Social Media: You Still Need Plain Language | HowTo.gov

This article promotes a free "webinar" for U.S. government workers. But I'm noting it to emphasize the accuracy of the headline for everyone using social media. 

The short article also provides these good reasons for using plain language in social media:

• Social media’s limited real estate 
• Your relationship with your community
• Competition for attention.

The webinar probably explains those statements, but they give useful tips as written. Following the plain-language principles for clear, concise writing will help social media writers meet the needs of their targeted readers by getting to the point quickly. 

For more information, without attending the webinar, visit Garbl's Plain English Writing Guide. It describes plain language in seven steps: 

• Focusing on your reader and purpose
• Organizing your ideas
• Writing clear, effective paragraphs
• Writing clear, simple sentences
• Using suitable words
• Creating an enticing design
• Testing for clarity.

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The article on the social media webinar is featured today, Jan. 4, in my daily on line paper, Garbl's Plain English Paragraphs--available at the Plain Language tab above and by free email subscription.