsmanship as a Thousand Small Gestures

Start Small and Serve a Special Niche

Limit Yourself to One Sentence, One Thought

Avoid: Don't Become a Fable about Too Much Information

Remember What Not to Do

Find Your Lowest Common Denominator

Divine a Strategy against Too Much Information

Practice Self-Defense

Value

Voice: Say It Out Loud

Extend Your Range

Build Your Repertoire

Strengthen and Amplify

Reach: Understand Your Audience

Measure Reader Engagement

Gauge the Reaction to Your Message

Identify Your Fans

Repeat: It Worked for Shakespeare

Enable Repetition of Your Message

Repeat the Words of Others, Adding Your Mark in the Process

Exploit the Twitter Effect

Mention: Stamp Your Own Currency

Design Your Mark

is the New 140

Post One or Two Replies, Then Take It Offline

Dial: Search for Silence, Volume, and Frequency

Pipe Up Just When It's Quiet

Understand the Use of CAPITALS

Discover Your "Office Hours"

Link: Deduce the Nature of Short Messages

Study the Anatomy of a Single Message

Share the Power of Hypertext

Change the Meaning of Words by Linking Them

Word: Expose the Possibilities in Phraseology, Poetry, and Invention

Design Your Own Pattern

Build Your Own Lexicon by Inventing New Words

Poetry Is a Guide

Master

Tame: Apply Multiple Techniques Toward the Same End

Technology Will Consume Us If We Don't Learn to Control It

Discover the Antidote to Each of 12 Stages

Manage Multiple Accounts Effectively

Remember: It's All about Timing

Cultivate: Meet 140 Characters, Each with a Unique Story

Create a Culture of Fun

Imagine Your Audience

Focus on Learning

Branch: Steady, Organic Growth Is Most Manageable

Don't Let Success Go to Your Head

Do the Same Thing, but Differently

Never Stop

Evolve

Filter: Teach the Machine to Think Ahead

A Little Programming Goes a Long Way

Breaking Things Is a Path to Learning

Open: Give and You Shall Receive

Go Positive

Never Limit Yourself to One Platform

Imitate: There Is Nothing Original, Except in Arrangement

Become an Apprentice

Take Someone Else's Style One Step Further

Create a Caricature of Yourself

Iterate: Practice a Sequence of Tiny Adjustments

Write Everywhere and Often

Games for Words

Ignite Change

Accelerate

Increase: Do More

Produce a Series on a Short Subject

Manufacture Velocity

Exceed Constraints

Fragment: Do It Smaller

Decrease the Size of the Atomic Unit, the Message

Embrace Ambiguity

Recommended Reading

Glossary

Index

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