Should your Content be PC?

Your site can be anything your want. Subtle, full of flash, raunchy, funny or serious, it really is your choice. However, before traveling down any extreme route you may want to stop a second and clearly define the purpose of your site. Once your purpose is decided, you have to conclude what type of content will support your sites goal.

PC or Politically Correct is an archaic term, but the idea behind it is still applicable, especially in a global economy. If you have a site that is intended for a broad audience than you may want to not write in ways that offend or isolate your market. Keep in mind, that your market includes areas outside the US, they may not understand your marketing language if your use colloquialisms or common language. Even those in English speaking countries may not understand US common language. Miscommunication is not communication, with poorly chosen words you can create a non-communicative situation that makes it hard to educate potential customers about your product.

In the US we tend to be a bit ethnocentric and forget that people outside the US surf the Internet and buy product online. There may even be people who translate your pages into their native language, which can further increase the communication breakdowns. The same advice also holds true for sites who are not hosted in the US, common language or translated pages may miscommunicate marketing ideas.

In general you will want to write using language that is not sexist, racist, religious or political, unless that is the point of your site. It would be unwise to assume that everyone shares your views and opinions.

There is of course plenty of room on the Internet for market specific sites, sites that appeal to a body of people that share a common background, slang and humor. Some people may even want to launch multiple sites. You can create a site for the US which uses common US phraseology and humor. You could write a second site for the rest of the world that uses plain language and translates well and does not present ethnocentric stock photography or language.

If you are wondering about how to write content that translates well, see How to Write Translation Friendly Text.

I found an article on Gender Neutral Technical Writing, that makes a good point. If your write actively and address your audience, as in "You," it elements the whole he/she problem.