Yahoo Shopping

At the time of writing, Yahoo! Has just launched this attempt to become the last word on online content creation, and it's a largely successful project that's going to be enormously popular. With an audience whose attention needs to be caught within three seconds, writers on the web will be attracted to any authoritative advice on how to capture readers and hold their attention. Writing standards for the web have developed in a different direction from those expected of other media. Attention spans are limited. Ornamentation, however enjoyable for more relaxed readers, is out. Paragraphs are short. Repeating a point may cost you an impatient reader. Out go unnecessary exclamation marks, though Yahoo! Will be keeping the one on the end of its own trademark. Writers will learn not to use apostrophes in excess, even if they already know where to put them, which most don't, and there are slapped wrists all round for using "there" instead of "their" and "were" instead of "we're". We shall gloss over the decline in education which has led to writers being unable to tell the difference, which is another story entirely. The Guide, which is available in all good bookstores right now and as a downloadable e-book, is a must for anyone who wants to be sure that their writing online conforms to some sort of acceptable model. Yahoo! Wants us to accept that their model is the right one, and though there will be some disagreements over that, they've identified a need and fulfilled it with a good deal of authority borne of the mass of online content their own writers generate. The website is an expanding community resource for writers and Guide users, not a replacement for the Guide itself. It includes updated information, live help from editors and even some instructions on basic coding rules. Whether you agree with the opinions of Yahoo! Editors on what makes for good style, this is a project and a publication which you can't afford to overlook if you're writing or seeking to write online, for profit or pleasure.