h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

There's very little one can write that doesn't sound arch, precious or affected when read from a monitor. Lots of people seem to think that writing words designed to be seen via http is easy, or that the informality and directness of the medium removes the need to consider what you say. Early reports contradict this.

The web does have a less formal voice than prior publishing media, due in part to the speed with which your words can move from your fingers to the world, and now the medium is established, businesses have learnt that a friendly tone guiding users with clarity is better for them than a formal or deliberately obsfucatory register.

[tangent: funny that the natural tendency of people to trust and ascribe authority to incomprehensible jargon ("furthertofore re: our advising of your account status pending de-crediting...") doesn't seem to have made it out to the web. possible positive feature of inheriting a structure designed to share information amongst academics, for whom life is too short and full of complicated language to be fans of anything other than clarity? maybe, although not interested to find out ]

Problem is, finding that happy line between informality and laziness, between accuracy and train-spotting, between clarity and dullness, between getting it right so other people read you gladly and getting it wrong so that your voice is indistinguishable from the million other people who think that reading a book means you can write a book, finding this balance is very hard.

Sigh.

Well said, kokeshi,

I could not agree more. Spelling also seems to go by the wayside on web sites. Why people feel that language, spelling, and definitions are LESS important in a live medium, I don't understand.

Welcome, Enjoy.