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More About This Title 140 Characters: A Style Guide for the Short Form
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The advent of Twitter and other social networking sites, as well as the popularity of text messaging, have made short-form communication an everyday reality. But expressing yourself clearly in short bursts-particularly in the 140-character limit of Twitter-takes special writing skill.
In 140 Characters, Twitter co-creator Dom Sagolla covers all the basics of great short-form writing, including the importance of communicating with simplicity, honesty, and humor. For marketers and business owners, social media is an increasingly important avenue for promoting a business-this is the first writing guide specifically dedicated to communicating with the succinctness and clarity that the Internet age demands.
Covers basic grammar rules for short-form writingThe equivalent of Strunk and White's Elements of Style for today's social media-driven marketing messagesHelps you develop your own unique short-form writing style140 Characters is a much-needed guide to the kind of communication that can make or break a reputation online.
English
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Acknowledgments xi
Foreword by Jack Dorsey xiii
Introduction xv
The Short Form xv
The History of Twitter xvii
Part One: LEAD 1
Chapter 1. Describe: A Brief Digression to Discuss Journalism Is Warranted 7
Observe the Truth 10
Play with Perspective 11
Lead with Action 13
Chapter 2. Simplify: Say More with Less 15
Constrain Yourself to the Atomic Unit of One Message 16
Appreciate Craftsmanship as a Thousand Small Gestures 18
Start Small and Serve a Special Niche 19
Limit Yourself to One Sentence, One Thought 21
Chapter 3. Avoid: Don’t Become a Fable about Too Much Information 23
Remember What Not to Do 25
Find Your Lowest Common Denominator 28
Divine a Strategy against Too Much Information 29
Practice Self-Defense 30
Reinforce, Don’t Replace, Real Life 32
Part Two: VALUE 35
Chapter 4. Voice: Say It Out Loud 39
Extend Your Range 41
Build Your Repertoire 43
Strengthen and Amplify 44
Chapter 5. Reach: Understand Your Audience 46
Measure Reader Engagement 47
Gauge the Reaction to Your Message 48
Identify Your Fans 50
Chapter 6. Repeat: It Worked for Shakespeare 53
Enable Repetition of Your Message 53
Repeat the Words of Others,
Adding Your Mark in the Process 56
Exploit the Twitter Effect 56
Chapter 7. Mention: Stamp Your Own Currency 58
Design Your Mark 59
120 Is the New 140 61
Post One or Two Replies,Then Take It Offline 62
Chapter 8. Dial: Search for Silence, Volume, and Frequency 64
Pipe Up Just When It’s Quiet 64
Understand the Use of CAPITALS 65
Discover Your “Office Hours” 66
Chapter 9. Link: Deduce the Nature of Short Messages 70
Study the Anatomy of a Single Message 70
Share the Power of Hypertext 71
Change the Meaning of Words by Linking Them 72
Chapter 10. Word: Expose the Possibilities in Phraseology, Poetry, and Invention 74
Design Your Own Pattern 76
Build Your Own Lexicon by Inventing
New Words 81
Poetry Is a Guide 89
Part Three: MASTER 95
Chapter 11. Tame: Apply Multiple Techniques Toward the Same End 101
Technology Will Consume Us If We Don’t Learn to Control It 102
Discover the Antidote to Each of 12 Stages 104
Manage Multiple Accounts Effectively 108
Remember: It’s All about Timing 109
Chapter 12. Cultivate: Meet 140 Characters, Each with a Unique Story 110
Create a Culture of Fun 110
Imagine Your Audience 112
Focus on Learning 113
Chapter 13. Branch: Steady, Organic Growth Is Most Manageable 115
Don’t Let Success Go to Your Head 115
Do the Same Thing, but Differently 116
Never Stop 118
Part Four: EVOLVE 123
Chapter 14. Filter: Teach the Machine to Think Ahead 129
A Little Programming Goes a Long Way 131
Breaking Things Is a Path to Learning 133
Chapter 15. Open: Give and You Shall Receive 135
Go Positive 136
Never Limit Yourself to One Platform 138
Chapter 16. Imitate: There Is Nothing Original, Except in Arrangement 140
Become an Apprentice 140
Take Someone Else’s Style One Step Further 141
Create a Caricature of Yourself 142
Chapter 17. Iterate: Practice a Sequence ofTiny Adjustments 144
Write Everywhere and Often 144
Games for Words 145
Ignite Change 146
Part Five: ACCELERATE 149
Chapter 18. Increase: Do More 153
Produce a Series on a Short Subject 153
Manufacture Velocity 155
Exceed Constraints 157
Chapter 19. Fragment: Do It Smaller 158
Decrease the Size of the Atomic Unit, the Message 158
Embrace Ambiguity 159
Recommended Reading 161
Glossary 165
Index 173
