I learned a great lesson in the power words while serving on a committee to write an employee manual.

With all of us being in management positions, we knew what actions would be grounds for dismissal, however, we also knew each word in the manual had to be perfect. The misuse of one word could completely change the meaning of a sentence, which in turn, could lead to a discrimination law suit.

The example that comes to mind is:

Instead of saying “you will be terminated if you (fill in the blank)”, the wording read, “You may be terminated if you (fill in the blank)”

As most of us know, it’s never black and white. There can always be extenuating circumstances.

This lesson came into play last week when I was working on my “The Unseen Benefit Of Commenting” post. The words flowed. Within a short period of time I had the whole post written. I hit save and began the editing process.

As I reread what I wrote, I realized the words I used could be misconstrued as a type of medical/psychiatric advice. My first thought was to add a disclaimer stating “I’m not a doctor, blah, blah, blah…, read at your own risk….”.

My second thought was, “I need to rewrite this post”

I did the latter.

Today’s Lesson

When we blog, we often get carried away with our words. We want to share our experiences and opinions. We know what worked for us, how things affected us, and we feel it may work for others, too.

Let’s face it, we often blog in an attempt to help others.

But, what about those who don’t think like us? What about those who read what we wrote and take it literally. What about those who read between the lines and don’t read the words that say, “I think”, “It’s my opinion”, or fail to read our “Terms of Use” policy? Or those who are looking for someone to blame? Someone to sue?

With our blogs being read worldwide by people from all backgrounds and education levels, it’s important we consider our potential audience. Although many people visit our blogs, the majority are not commenting. Students may be using our blog posts as part of their assignments, and/or some may make a life style change based on what we wrote.

Choosing and using the right words shows we’re blogging responsibly.

Today’s Assignment

Have you ever read something and taken it to be the truth, only to be mislead?

Before you publish a blog post, are you editing it so your words cannot be misconstrued?

Have you ever heard of someone being hurt by the written word?

Although the wording on some blogs may not fall into this “category”, I’m curious to hear how others deal with the specific wording in their posts.

.

Photo Credit: Caveman 92223
— Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.