In today's fast paced society we're on the brink of information overload. From the moment you wake up to the moment you're finally able to shut down, you're bombarded with massive and unprecedented amounts of information. Never in the history of human-kind has general information been so accessible to such a large percentage of the world. To illustrate, according to a 2009 University of California - San Diego study on data consumption, the average person in the U.S. consumes nearly 6,000 words of information per waking hour. That's over 100,000 words of information per day! It hurts to even consider the daunting task of how we filter through that much data, let alone make any sense of what we gather. How then, are we as social media experts expected to penetrate the mindshare of our targets and elevate our message above the constant bombardment of information? Imagine a room with a thousand people, all screaming at the top of their lungs at one single person. Who will that person listen to?
Let’s take pause for a moment to think about the question. While we’re at it, I will use this same pause to answer the question. How are we expected to penetrate mindshare? By taking pause! More specifically, we can penetrate mindshare by taking a step away from reactionary tactics, thinking about the voice we are using to send a message and using proper punctuation to support that voice. So rather than simply scream at the top of our lungs at the person in the room, formulate a thoughtful, unique message and communicate it.
Every day it seems another member of the social web is being lambasted for something they communicated through channels like Twitter or Facebook. "That’s not how I meant to say it." "You’ve misinterpreted my intentions." Statements like these are commonplace as we stumble through new, and often misunderstood, forms of communication; specifically, digital communication. There is a level of disconnection in the intent of statements made in the online world versus those made face-to-face. Consider, for example, the difficulty in expressing sarcasm through digital channels. It’s not always apparent to the recipient of the message that the expression of sarcasm is an underlying addition. Understanding how messages are structured will help you in filtering out unintended interpretations. Ultimately, the proper use of punctuation is at the core of message structure. Take the following statements where a simple pause completely changes the meaning of a sentence:
"Let's eat Grandpa!" - Poor Grandpa is about to be eaten by his grandchildren. :(
"Let's eat, Grandpa!" - Hooray! :) Grandpa is saved by a simple comma, the written version of a momentary pause. Not only is he saved, but his grandchildren are inviting him to eat. I’m sure he was hungry too.
Brushing up on your grammar skills can really make the difference in both elevating your message above the constant flow of information and giving yourself and your social brand a distinct voice. By accurately expressing the intended message of your statements, you won’t just sound like you’re screaming at the top of your lungs anymore. You will be listened to. So please, I implore you to take pause, stop eating grandpa and use a comma to invite him to dinner.
