There is an independent organisation (yes they are British) out there that is fighting for a more clear and concise language for all public information. I can understand and appreciate the need and the mission for this group, but fail to see how it applies to me and all the other bloggers out there. I have not been approached by this academic troop, but I was directed there while looking for ways to improve content on blogs.This group claims that “plain English” is “something that the intended audience can read, understand and act upon the first time they read it.” The key words here are ‘intended audience’. To me, blogs are inherently filled with complex insight and aren’t intended for mass consumption. Readers of blogs tend to flock to blogs based upon their interests, regardless of the scope. Furthermore, I think that readers generally understand or are in the process of understanding the point of view and language of the blogger.
Sarah Vowell, noted essayist and self-proclaimed civics nerd, said in the chapter “The Nerd Voice” in her book The Partly Cloudy Patriot:
Geeks tend to be focused on very narrow fields of endeavor. The modern geek has been generally dismissed by society because their passions are viewed as trivial by those who ‘see the big picture’. Geeks understand that the big picture is pixelated and that their high level of contribution in small areas grows the picture. They don’t need to see what everyone else is doing to make their part better.
I may not be a stellar writer, but I do put forth the effort to write about the things that mean something to me. If I happen to use run-on sentences, disjointed metaphors, and overtly erudite language, then so be it. Jargon and gobbledygook are tools for us bloggers to get our point across. If we just simplified our content, we’d be insulting our readers. Ignore plain English… it takes away from your voice.
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