Finding an identity 75
Table 3.1. Wired Style’sten usage principles, with some explanatory
comment (after Hale and Scanlon, 1999). References are to pages.
1 ‘The medium
matters’‘In a world of scarce bandwidth, small screens,
and evermore media sources competing for our
attention, every word and sentence must score a
high signal-to-noise ratio.’ (p. 3)
2 ‘Play with
voice’There should be linguistic inventiveness,
creativity, play, in the form of new words and
odd constructions. ‘Celebrate subjectivity. Write
with attitude. Play with voice.’ (p. 9)
3 ‘Flaunt your
subcultural
literacy’Most Net audiences are relatively small groups
who have their own identity and behaviour, and
will share a certain background and style.
‘Consider your own context. Narrowcast. Talk to
your audience. Speak the culture.’ (p. 9)
4 ‘Transcend the
technical’‘Grasp the technologies, then describe them
with vivid language and clear metaphors.’
(p. 11). True jargon ‘is lucid language and can be
as elegant as it is meaningful. It’s denotation:
concrete, specific, direct, and necessary.’ (p. 10)
5 ‘Capture the
colloquial’‘At Wired, we write geek and we write street. We
insist on accuracy and literacy, but we celebrate
the colloquial.’ (p. 11)
6 ‘Anticipate the
future’‘Language moves in one predictable direction:
forward.’ (p. 12) ‘We say, “Grow the language.”’
(p. 13) This involves welcoming neologisms,
simplifying spellings, avoiding capitals, and
removing hyphens from compound words.
7 ‘Be irreverent’ ‘Know your audiences well enough to violate
journalism’s cardinal rules and to toy with
conventions.’ The recommendation: ‘Welcome
inconsistency, especially in the interest of voice
and cadence. Treat the institutions and players in
your world with a dose of irreverence. Play with
grammar and syntax. Appreciate unruliness.’
(p. 15)
(Continued)