The Yahoo! Style Guide: Dealing with Numbers when Writing Online

The Yahoo! Style Guide: The Ultimate Sourcebook for Writing, Editing, and Creating Content for the Digital World is a must-have resource for all writers. It covers a variety of topics, including: Search engine optimization, basic HTML, website design, and clear, concise, and writing for the Web which will engage the online reader. It teaches how to attract readers, edit for an online audience, and to develop best practices.

I started my online writing experience in December 2007, when I signed up to write for Associated Content. Since then, I have started two blogs at WordPress.com. Most recently, I became the Tacoma Career Coach Examiner at Examiner.com.

Though I began online writing to find my "voice," I have seen myself grow as a writer, attempting to write in ways that I thought I was incapable of doing. I have stepped out of my "comfort zone" in order to share my vulnerabilities, but also to push my limits and those of my readers.

Getting started, I never paid much attention to the details associated with online writing at some sites, i.e. SEO, RSS, pingbacks, trackbacks or tweets. In fact, I saw these as drawbacks! I simply wrote about what I was thinking or feeling.

But just as writing for print uses style guides dependent on industry or topic, etc., I have learned that writing for the Internet has its own set of vocabulary, and standards or "best practices."

Editing 101 is one topic in The Yahoo! Style Guide that delves into the basics and proper usage of many things that any writer needs to know, and many have forgotten: Punctuation, capitalization, apostrophes, titles, and numbers.

These are the little details, which can reflect on whether or not readers will view the author as credible. These small details, if neglected, could make the difference on whether or not the reader revisits a site, regardless of the content.

Editing 101: Numbers

The Yahoo! Style Guide teaches that a writer must "apply a consistent style for numbers" in a variety of categories: Ages, dates, fractions and decimals, numbers in a range, phone numbers, money and currency, percentages, time, units of measure, computer and software related numbers, and "the basics."

When writing for the Web, using numerals is favorable in most cases because they save space and make it easier for the reader to scan the page.

Each category has its own set of acceptable practices. Here is a taste of the information the online writer will find in the guide:

Some of the basics

In general, ordinal (first, second, third, etc.) and cardinal numbers (one, two, three, etc.) are spelled out for numbers below 10, and numerals are used for numbers 10 and above.

One exception to this rule is when instructing someone in data entry, or following steps in filling out a document.

Example: Type 2 and press Enter.

Another exception is when two numbers are displayed in the same sentence, when one is higher than 10, and both numbers refer to the same category. If there is another category also listed, use the rule as it applies separately to each category.

Example: The team of 7 men and 10 women were required to work an additional four hours of overtime.

Sentences should not start with a numeral. Spell it out, if necessary. Exceptions include starting a sentence with a year, or when the numeral will make the headline stand out.

Examples: 2010 Is the Year of Fools; 5 Beet Recipes; Three 9-Year-Old Girls Married in Family Arrangement

When spelling out numbers which are more than 20, connect the first part of the word with a hyphen to the following number.

Example: Forty-five

Ages

When referring to ages, numbers are treated a bit differently, dependent on person, object or animal.

For objects, use the basic rule of spelling out single digit numbers and use numerals for the double digits. Always use numerals, however, when referring to ages of people and animals.

When speaking of a decade for a person's age, use the numeral and add an s. Do not separate the two with an apostrophe, as many do incorrectly whether writing for online or print.

Example: When asked her age, she responded, "Let's just say I'm in my 50s!"

Percentages

The writer can make the choice to use either the percent sign (%) or the word percent, when writing percentages. The key is to be consistent. Numerals are always used.

When writing for an audience, remember to also make your choices with the reader in mind. Using the percent sign draws the eye to the symbol, making it easier for the reader to scan to pick out numbers. As well, it also saves space, so there is less print for the reader to scan.

Examples: Sales were increased by 8 percent. In 2009, 65% of her total income came from a retirement fund, 25% from writing online, and 10% from the sale of beaded jewelry.

A final thought

Much to my surprise and pleasure, I won an award in my first six weeks writing online, and have been targeted to write specific articles, which have been seen online with partner sites.

Since then, I have written approximately 200 pieces-articles, poems, and blog entries. I am sure that many mistakes were made, as I did not knowingly adhere to any "best practices."

I look forward to perfecting my online writing skills with the help of The Yahoo! Style Guide: The Ultimate Sourcebook for Writing, Editing, and Creating Content for the Digital World.

This must-have guide is available wherever books are sold. Another great resource for quick information is the companion website.

Source

The Yahoo! Style Guide Online