Anyone who has done any professional or semi-professional writing has no doubt come across the AP Stylebook.
In journalism school we followed its Canadian equivalent (the CP Stylebook) like the Bible.
Basically it gives you guidelines to follow so that news publications have the same standard and that media is consistent. It lists spelling, grammar, abbreviation, capitalization, punctuation, numerals, titles and more.
Today on Twitter I found the Fake AP Stylebook and it’s hilarious.
A few examples:
Do not call it “saying grace.” Instead call it “offering gratitude to the Immortal One True God of Christianity and No One Else.”
For balance, Thanksgiving articles should also contain quotes from devastated turkey families.
Should you find yourself interviewing an infinite number of monkeys, relax. Eventually they’ll write the article for you.
Commas are probably the most misunderstood of all punctuation. They frequently dress in black, listen to sad music, and cut themselves.
Be sure to vary your font use in headlines to aid kidnappers in making aesthetically pleasing ransom notes.
Not only is the Twitter feed entertaining, it brings up two points:
- Social media is a great way to spread a message
- Humour, combined with social media, is a great way to promote yourself
When you think about it, it’s true. How many funny emails do you forward? How many funny videos or pictures do you link to on Facebook or Twitter? You are probably much more willing to share a funny story, video or image than you are something serious.
There’s just something about humour that makes us want to pass it on.
If you’re funny and have what it takes to put together a hilarious blog post or an amusing video, do it! Then use social media to spread it around. There’s no telling how far your message could spread.
Places like Digg and Reddit are filled with funny content. People love to be entertained, so if you have the skills to do that, you should take advantage. Web content writing isn’t just about informing people, it’s also about entertaining them. Humourous content is great linkbait and will likely draw visitors to your site.