Some people were unhappy that Google+ forced members to list their gender publicly. When creating a profile, users must select male, female or other, and that information was visible to everyone, with no option to make it private.

Until now. Google+ Profiles Product Manager Frances Haugen posted this on her Google+ account late last night –

Great news! I’m proud to announce Google+ Profiles is launching a new privacy enhancement in response to user feedback. Starting later this week, you will be able to set the privacy setting of your gender on your Google+ Profile just as you control other information about yourself.

Why were some users upset about the lack of gender privacy? Randall Munroe, of web comic XKCD explained the issue on a Google+ post last week. Hat tip to Gizmodo for pointing me towards this post –

Google+ forces you to have a public gender in your profile (although it can be ‘Other’). I know they have reasons for this, but I don’t think they’re good enough.

Many women grow up with a sense of physical vulnerability that’s hard for men to appreciate. Our culture’s relentless treatment of women as objects teaches them that they are defined by the one thing that men around them want from them—men who are usually bigger, stronger, and (like any human) occasionally crazy. This feeling—often confirmed by actual experiences of harassment and assault—can lead, understandably, to a lifetime of low-level wariness and sense of vulnerability that men have trouble appreciating. A male designer building an interface should try to keep in mind that there are reasons a female user might feel uncomfortable being told she has to broadcast her gender. Sure, someone’s gender is usually obvious from their name, but there’s no need to force people to draw extra attention to it—introducing myself with “Hi, I’m Randall.” sends a different message from “Hi, I’m Randall, and I’m a MAN.”

I don’t think making this option mandatory is a significant cause of the major Google+ early-adopter gender split, but if you’re worried about how few female users your project has, marginalizing their potential worries on your introductory screen doesn’t seem very bright.

And selecting “other” as a way to hide your actual gender from the public is really not a great option. There are plenty of situations where people have legitimate reasons to list their gender as “other,” but if you identify yourself as a man or a woman and simply want to hide that fact from the public, “other” isn’t a good choice.

Haugen also shared this YouTube video where she explains the motivations behind Google’s gender policy. She explains that one of the ways Google+ uses your gender is to “make it more conversational.” For example, you might receive a notification saying “Josh added you to his circles.”

Users that choose to make their gender private will now be referred to with the gender-neutral word “their” as in “Josh added you to their circles.” This move is bound to explode the heads of grammar purists who feel as though “their” is an inappropriate gender-neutral pronoun.

Haugen explains this choice by saying that Google knows this is “grammatically questionable,” but they “value helping people control their privacy as being much more important as being grammatically perfect.”

Check out her video below –

Today, you’d be eating humble pie.

Automattic has announced the acquisition of After the Deadline, a service that provides spell checking, style checking, and grammar checking. Huzzah!

While I’m somewhat puzzled that WordPress.com users get After the Deadline baked-in, while us .org user are left once again with just a plugin, I still applaud the acquisition. Why? Because spell checking and grammar checking are the bane of any blogger’s existence!

For example, despite my own best efforts, I’m plagued with the curse of “its” versus “it’s.” It’s not that I don’t know how to use each, it’s that sometimes my fingers move faster than my brain. Judging by a demo offered by After the Deadline, I need to install this plugin ASAP:

(Note: It’s not perfect. Notice it missed “ads” when it should be “adds.”)

You can learn more about the deal via After the Deadline’s founder Raphael Mudge.

Comments

The Link-Building Battle: Directories Vs. Link Bait

The discussion began with a post from Lyndon Antcliff of CornwallSEO.com.  Titled “Beaten to a pulp Social Voting beats Directories for Link Building,” the article contains the sentence, “Directories are Dead.”

Semi-random capitalization aside, Antcliff makes some good points.  Search Engine Guide’s Jennifer Laycock, who responds to the piece, writes, “The interesting thing about Lyndon’s argument is that he comes at it from a different way than most social media proponents do. . . .  Lyndon suggests that by submitting your link to many of the second and third tier social bookmarking sites, you gain the typical directory benefits of getting your site in front of search engine spiders.”

But Laycock goes on to recommend a more balanced approach; in doing so, she also contradicts Antcliff’s “Directories are Dead” proclamation, although Antcliff, to his credit, qualified that statement in the following sentences.

Still, Laycock asserts that “[d]irectories have real value.  You should explore your options and pick at least a handful to submit your web site to.”

She then – balance is everything, here – adds, “Social news sites have real value.  You should be aware of what they are and should submit qualified content to them.”

