November Tweets Highlight Editorial Goofs in Heads, Ledes, Fog
Several common editing snafus I found while reviewing web sites for my 8th annual B2B e-news study made up the bulk of my November Tweets. Of 200 articles examined so far, 79 are packed with foggy prose, 75 include headline/deck misfires, and 68 are burdened by run-on opening sentences. Evidence of enterprise reporting is scarce.
As in the past, this year’s study covers 10 articles posted by each of 50 sites analyzed. Updated survey data is posted weekly. For details, follow me on Twitter.
Most common writing mishap I catch when judging Best Headline competitions is “head/deck overlap.” This occurs when deck duplicates rather than elaborates on message main headline contains.
— Howard Rauch (@fogindex8) November 29, 2019
Just completed 20th site review for my 8th annual B2B e-news study. Of 200 articles reviewed 161 earned no higher than a “low or no” enterprise score, Only 3 achieved the minimum 60.0% recommended enterprise target.
— Howard Rauch (@fogindex8) November 25, 2019
Abandon ship if your e-news format requires immediate ID of source ID and title. What’s even worse is when opening sentence does all that plus describes the firm’s entire product line . . . before finally mentioning the real news.
— Howard Rauch (@fogindex8) November 25, 2019
Despite all the coverage devoted to Fog Index value, plenty of editors still don’t know how to stop a sentence. So Far in analysis for my 8th annual B@B news study, 40% of articles revised easily exceed FI limits.
— Howard Rauch (@fogindex8) November 21, 2019
Special report covering relationship between competitive analysis activity and editorial enterprise just started at my LinkedIn group site: Editorial Solutions Performance Insider. Plenty of weak links worth identifying.
— Howard Rauch (@fogindex8) November 21, 2019
Latest B2B e-news study results for 17 sites (50 total being analyzed): Enterprise presence 60.0% target remains elusive; still only 2 sites made it. Meanwhile, several other sites managed horrid achievement . . . like below 30.0%. 10.1% is still worst performer. How about you?
— Howard Rauch (@fogindex8) November 19, 2019
B2B e-news enterprise achievement is a four-phase affair. The top phase involves evidence of exclusivity. Many B2B sites, however, can barely get by Phase I. See more elaborate discussion later at my Web site. Included: survey update covering first 16 sites reviewed.
— Howard Rauch (@fogindex8) November 19, 2019
When mug shots accompany feature articles, this is a reminder that captions should be more than simply a couple of words identifying the individual. One approach is to create a mini side bar that includes the photo and an adjacent newsworthy quote the source provides.
— Howard Rauch (@fogindex8) November 14, 2019
Of 130 articles reviewed so far during my 8th annual B2B e-news study, 44 lack adequate scoring value. Many need better decks to support existing main heads. Head-deck overlap is another common glitch. Last but not least, several heads should have used attention-getting numbers.
— Howard Rauch (@fogindex8) November 12, 2019
While conducting my latest B2B e-news study, I’ve found many cases where publisher/editor teams have not learned how to present convincing quantitative data. Many vulnerable e-news sites could be easily crushed by alert competitors. Luckily, opponents often are in the same boat.
— Howard Rauch (@fogindex8) November 7, 2019