When did paragraphs go out of style?

by 28 replies
32
This is beginning to bug me.

It doesn't happen much on the WF, but I have been getting an increasing number of emails and seeing posts in other forums - even ads on EBay that are just one long paragraph.

I have trouble reading these and often don't bother.

Anyone else notice this lately?
#main internet marketing discussion forum #paragraphs #style
  • Actually I seem to be getting the opposite just one sentence paragraphs with really short sentences (I am guilty of this myself). It means a huge amount of white space.

    Maybe we are just having an unlucky run
  • haven't noticed this..but short paragraphs are just as annoying.
    • [1] reply
    • The copywriting rule of thumb is each paragraph should be no more than
      3 lines long...4 at the absolute longest and that's pushing it.

      I tend to keep my paragraphs relatively short unless I am writing an article
      where one paragraph has a lot of related info in it or just has some long ass
      sentences.

      It's something you kind of get a feel for over time and not everybody is
      adept at it.

      The one long paragraph posts...I don't bother reading, not out of anger
      or anything like that. It's just too hard on the eyes. And at my age, my
      eyes can only take so much abuse.
      • [2] replies
  • Paragraphs need to be used the way they were meant to be used. If the subject changes so should the paragraph.

    White space makes thinks easier to read as well.
  • Personally, sales letter websites make me nuts. I think a lot of the formatting weirdness comes from those copying and pasting, usually from MSWord (arrrgh) into html.
    Wonder if anyone would ever have the nerve to put up a site that says:
    This is what I have to offer you. This is how much it is, thanks for coming by.
    The End.
    • [2] replies
    • Maybe this means there are a lot of newbies. I find it hard to believe that someone with experience writing online would write something with huge paragraphs. Online readers just don't have the attention span to make that kind of writing effective.

      With the number of people who are out of work trying to find ways to support their families, the newbie theory (in my mind!) seems the most likely.
    • If they did, it probably wouldn't convert.

      You should read Tested Advertising Methods from John Caples.

      It will explain why one would need to write a long salesletter vs. a short salesletter.
  • Maybe the Gigaparagiraphs are scraped stuff?
  • Paragraphs are long in the world of Hurry Hurry Rush.
  • Banned
    [DELETED]
    • [1] reply
    • I agree completely! The standard of writing is deteriorating rapidly! Even basic spelling is slipping - despite spell checkers being available even in web browsers today!

      I believe that the two worst sins are:
      • Not knowing the difference between "your" and "you're" (both of which pass a spell check, of course)
      • Not testing your autoresponder messages, so the email ends up addressed to "Dear {FIRSTNAME}"!
      The second of these annoys me the most and will always prompt me to delete the message without reading any further. (If anyone would like a tip on how to do this, check out my YouTube channel where I made a video on testing your email campaigns).

      -John.
  • I have no trouble with this -- because I stop reading and go away!

    Seriously, my paragraphs are getting down to one sentence per paragraph!
  • This is funny and I have seen this too. But what I catch myself doing is typing as if I am writing a heading or something Where Every Other Word Is Capitalized.

    I can not tell you how many times I do this and not even think about it and I have to go back and fix every thing I typed.

    I hope I get over this because it is really annoying.
  • I presume that proper sentence and paragraph structure is still taught in the schools. But people seem to think that emails are a more relaxed form of communication and therefore it's OK to ignore the standards.

    Like several of you have already mentioned, when I get emails like that I just quit reading and click delete. If they don't have the time to set their email up for easy reading - I don't the time to wade through it.

    However, I frequently get inquiries from potential clients that are written the same way. Run on sentences with no paragraph breaks at all. And often no capitalization. I really do have to wade through those, but it makes it difficult sometimes to even figure out what their question is.

    Barb
  • "I agree completely! The standard of writing is deteriorating rapidly! Even basic spelling is slipping - despite spell checkers being available even in web browsers today!"

    So true. People seem to use exclamation marks at the end of every sentence or use words such as 'even' twice in one sentence.

