Comments on: Why You Should Write At Elementary School Levels

By: Joe Bulger

Joe Bulger — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 12:31:47 +0000

James, I love good copy – stuff that roles off the tongue that any 4th grader could grasp.

As you already know, the web is perfect for good copy and will punish anything that can’t be easily consumed like popcorn at a movie.

Joe

By: Simplicity for Writers of All Types | Men With Pens

Simplicity for Writers of All Types | Men With Pens — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 18:10:26 +0000

[...] been said that my writing is of a very basic level. I don’t use big words and I use language that almost anyone can read and understand easily. [...]

By: TrishaLyn

TrishaLyn — Fri, 11 Jan 2008 03:11:43 +0000

@James..

Noooo by no means was I implying that you’re not about quality. This is a great blog… I guess I stuck my foot in my mouth on that one. Sorry!

By: Harry

Harry — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 15:44:51 +0000

I have a few books I wish I had never bought, too. Genius is no indication of quality. I’ve worked with many people over the years who were incredibly intelligent, quite possibly geniuses, but their smarts often got in the way of common sense and courtesy.

By: Opal Tribble - Addicted To Writing

Opal Tribble - Addicted To Writing — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 11:11:10 +0000

I try to keep it simple. I don’t know the background of my readers, and I’m trying to reach as many as possible. The majority of my websites are ranked at the elementary level. I did that purposely. There are some people are turned off by those who use a lot of big words. They view them as pompous of course that isn’t always true. On my websites I thought about the impression I wanted to convey I make it as user friendly as possible

My newest website, Addicted to Writing, is at the junior high level; however, my alternative healing website is ranked at the college level. Some of the terms I use cannot be avoided. However, I always explain what they mean.

James, you have a quality website. Just because a website is ranked higher doesn’t mean its quality. I have a few books in my possession that I wish I had never bought, but I know they would rank high because of the words used. The content on here is simple and concise you try not to leave anyone out. I like that.

By: James

James — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 01:20:59 +0000

Uhh… I hope you’re not implying that we’re not about quality…

By: TrishaLyn

TrishaLyn — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 01:19:49 +0000

See, I’ve come to love and appreciate my genius level blog. Quality is important to me.

By: James

James — Sat, 22 Dec 2007 10:16:04 +0000

@ Jen – Hm, very true. Print is one thing, screen is another. Thanks for the pat on the back!

@ Cindy – Ha, I wish *people* would take this advice, not just corporate writers and bloggers!

@ Sunny – My biggest challenge was unlearning the double space after a period.

By: Cindy Dashnaw

Cindy Dashnaw — Sat, 22 Dec 2007 04:01:28 +0000

Hear hear! I just wish more corporate writers, not just bloggers, would take this advice. Readers who want to work when they read will pick up a copy of “Ulysses” — they won’t make the effort to read a blog, a company Web site or a corporate brochure.

By: Jen / domestika

Jen / domestika — Sat, 22 Dec 2007 04:00:53 +0000

Back in the print world, my colleagues and I aim at a grade 9 level in order to make a document accessible to the majority of readers without alienating those at the upper end of the literacy scale. Add the physical challenges of reading on a screen instead of a paper page, and it only makes sense to scale back a few grades. So, you must be writing right!