Re: Spelling and Grammar skill

I was convinced already, Liz.  What arguments do you take to the clients?

D

----- Original Message -----
From: Elizabeth Fuller <zilf(at)leapinliz.com>

Jim Tom Polk wrote:
>
> Just because we can write HTML (which is moderately unforgiving of
> errors), create graphics and navigation, and do some programming (which
> is absolutely unforgiving of errors), does not mean that we are experts
> writing copy for a web site.

Yes!  To all those who think "I can't afford to hire a professional writer
or
proofreader," or "I'll just do the copy myself," I would like to offer this
argument:

All too often, programmers, designers, or one-man-band web developers
complain
there's no budget for "unnecessary" folks like professional writers and/or
proofreaders, and will attempt to wear all the hats and perform all the
content functions by themselves.

What they quickly find out, however, is that typing and writing are not at
all
the same skills, and they may spend several hours (at their design rate of
$20/hr., $40/hr. or $75/hr) struggling to compose clear, concise, effective
copy for one or more of the pages on their site, or to painstakingly
proofread
every word of every page with a dictionary or style guide in hand.

What they don't realize, however, is that a talented and experienced
professional writer or proofreader can provide not only good copy...but
*faster* good copy as well. Information that takes a novice "writer" five to
eight hours to carve into intelligible website verbiage is often something I
or a similarly experienced pro could turn around in just an hour or two.
And
if the novice is charging $20-40/hr. for a full day of writing, which may
only
produce mediocre results, suddenly my hour or two at $75 or $80/hr., which
nets higher overall content quality, starts to look pretty attractive.

Thus, you *can* have both higher quality *and* lower price when you hire a
pro.  Just something to keep in mind...

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