How can we express ourselves more clearly online?

Communication is a key aspect of any society. Through communication ideas are exchanged, skills are gained and sometimes perceptions are altered. A society without communication would be monotone and restricted from social growth because expression would be limited to one’s own thoughts. Whether through body language or the use of technology, the act of expressing one’s self is very important and can lead to the collaboration of ideas on a larger scale. Even those who suffer from impairment of a sense such as blindness or deafness can actively communicate through some type of mechanism. Studies show the average person spends seventy percent of their day in some type of message exchange whether through verbal, nonverbal or physical behavior. In today's society, individuals rely predominantly on the Internet but frequently people are unable to understand the context of e-mails,blogs, wikis, forums, IM conversations, status updates, etc.

First we must not forget the purpose of online communication: to convey some type of message to an audience. Just because someone goes on your website or comes across a blog does not necessarily mean that individual will be coming back. Language should be used to build a relationship between the reader and the poster so that new perspectives can be exchanged. If messages were communicated with more clarity, individuals could relate more to a specific blog and maybe actually go back to that site. "The web is full of blog posts that say nothing, articles that have no proper ending and generally disjointed thoughts mashed into chunks we call “content” but would more accurately be described as “filler.” We must plan what we will say prior to posting to ensure that what we are saying is consistent with readers' thought process. Often we write emails and use language that the receiver may find difficult, causing the message to be misinterpreted. Words should not be wasted for each word holds a unique weight in communicating. If you are not sure of something, you are instilling a false sense of trust in the reader hence references are a must. When expressing an opinion make it clear that is is not factual; if you are not familiar with something you are writing about, research the issue.

All of these factors contribute to the accuracy of proving a point. Communication is only as effective as the management of its tools. We have all of these resources yet we find ourselves sorting through wordy emails and skewed blogs. If everyone made a conscious effort and acknowledged the audience behind the Internet, messages would be clearly conveyed.