Last, and (correctly done) not least, “Link building…non-paid link building has amazing value and you should be building the relationships and content that help you score those links for your site.”

In this writer’s opinion, Laycock carries the day, if only for her superior grammar and punctuation.

I am not the first, nor will I be the last, to sing my lamentations to this so-called “blogosphere,” mourning the apathy with which this new, democratic, hope-filled and cathartic, electrified deluge of newborn writers go about the craft of writing.

Why Webmasters and professional bloggers should keep reading:

If your blog or website is one of several possible windows into your company, and the copy doesn’t exhibit some grasp of the three pillars – good punctuation, correct spelling, and proper grammar – what does that say about you to a potential, and unfamiliar, client?

It doesn’t say you’re E. E. Cummings (or e e cummings as is often mistaken).

Cummings is cool when he does it. When you do it, it just looks unprofessional – kind of like when you do the John Travolta “Saturday Night Fever” dance. But nobody’s perfect.

Without too much further preaching, let’s cover some basics so your online first impression is a good one.

Punctuation

Punctuation is very. important it tellsyouwhere to stop and where to go and keeps yourprose from looking like a jumbled runon (that should be hyphenated) mess of words that you say is just like William Faulkner with his, 142 word (so should that) sentences but its (that should have an apostrophe) not just like him; afterall.

We shot the serif fonts online to make reading faster; taking away punctuation destroys the flow. See nostrich.net for more impassioned defense of punctuation.

Grammar

Grammar is like math. It’s made of memorization and logic. It is okay, on occasion, to break the more nit-picky grammar rules if usage is tremendously common, or if the correct version is too awkward. Ending a sentence with a preposition is okay. It makes the reader/listener feel you’re a good person to talk to.

But one mistake that drives most grammarians up wall (aside from beginning a new paragraph with a conjunction) is overcorrecting. Watch a newscaster, or scripted character, and note how many times they use a phrase like “between you and I.” They’re trying to be proper and screw it up because they don’t know the rule.

The rule is: prepositions always have an object. If it’s an object of the sentence and preposition then it can’t be a subject. “I” is a subject. “Me” is the object. It should read “just between you and me.”

“Lay” and “lie” are tricky. Things that move lay themselves down by lying down. They often lay down their bags before they lie down.

Others:

It’s “could have,” would have,” and “should have.” Never is it “could of.”

“Then” is what happened next. “Than” goes with “less” and “more.”

Latin is hard, especially when abbreviated. “e.g.” is an example. “i.e.” puts it in other words. “Et cetera” is shortened to “etc.”

Periods and commas go inside the quotes.

There are fewer glasses of water, but there is less water. Never is there fewer water or less glasses of water.

The word “farther” denotes distance. “Further” is a matter of degree. The house is farther down the road. Let’s discuss this further.

Other grammar sources.

Spelling, Homophone Edition

Homophones (words that sound alike, but are spelled differently) give writers fits, especially when trying to write quickly. There are the obvious ones (their, they’re, there), the grammatical ones (its and it’s), and then there are the trickier ones.

Here are a couple more lists of homophones and commonly misspelled words.

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Some frivolity might be appropriate for Vegetarian Shoes, but inappropriate for Z-Coil Footwear. Totally different market. However, full-blown giddiness presents no problem for BatCatFrogDogShoes.com, whose wildly imaginative site also includes grammatically challenged text.

Vegetarian Shoes and Z-Coil Footwear clearly want to sell products that are reflected, in part, by attention to site content, grammar, and design. Their presentations are totally different, yet in both cases, they did their homework.

BatCatFrogDogShoes.com didn’t bother. Clearly, the owner sit down and draft a thorough business plan, consult a marketing wizard like Mike Fortin, or get with a gifted Web sitewebsite architect. The Prez & CEO may also have to consult with Venture Capital expert Dee Power before it’s all over, as well. Money goes fast when you’re having fun, and these wild, wacky people – if nothing else – have fun, even if they’ll never win an award!

As a business owner you’re trying to earn an income by appealing to people with money and discrimination. This means there’s wisdom in taking time to include good design, grammar and spelling. If you have a serious writing problem, consider hiring a copyeditor to massage your spelling, punctuation, grammar, etc.

