18F/18f.gsa.gov

---
title: You shared, we listened — updates to the 18F Content Guide
date: 2015-10-08
authors:
- kate
tags:
- guides
- open source
- how we work
- communication tools and practices 
- tools you can use

excerpt: "After we launched the 18F Content Guide, we received all kinds of suggestions for updates and improvements. Here's a sampling of some of the improvements we've made recently based on your suggestions."
description: "After we launched the 18F Content Guide, we received all kinds of suggestions for updates and improvements. Here's a sampling of some of the improvements we've made recently based on your suggestions."
image: /assets/blog/content-style-guide/style-guide-screen.jpg
---

This summer, we published [**the 18F Content
Guide**](https://pages.18f.gov/content-guide/) — our internal style
guide — and made it available to anyone who might like to adapt it for
use in their own organization. We’ve heard that some folks are already
adapting it, which we find really exciting.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p lang="en"
dir="ltr">We found the <a href="https://twitter.com/18F">@18F</a>
content guide so useful that we decided to spread the word on our blog:
<a
href="http://t.co/vf3NYoAuhJ">http://t.co/vf3NYoAuhJ</a></p>&mdash;
CIO Council (@ciodotgov) <a
href="https://twitter.com/ciodotgov/status/619227441626775552">July 9,
2015</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"
charset="utf-8"></script>

More exciting, though, are all the suggestions for updates and
improvements we’ve received from you — all of you. As an agile content
team within the federal government, we’re used to delivering minimum
viable products (MVPs) that work well but might be a bit rough around
the edges.

Why do we deliver MVPs? To provide the user, reader, or customer access
to a functional product (offering an immediate solution) while giving
the user a chance to share their feedback. User feedback is central to
our process: It’s how we determine which changes to make and the order
in which we’ll make them. Our goal is always to provide the most
effective, easiest-to-use product we can.

When we shared the Content Guide, we knew we’d continue to improve it
using your feedback, and we plan to keep refining it as you continue
sending us your ideas. We’ve already received great feedback by email,
through posts on other blogs, and in our [GitHub
repo](https://github.com/18F/content-guide/issues?utf8=%E2%9C%93&q=is%3Aissue+).

Here’s a sampling of some of the [improvements we’ve
made](https://github.com/18F/content-guide/pulls?q=is%3Apr+is%3Aclosed)
recently based on your suggestions:

-   We expanded our [active voice section](https://pages.18f.gov/content-guide/active-voice/) to include more information about when using passive voice might be preferable to using active. (We also added a handy test you can use to determine whether you’re writing in passive — it involves zombies, incidentally.)

-   We included guidance on [en-dash usage](https://pages.18f.gov/content-guide/punctuation/).

-   We removed the term Sticky Notes from our [specific words and phrases](https://pages.18f.gov/content-guide/specific-words-and-phrases/) page and included it in a new section (more on that below).

We also made a larger addition to the guide: a [section on trademarks
and
brands](https://pages.18f.gov/content-guide/trademarks-and-brands/).
Most of us talk or write about trademarked products each day, often
without realizing it. Government content creators have to be mindful of
mentioning brand-name and trademarked products to avoid unintentionally
endorsing those products. This new section of the guide includes a list
of trademarked products (some of which you may not even recognize as
trademarked!), along with neutral alternatives to use instead. The next
time you find yourself writing about a Band-Aid, pause for a moment and
consider using adhesive bandage, instead.

You can also now find guidance on [how to use images in your
content](https://pages.18f.gov/content-guide/images/). We’ve included
the rules we follow at 18F, but also some general guidelines on choosing
images, making them accessible, and writing captions.

Last (but certainly not least), we also added a section on [voice and
tone](https://pages.18f.gov/content-guide/voice-and-tone/). In it, we cover the differences between the two, provide an
overview of 18F’s brand voice, and offer some strategies you can use to
craft a standout voice for your organization.

Our intent in sharing the 18F Content Guide was to provide a jumping-off
point for content creators who are working without style guides and for
editors or content strategists who are creating or updating their own
guides. Because our guide covers many of the basics of content creation
(being concise, using active voice, using plain language, and so forth),
it’s a great starting point for folks who would like to craft their own
guides but don’t want to reinvent the wheel.

Our guide isn’t meant to be comprehensive; rather, it’s an adaptable
framework that you can take and make your own. That’s why you’ll see
terms like “open source” and “front end developer” in our guide. Folks
at 18F encounter those terms all the time, but if the Securities and
Exchange Commission adopted our guide, they could ditch the front end
developer rules and replace them with guidance on mortgage-backed
securities.

Thank you for your feedback! We encourage you to keep it coming. Visit
our [GitHub repo](https://github.com/18F/content-guide) or [drop us a
line](mailto:18f@gsa.gov) — we can’t wait to talk content with you.