Reading wordy language is a real pain. As a graduate student of a social sciences discipline (I recently got a Masters’ in gender studies), I saw some of the most ridiculous examples of convoluted and elaborate language out there – social theory seems to spontaneously inspire this habit. It was annoying as a student, asRead… Read more »
I met a fellow govie recently, and when I told him that I work in digital media accessibility, he said, “OMG, I could not review code all day, every day!” Well…neither could I, and although that’s what most people think we accessibility peeps do, that’s not the case. I may or may not look atRead… Read more »
The Plain Writing Act of 2010 and Executive Order 13563 both require that we communicate clearly, accessibly, consistently so that government information is easy to understand. The principles of plain language help us provide universal access to government information, for many people. We’re told to “write for average comprehension,” when we use those principles. So,Read… Read more »
I taught a session on writing for the Web today and mentioned that it can be fun to turn common sayings into governmentese and then challenging others to decode them. Here are three examples I came up with. Try your hand at deciphering them. Approximately spherical seed-bearing produce, examples of which can be many colorsRead… Read more »
Submitted by Elaine Blackman, writer/editor, Office of Child Support Enforcement, Department of Health and Human Services Only a few generations ago, many causes and movements set out to clean up the environment. Do any of you remember the “Keep America Beautiful” campaign? Over time, most of us have learned the habit of throwing trash inRead… Read more »
I love the Plain Language Act. Especially the part concerning plain-language websites which gives me plenty of opportunities to advocate the merits of information architecture and user experience (IA and UX). But providing information is only part of what government agencies do. Agencies also provide services. Services such as providing Social Security to licensing vehiclesRead… Read more »
Now that federal agencies are required to train their employees in plain language writing, per the Plain Writing Act of 2010, we’re offering a new distance learning course on Plain Language, Write Great Web Content: Plain Language in Action. This four-part pilot course is a great opportunity for you to help shape plain language trainingRead… Read more »
With the announcement of the Clearmark Plain Language Awards on April 29, this is a good time to trot out some tips on writing “plain” for your web audience. I don’t care how good your website design is, if the writing is poor – if you don’t communicate with your target audience – your websiteRead… Read more »