You agree. But while you can always delete bells and whistles, busy backgrounds, and heavy graphics, you don’t have the money to pay for grammar stuff. Okay. If you don’t want your site categorized as a BatCatFrogDog-type site, why not learn from some of the following most common American English grammatical mistakes:

DUE TO OR BECAUSE OF? Due to modifies nouns and is generally used after some form of the verb to be (is, are, was, were, etc.): Lucia Fort’s success is due to talent and spunk (due to modifies the noun success). Because of modifies verbs. Ted resigned because of boredom (because of modifies the verb resigned).

ITS OR IT’S? Its: The possessive form of the pronoun is never written with an apostrophe, “Its title” or “What is its value?” It’s: A contraction of it is and it has. “It’s frustrating to write right.” “It’s been great.”

YOUR OR YOU’RE? You’re: A contraction of the words “you are,” e.g., “You’re up for an award, Jeffsomeone said you’re leaving.” Your: A possessive form of a personal pronoun, e.g., “I like your graphics & layouts, Dean. Thanks for giving your time.” Both: “Your excellent application of HTML shows that you’re a dedicated designer.”

THEIR, THERE, THEY’RE? Their: Belonging to: possessive of “they.” “Their company has kewl customer service.” There: At, or in that place. “Look over there!” They’re: A combination of “they are.” “They’re renovating their site.”

To summarize: learn the right way to do things, but also learn when it’s okay to break the rules to make a point. Whatever you do, try to do it with class! Enjoy the trip. But pulleeeze don’t put up a BatCatFrogDogShoes.com-type site!!!

Writer, copyeditor, and web developer Judy Vorfeld offers website makeovers;
small business consulting; along with website, document, and book copyediting.
She publishes two ezines, offers a grammar and writing resource section on
her site http://www.ossweb.com, and also offers a free text-only ezine template.
Vorfeld, who started her business over ten years ago, lives in the Phoenix,
Arizona area. Her companion site is Webgrammar: http://www.webgrammar.com.

You have just entered the puzzling world of homonyms (same: homo – name: nym). A homonym is a word with the same pronunciation as another but with a different meaning and origin and usually, different spelling as well. These little critters run rampant through cyberspace, especially on Websites, often turning away potential clients/customers.

Rather than rip apart people who use homonyms in their text, I want to offer some friendly help. We’ll use some of the most common mistakes and offer alternatives according Webgrammar’s Style!

ALL RIGHT vs. ALRIGHT
All right: all right means okay, satisfactory, agreeable, safe, good, well.

Alright: While alright is used often in fictional dialogue, and is still preferred by some writers of journalistic and business publications, we’ll merely say that it is outdated for daily use.

ITS vs. IT’S
Its: The possessive form of the pronoun it. NEVER written with an apostrophe. Since most possessives have apostrophes, this confuses many people.

It’s: contraction of it is and it has. Examples: It’s time to go … It’s been great … It’s a well-designed site.

YOUR vs. YOU’RE
Your shows ownership: it’s your choice … it’s your money … it’s your Website.

You’re is a contraction of “you” and “are.” Example: You’re heading in the right direction.

Both words: “You’re taking a big risk with your animated graphics.”

THEIR vs. THEY’RE vs. THERE
Their: possessive form of the word “they.” As with the possessive of it, you do NOT use an apostrophe for this word. You say, “Their site is colorful, crisp, and clear.”

They’re: Contraction of the words “they” and “are.” Example: They’re giving away powerful prizes.

There: at or in that place, e.g., “Now there is a sound system to die for.”

All three: They’re eating their hot fudge sundaes before heading over there.

PRINCIPAL vs. PRINCIPLE
Principal: first in authority; main participant; amount of a debt, investment, minus the interest, or on which interest is computed. Examples: She is a high school principal … K. A. Simpson is a principal in the firm … he still owes $5,000 on the principal.

Principle: basic truth or assumption. His ethics and principles are lower than a snake slithering on its stomach.

If you’re a Website owner who has problems with homonyms, spelling, punctuation, capitalization, or just plain writing, don’t be discouraged! You have a number of choices:

• Ignore the fact and hope no one notices. After all, you have a great product or service!
• Keep a good dictionary on your desk at all times, use it frequently, and guard it with your life.
• Hire a copyeditor to proof your words.
• Ask a friend to proof your words. If your friend isn’t tactful and you’re rather sensitive, you may end up with one less friend and a hole in your heart.
• Find one of the many sites designed to help you with specific grammar and language problems. See the list below.
• Ask Webgrammar for advice at mailto:webgrammar@webgrammar.com

HELPFUL SITES:

Guide to Grammar and Writing – http://webster.commnet.edu/grammar/index.htm

Alan Cooper’s Homonyms – http://cooper-svca.www.conxion.com/alan/homonym_list.htm

