Style

Writing

Be concise

Write in small, direct segments that are easily scannable. Be sure to provide enough information that the message is clear. Keep your vocabulary accessible to everyone.

Be human

Avoid tech jargon and overly "computery" terms. Avoid slang. Writing in clear terms that any human can understand.

Be helpful

Avoid being vague. Provide the user with helpful tips.

Be consistent

Avoid mixing different terms for the same action.

Be clear

Links and buttons should describe what will happen if pressed. Use specific nouns in place of generic nouns or pronouns.

Formatting and Grammar

Buttons capitalization is title case. (Example: Sign In, not Sign in)
Feedback capitalization is sentence case. (Example: Use my location, not Use My Location)
Items belonging to the user are Your or My (Example: Share My Location, Do you want to save your changes?)
Use active voice and positive language.
Write in the past or present tense. Avoid the future tense. (Example: Your changes will be saved.)
Feel free to use contractions.
Use the serial comma. Otherwise, use common sense.
Don't use underline, and don't use any combination of italic, bold, caps, and underline.
When in doubt, read your writing out loud.

The "b" in the word "e-book" should never be capitalized, and the word is hyphenated. The "e" should only be capitalized when appearing at the beginning of a sentence or in a capitalized title. Examples:

Examples:

Assigning e-books can make your course materials more affordable for students.

E-books are generally more affordable than print books.

Common erroneous constructions: 'ebook', 'eBook', 'e-Book'.

E-mail

In keeping with the way we spell e-book, when referring to electronic mail, use "e-mail." As with e-book, the "e" should only be capitalized when appearing at the beginning of a sentence or in a capitalized title.

Sign In (not Login, Log In, Log On, Sign On, etc.)
Sign Out (not Logout, Log Out, Log Off, Sign Off, etc.)

Website

"Website" or "website", (not Web Site, web site, etc.)