Is your type size reader friendly?

I just received an e-mail newsletter pointing to a blog about information has high interest for me, and I’m likely to refer this information to clients, colleagues and others.

The problem?

Part of the blog shows up in teeny-tiny type. REALLY teeny-tiny type. Even with the full page option, plus the option to bump up the type size to 150 percent – two additional key strokes that add to the inconvenience – the type was still small for my middle-aged eyes.

Your promotional materials should be easy to read. That includes type size as well as other details, such as short paragraphs. With online marketing, we are marketing to people who spend a good amount of time online and need reader friendly materials. Remember, your readers may have vision problems, color blindness or easily distracted.

What makes a really good blog

Before I was a psychotherapist and coach, I was a journalist. I've been blogging for a couple of years and researching lots of options, of which there are many on the Internet.

There's Blogger, Wordpress, Typepad, Live Journal, the last of which has a book-making option, and others, including the mini-blog known as Twitter. Through the years, I've been collecting "best practices" on blogs plus lots of articles. Here's a recent post from Small Business Trends about the plug-ins available at Word Press.

Now, I have a tendency to build empires, as many of you do, and I've been learning to slow down. So, let's start with the absolute basics:

• Easy to read with dark type on white background.
• Easy to navigate, with links easy to see and click.
• 250 words or less.
• Short paragraphs.
• Regularly updated.

Here's more from another writer, who's obviously spent lots of time thinking and looking at blogs. The Web Worker Daily has several good points too.

Other than my own blogs, my current favorite easy-reading blog is Good Vibe Blog, published by Jeanette Maw, who calls herself the Good Vibe Coach.

That's 183 words.