Teaching Spelling – http://kidswriting.about.com/kidsteens/kidswriting/msub150.htm

Capitalization Rules – http://www.taft.cc.ca.us/jbuddell/CAPITALS.HTML

Punctuation Made Simple – http://www.cas.usf.edu/JAC/pms/

Writer, copyeditor, and web developer Judy Vorfeld offers website makeovers;
small business consulting; along with website, document, and book copyediting.
She publishes two ezines, offers a grammar and writing resource section on
her site http://www.ossweb.com, and also offers a free text-only ezine template.
Vorfeld, who started her business over ten years ago, lives in the Phoenix,
Arizona area. Her companion site is Webgrammar: http://www.webgrammar.com.

http://webster.commnet.edu/grammar/ This Guide to Grammar and Writing is maintained by Professor of English, Charles Darling, for English courses at Capital Community College and for the general online public. It’s very comprehensive, and you can even do grammar quizzes (should you have an idle moment).

http://www.grammarlady.com/ The Grammar Lady website is run by Mary Newton Bruder. She describes the purpose of the site as being “to answer quick grammar, punctuation, spelling, and other points about language.”

http://www.grammarbook.com/ The Blue Book of Grammar and Punctuation – the on-line version. There are good exercises and tests here, and the explanations are very clear.

http://www.protrainco.com/info/grammar.htm The Good Grammar, Good Style Pages: topics covered in this comprehensive site include subjunctives, the serial comma, subject-verb agreement, the who-whom distinction, when it is all right to be passive, forming possessives from names like Jones, and understanding the differences between British and American English.

http://www.english.uiuc.edu/cws/wworkshop/grammar_handbook.htm This Grammar Handbook, from the Writers’ Workshop, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, explains and illustrates the basic grammatical rules concerning parts of speech, phrases, clauses, sentences and sentence elements, and common problems of usage.

There are hundreds, if not thousands, more sites out there, but I think these top-quality ones should keep you busy and answer all the questions you’re likely to have.

Virginia Rounding is a published writer whose website of
Internet Resources for Writers looks at additional ways for
writers to earn money, in the hope of making it possible
for them to keep writing without having to resort either to
full-time employment or to destitution. For a selection of
free resources or to subscribe to her new ezine Poetry
Competition Updates, go to
http://www.virginiarounding.com/links.html

Well, it’s simply because we’re in the subjunctive mood.

“So what on earth,” I hear you ask, “is the subjunctive mood? It sounds like a form of deep depression!”

Frankly, that’s a good way to describe the effect it has on me. It pulls me right out of the story. Anything that pulls a reader out of a story has to be a bad thing. If it also puzzles a child reader, it’s a positive crime.

The subjunctive mood is quite simply a form of the verb when a writer stops dealing with real things about which we can argue (“The King is alive”, “Mary is here”) and starts dealing with uncertainties such as wishes, commands and unreal circumstances (“Long live the King”, “if only Mary were here”). We’re so accustomed to “If I were you” that it doesn’t sound so odd– though it baffled me as a child; nobody ever explained why I was suddenly (and impossibly) more than one person.

The subjunctive is an outdated grammar rule that should have died a natural death a long time ago. I’m convinced it’s only the extreme pedantry of editors of children’s books that has kept it alive. It has no plausible reason for its existence in the 21st century. I found the following (from Margaret Mahy’s Underrunners–a book riddled with subjunctives) positively pompous.

“As if she were being scribbled out.” “As if it were making a grand announcement.”

There’s another good reason for killing off the subjunctive mood: too many writers use it incorrectly:

“Mary asked if it were his idea.” “If she were French, her accent didn’t betray her.”

Examples of incorrect use from published books–incorrect because the sentences are not in the subjunctive mood:

“But if it were in the hydro it was well hidden.” (Since “it” is referred to here in the plural as well as the singular, this sentence is extremely clumsy.) From Plague Ship by Andre Norton

“If he were wrong, we might then have an excuse to call this crazy thing off.” From A Killing Frost by John Marsden

Any editor who dares suggests I turn a pronoun (or proper noun) into plural just because I am using the subjunctive mood is in for a hard fight with me.

L A Barker Enterprises.

Laraine Anne Barker writes fantasy for young people. Visit
her web site at http://lbarker.orcon.net.nz for FREE stories
and novel excerpts. Sign up for the NOVELLA OF THE MONTH
CLUB, absolutely FREE!