This Blog Post Will Help You Write Better [Infographic]

People who can’t write well are what we in the editorial world call “job security.”

And given that more and more businesses and organizations are getting hip to the value that content can have in telling a brand’s story — and thus, attracting more customers, donations, fans, and other desired endgames — let’s just say there’s plenty of reason to feel secure in my choice of a career these days.

Bad content comes in all shapes, sizes … and locations

Details and proofreading are important in any kind of content creation, whether it’s a blog post, a Facebook or Twitter update, a menu, an advertisement, or a sign hanging in your window.

Unfortunately, not everyone takes the time to proofread their own writing, and this can result in some embarrassing slip-ups. Chances are good you’ve seen some of them (and hopefully you’ve noticed).

Jeff Deck and Benjamin D. Herson sure have. In their book, The Great Typo Hunt, they share the very funny, true story of how they criss-crossed the United States fixing typos, spelling mistakes, and grammatical errors they saw in museums, stores, restaurants, golf courses, religious buildings, and even in a national park.

It’s an awesome book. These guys are my heroes.

Then there’s I Judge You When You Use Poor Grammar. It’s a collection of “egregious errors, disconcerting bloopers, and other linguistic slip-ups” that are sure to make you laugh — and cringe.

And they will.

The impact of stupid typos

Stupid writing mistakes — whether they’re simple typos or more egregious grammatical errors — are funny, yes, but they also take away from the credibility of the business, organization, or person that made them. To me, it often connotes something amateurish going on behind the scenes.

Sure, you may still buy from a business that doesn’t know your from you’re, or that adds an apostrophe before the s when it’s writing a plural noun, but you’ll chuckle when you do so, and you may be less inclined to tell others to shop there.

Clearly, the people who are making these mistakes need help. So rather than continuing to make fun of them, I thought I’d do a little something about it.

Help for those who need it

Recently, the great website Copyblogger.com published a helpful infographic. It’s called, simply, “15 Grammar Goofs that Make You Look Silly.”

I’m sharing it here as a resource for anyone who needs it.

Print out the infographic, hang it on your wall, and refer to it often — whenever you’re designing a sign, creating a menu, writing a blog post or other web copy, or posting on social media.

Yes, it may offer editors like me a little less job security, but don’t worry, there’s still plenty of work for us to do.

What’s the best typo you’ve ever seen? Is there a writing mistake you always tend to make? Share your thoughts with me in the comments field below.