Content Language Guide

All content should be written in a standard American English language, using formal language & official grammar rules as defined in The Chicago Manual of Style.

Why are we setting this standard?

Nobody will go to jail for ignoring grammar rules. But they will have difficulty getting into the best schools and finding good jobs.

Adam Brock

Internal Names

  • The name of the company should be written as DNL OmniMedia, Inc.
  • The abbreviation DNL is acceptable.
  • The reference to the team should be spelled team DNL in the middle of the sentence and Team DNL at the start of the sentence.
  • Please do not use TeamDNL in all formal writing. It is not a proper brand name, this spelling will confuse users, and may impact our brand in a negative way.

Language Standards

Style

  • Use simple and short sentences so the content is easy to read and comprehend. Aim to write at grade level 8 or below.

    Unnecessarily verbose example: our team has taken the liberty of investigating the most popular.

    Rewritten phrase: our team investigated the most popular.
  • Omit filler phrases that don’t contribute to the meaning of the content. Examples are Let’s get started, Let’s dive in, If you’re reading this.
  • Run the content through Grammarly & Hemingway app to validate the content for correctness.
  • Use formal language, no SMS abbreviations, slang or colloquialisms. If in doubt, verify that the word exists in the dictionary. For example, the phrase check out when used to denote look at, see, examime is informal and therefore should not be used. Please use the simpler alternative for greater intelligibility across cultures and folks with more basic level of English language proficiency.
  • Avoid using phrasal verbs, as English learners may have hard time understading them. Instead look for a simpler synonym that will be understood by all. Use summary instead of wrap up, start instead of a kick off, continue instead of stick to, tolerate instead of put up, notice instead of look out, hide instead of hold back.
  • Use active voice whenever possible.

Punctuation

  • Exclamation marks should only be used at the end of the exclamation sentences, not the communicate enthusiasm. If in doubt, consult the chart.

    Correct usage: Yay! Wow!

    Incorrect usage: Register Today! This is a very long statement that I’m excited about but others may not find it as exciting!
  • Use serial/Oxford comma.
  • Bullet lists should be preceeded by a complete sentence and : colon should be used at the end.
  • Use periods as the end of each bullet list items if they include sentences.
  • If the bullet list is just a list no end punctuation should be used.Source
  • Vertical bar symbol | should not be used in the titles or text, as it’s a coding symbol and not a punctuation symbol defined in the grammar books. Use colon : or dash instead.
  • Dashes — should be used appropriately and should be separated by spaced, as it will allow the text to wrap more easily. Note the differences between two different dashes
    – – — —and use them appropriately.
  • The use of parenthesis is best limited to clarifications. If you are using the parenthesis as an aside comment, consider omitting it altogether. Most people skim rather than read web articles these days. Writing in concise, simple sentences will ensure the audience is focused and reads until the end of the article.

Emphasis

  • Emphasis should be done using strong or bold text. It should be used sparingly, too much of bold makes everything less important.

Content Organization

  • Whenever possible use ordered or bullet list to organize content as it’s easier to skim.

Capitalization

  • Capitalization rules should apply to all content entered on the website.
  • In page titles only each word should be capitalized, since that’s the current pattern we’ll continue to have it be as such. The articles and conjunctions should not be capitalized, see Rule 16a.
  • For capitalization of hyphenated words, see this article.
  • Bullet lists consisting of the sentences should capitalize sentences normally.
  • Bullet lists consisting of words or phrases should capitalize only the first letter, for ease of reading. This should be consistent throughout the site. Source

Names of Products

  • The name of the product should be capitalized only if it’s a proper name. Example: TeamRaiser is a proper name of the product and should be capitalized as shown. Donation forms are not a proper name of the product, just a description, so it should not be capitalized.
  • Rule of thumb: if the vendor capitalizes their products as proper names, then we will do the same.
  • Names that we frequently use that should be capitalized:
    • TeamRaiser
    • PageBuilder
    • Luminate Online
    • Blackbaud Luminate Advocacy
    • Blackbaud Luminate CMS
    • Blackbaud CRM
    • Blackbaud Merchant Services
  • General descriptive names of products that we frequently use that should not be capitalized:
    • donation forms
    • survey
    • member center or constituent center
    • events or calendar events
    • e-commerce
    • e-mail or email
    • e-cards
    • participant center
    • recurring donation
    • peer-to-peer, should be spelled out without any numbers in accordance with the dictionary

Common & Emerging Keywords

  • nonprofit should always be spelled as one word without dashes for consistency and in accordance with the dictionary.
  • app should always be written in lower case, unless it appears in a title or at the start of the sentence in accordance with the dictionary.