Reproof logo

The Reproof Blog

on the craft of writing and rewriting.

How to write accessibly and make your content better for everyone

How to write accessibly and make your content better for everyone

Accessibility for Writers

“Two of the most important characteristics of good design are discoverability and understanding.” Don Norman, The Design of Everyday Things Ever stopped to think about how people read your blog post…
How to contribute your first UX copy as a writer

How to contribute your first UX copy as a writer

The first step from writing to working on technical teams.

Ever been clicking through an app when you notice a typo, an errant space or bit of punctuation, and wished you could jump in and fix it? You could. Copywriting is, perhaps, the best way to make the l…
The slow death of dot com: Less than half of startups today use a .com

The slow death of dot com: Less than half of startups today use a .com

After decades as the default, dot coms are no longer used by most new startups, and alternative TLDs are the new default.

In the beginning, in the early ’90’s when the internet was young and everything seemed possible, there were only a handful of top-level domains (or TLDs). You weren’t starting a non-profit or governme…

The best domain names are two names. Or three.

You don't need a dot com, or a short name, to build a successful startup.

Last year, I started two companies (great idea, totally recommended, definitely not too much to take on). And in the process, I accidentally ended up stumbling upon the best way to buy a domain and ra…
Exceptions will constantly occur: Advice from the original Chicago Manual of Style

Exceptions will constantly occur: Advice from the original Chicago Manual of Style

To fellow gropers in the labyrinth of typographical style...

The first edition of the Chicago Manual of Style wasn’t nearly as imposing as today’s 1,146-page tome. With merely 106 pages of grammar and composition rules—plus another hundred or so pages of typefa…

You, too, need a copyholder: The art of reading writing out loud to edit it

Copyholder (noun): one who reads copy for a proofreader

I noticed it, first, in the original Chicago Manual of Style, with its Notes to Copyholders tucked in the final appendix after notes to authors, editors, and proofreaders. I thought, perhaps, the edit…
The Mastodon Guide

The Mastodon Guide

How to leave Twitter behind and start a new community—or bring your existing one—on the Elephant Network.

It all started as public SMS, a decade-and-a-half ago when Jack Dorsey posted "just setting up my twttr" and launched perhaps the most influential social network. Facebook has more users, Instagram an…
The Subtle Art of Celebrating Your Customers

The Subtle Art of Celebrating Your Customers

How to write a better case study that people will be excited to share, because it makes them the hero.

No one's going to be as excited over your redesigned website as you. Pour all your energy into it, craft a singular homepage that takes the design leadership baton from Stripe and Linear, and you'll g…
The Tiny Markdown Course

The Tiny Markdown Course

Learn Markdown, for good, in a one-week email course

"A minute to learn, a lifetime to master." So said the Othello game box, a version of Reversi I played growing up. It's a simple enough game, but you'll master the nuances only with practice. So it fe…
On Accidental status symbols, and designing new ones

On Accidental status symbols, and designing new ones

.com matters, only if you think it matters.

“And I’m not proud of my address. In a torn-up town, no postcode envy.” Lorde, Royals The first status symbol I recognized as a child was license plates. For license plates, where I lived, revealed…

Continue reading:

Next →
 
The writing platform for creativity