By default, Microsoft Word automatically changes straight quotation marks ( ' or " ) to curly (smart or typographer's) quotes as you type. This is fine if you are only authoring your works for applications not relating to article marketing. When smart quotes are converted to HTML, the quotes are converted to non-standard characters which end up littering your document with question mark symbols and/or other garbage code.
When in doubt, don't allow your Ezine Articles to contain smart quotes:
Most articles that are put into article marketing distribution eventually end up being sent to an email newsletter audience. Email newsletter servers have near zero-tolerance for MS Word smart quotes; they will not recognize them as valid ASCII characters (because they are not valid). They are a figment of the Microsoft ASCII imagination. In most cases they will show up as garbage code; thus making you, and your article, look like a real novice lacking proper formatting skills.
At risk are: quotes, apostrophes, double dashes, and 3 periods in a row.
This is what smart quotes looks like when properly displayed:
"smart quotes" aren't very smart?
This is what STANDARD quotes looks like when properly displayed:
"smart quotes" aren't very smart...
This is what smart quotes looks like when NOT properly displayed:
â??smart quotesâ?? arenâ??t very smartâ?¦
Do you see the downside potential of leaving smart quotes in your articles that you put into distribution? Standard quotes use the lowest common denominator in the ASCII character standards world and this ensures that your articles will look great in any HTML or TEXT format.
How To Disable Microsoft Word's Smart Quotes:
1. On the Tools menu, click AutoCorrect Options, then click the AutoFormat As You Type tab.
2. Under Replace as you type, select or clear the "Straight quotes" with "smart quotes" check box.
Alternatively, you can copy your entire MS Word document over to a non Microsoft text editor (EditPlus, UltraEdit, TextPad, etc) and do a simple search and replace. Search and replace the smart quotes into standard quotes, apostrophe's, dashes and dots if applicable.
Caution For Authors Who Do HTML Code For Their Articles in MS Word:
Unless you have smart quotes disabled, it should be noted that smart quotes are not valid HTML code. Therefore, don't even consider using MS Word to do HTML code unless you have the smart quotes feature disabled.
Article Marketing Smart Quotes Conclusion
Smart quotes are best left for e-books, physical books in print, PDF documents and any non-HTML related document. If you want to increase the portability of your ezine articles, do the smart thing and turn off Microsoft Word's smart quotes or do a search/replace before you upload your next article to the web.
About The Author:
Christopher M. Knight invites you to submit your best articles for massive exposure to the high-traffic EzineArticles.com directory. When you submit your articles to EzineArticles.com, your articles will be picked up by ezine publishers who will reprint your articles with your content and links in tact giving you traffic surges to help you increase your sales. To submit your article, setup a membership account today: http://EzineArticles.com/submit/
When you frequently post articles on ezines, you might be... Read More
[Disclosure: I went into EzineArticles.com very innocently. I... Read More
Have you been writing and submitting your free reprint articles... Read More
1. Write to one person.When you're writing your article picture... Read More
A simple technique to increase web site traffic is using... Read More
As a follow up to my previous article on the... Read More
There's one key rule that every writer should understand before... Read More
We all know that article writing is a great way... Read More
Abandon your frustrations and get a fresh start by trying... Read More
I was asked to write an article on a short... Read More
A great way for self employed professionals to enhance their... Read More
Have ever wished that there were a formula for crafting... Read More
Recycling your work is a lot like doing your part... Read More
Evaluation of a Home-Run ArticleI've been writing articles and posting... Read More
***What is the Resource box?'Resource box' is an information box... Read More
Article marketing works like this. The majority of webmasters are... Read More
Ok, today we are going to talk about one of... Read More
If you have submitted your articles to EzineArticles.com you have... Read More
Article Marketing Builds Momentum and TrafficWhen I started submitting articles... Read More
A revolutionary marketing device that I call article marketing I... Read More
If you want to really make your article "SELL" then... Read More
Heard about article marketing but not sure why you'd need... Read More
Lets face it people use articles to send traffic to... Read More
Being an Internet Article Author is far and away the... Read More
The goal of free publicity is to get your name... Read More
There are many schools of thought on how to build... Read More
It is a well-known fact that a key to obtaining... Read More
Ready to jump on the keyword article bandwagon? Billions of... Read More
Writing and submitting articles to article banks is a well-known... Read More
Looking for another no cost promotional tool? Your fee will... Read More
By now you probably understand how important writing for trade... Read More
Need traffic? Write an article.Need sales? Write an article.Need Your... Read More
One of the best things you can do for your... Read More
Every webmaster knows that to gain ranking positions in search... Read More
Everyone focuses their web marketing efforts on search engines, and... Read More
I am sure that there would have been a moment... Read More
Here's a really simple way... to promote your online business... Read More
Abandon your frustrations and get a fresh start by trying... Read More
Do you know the difference between simultaneous article submissions and... Read More
Recycling your work is a lot like doing your part... Read More
Find definitions from H to P... ~~~~~~~~~~~ H ~~~~~~~~~~~ Haiku... Read More
When writing articles for publication, it is important that you... Read More
There's one key rule that every writer should understand before... Read More
Every successful website needs to be, what the experts consider,... Read More
Write articles, be recognized as an expert, drive a surge... Read More
Need traffic? Write an article.Need sales? Write an article.Need Your... Read More
If your business has a website, you're probably searching for... Read More
Don't let overwhelm hold you back- follow this expert advice... Read More
Ever read one of those web articles written by an... Read More
What's the most powerful marketing technique on the Web? Search... Read More
Ease of Submission With so many article distribution sites out... Read More
Now that you see that articles are the number one... Read More
Two important factors that play a part in the rankings... Read More
I'm betting that that 3 out of 4 of you... Read More
Do you have problems finding ideas for articles and speeches?I... Read More
1. What is the single most compelling subject from your... Read More
Articles are a fantastic source of links and additional traffic... Read More
If you have submitted your articles to EzineArticles.com you have... Read More
Not doing what, you ask.Writing and submitting articles.Writing articles is... Read More
There are times when I want to write an article... Read More
Find definitions from Q to Z... Query -A letter... Read More
Writing articles for online newsletters and websites can be a... Read More
When you have to share what you've created, where do... Read More
There are many different ways to improve link popularity for... Read More
"But I've only been on the Internet 3 months! How... Read More
By now you probably understand how important writing for trade... Read More
Article Writing |