    Pearson
    • [2] replies
    • About the same time George Bush got into office.
    • You got me there! Maybe we should start a new thread about the shocking lack of proof-reading prevalent in online forums???

      -John.
  • Didn't he threaten to invade Paragraph at one point?

    [and yes - I know a one point Paragraph is very hard to read ]
  • I am told that the English language is forever evolving and that troglodites like me should not concern themselves with HOW something is written but if the MEANING is correctly conveyed.

    Massive blocks of text do save a lot of time because I don't read them but, worse than massive blocks of text are the emails that only have two or three words to the line.

    Wonder if anyone would ever have the nerve to put up a site that says:
    This is what I have to offer you. This is how much it is, thanks for coming by.
    The End.

    Hi, BrainDance,
    Not quite as brutal and short but I am looking at using the following - B.S.Free Zone you can't buy anything - the button isn't live.
  • [DELETED]
  • Haven't noticed this. One long paragraph, to me, is very exhausting and boring. It's always better if thoughts are divided into different paragraphs. One paragraph, one thought. Just like how we do it on broadsheets.
  • Hi I've been noticing the same lately, even by old pro's whi should know better. But all that matters is that we know the right technique to assist on expanding our list lengths!

    Take Care -

    John - Ottawa
  • I think that the mega paragraphs are probably scraped content that is used as is. I can't figure out any other reason for it, and it is annoying and yes, I skip them, too.

    White space is good. I think it makes forum posts especially readable if they are broken up with some spacing.

    Copywriting paragraphs must be in vogue now, that's all I can think of. Traditional text copy has 5 or more sentences per paragraph. That's ok in a printed book, but it really doesn't work for me online.

    my 2 cents.
  • Even worse
    than the long
    paragraphs is
    when people
    think it's better
    to hit enter
    every 2-3
    words.
    • [2] replies


    • That's because us "Old Timers" used to have to format to 60 - whatever it was I forget now... (old age catches up with you) this was because bb (bulletin boards - you're probably too young to remember those ) had a limit on how many characters you could post.

      It's a pitty that this forum doesn't have a limit on characters........ but that's probably a private joke only a few can laugh at... moving on.......

      In the old days email messages had to be formatted to 60 words max because the browsers couldn't handle strings longer than that... it was, I think, called word wrap. Not as in "hey dude seen your mother, shes a real looker!" - that's modern day wrap!

      Nowadaze:rolleyes:, it seems like you new commers with the freedom format are laughing at us old guys who still use (only sometimes in my case) the standard requested method.

      Just trying to explain that - things change, some move on and others don't. Really there is nothing wrong with the old ways, because they are the Leaders and teachers of the new ways......

      Just my 2c
      but I thought
      I'd mention
      it whilst I
      remembered it.
    • God, THAT is annoying! LOL!

      I get that type of format in many emails from marketers and you have to work to get to the bottom of the email!
  • And those long paragraphs frequently lack the use of commas, so it gets even more frustrating to read and comprehend the first time you go through it. AArrgg!
  • Tim

    I agree, and I'm actively fighting back by unsubscribing and entering a 'leaving' comment explaining why. If someone wants me to read their sales pitch or info, I want them to make the effort to put together a coherent, reasoned and well organized message.

    Heh, maybe I shouldn't bother, since it only creates more people that can communicate well? Maybe I should people like that just go on like they're doing now, muddling together pages and pages of prose till it all blends into a mindless blurr of yellow-backgrounded text with sales points galore and UVPs overflowing with praise and of course the required 10 pages of "totally truthful" testimonials (that'll be $200, thank you), and not to forget the email squeeze box, and oh of course the social proof where they claim CNN spent an hour extolling the virtues of their magical solution to all the world's problems.

    OK, that was my attempt at demonstrating... My fingers actually hurt from typing all of that

    Cheers!

  • separate text into 1 or 2 senrance paragraphs seems to work best for me

    I have a/b tested just one time, but the results were overwhelming in favor of the short paragraphs
  • Not really, but I have noticed a decrease in the standard of spelling.
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