Websense Editorial Style and Grammar Guideliness3images.coroflot.com/user_files/individual_files/... · Websense Editorial Style and Grammar Guidelines This guide offers some basic

Websense Editorial

Style and Grammar

Guidelines

April 2010 v1.0

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Websense Editorial Style and Grammar Guidelines

This guide offers some basic standards on style, grammar, punctuation,

abbreviation, and word and numeral usage for writers and editors of

Websense marketing materials. Consistent standards contribute greatly to

a strong corporate brand identity.

We took many of these standards from The Gregg Reference Manual, The

Associated Press Stylebook (AP), The Elements of Style, and Webster‘s New

World College Dictionary (used by AP).

To view Websense standards on the use of our logo and general style guidelines,

see Websense Brand Guidelines.

We welcome your comments and suggestions on how to improve this guide.

http://intranet.websense.com/Divisions/Marketing/Marcom/Document%20Library/Websense%20Corporate%20Brand%20Guidelines_v1.3.pdf

mailto:[email protected]

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General Guidelines TONE Be aware of your tone when writing. Read your writing from the recipient‘s point of view to make sure your words and your tone are not likely to be misconstrued and that they are appropriate for the subject you‘re writing about. Imagine that you are speaking to the reader and have a specific reader in mind — for example, an IT administrator. Use the simplest language that conveys your meaning. Writers say it helps to read their work aloud. Always review your work before submitting it as completed. Make sure the message is accurate, clear, and concise. Keep in mind that your writing may be translated into other languages, so avoid using slang or expressions that might only be understood in a particular region. USE OF FIRST, SECOND, OR THIRD PERSON In grammar, the word person refers to the characteristic of a word that indicates whether a person is speaking (first person), is spoken to (second person), or is spoken about (third person).

Use first person (I, we) to indicate personal experience, evaluation, or opinion.

I am pleased to report that we saw outstanding financial performance in the fourth quarter.

Use second person (you) to instruct, engage, or address the reader.

Are you doing enough to protect your

essential information?

Use third person (she, he, they, and all nouns) to generalize the experience or situation. The third person is often used with objective writing about factual information.

The Websense® ThreatSeeker® Network will uncover threats that pose risks to an organization's business.

We recommend using the second person in most marketing-related communications to engage your audience directly and with a more personal tone. Using the second person is also a useful technique to help you, the writer, focus on what the reader wants to know rather than what you want to say. Use of we, the plural for the first person, may be used to personalize Websense services.

We offer the best security against modern threats.

With the right setup, it‘s acceptable to switch persons.

Organizations of all sizes can benefit from Websense security solutions. If you‘d like more information, please contact us.

But frequently changing person or changing person in the middle of a sentence can confuse your reader, so unless you have the proper setup, stick with the same person.

AWKWARD: After a customer views our demo, you will automatically receive our white paper on the benefits of hybrid security. BETTER: After you view our demo, you will automatically receive our white paper on the benefits of hybrid security.

USE OF NOUNS AS ADJECTIVES Nouns can be used as adjectives, as in the phrase security threat. While it is common practice in our industry to use multiple nouns as adjectives, it is best to avoid this practice.

AWKWARD: Employee desktop application usage security issues … BETTER: Security issues arising from employee use of desktop applications …

OTHER TIPS Long, complex sentences aren‘t necessary. If you use them, make sure they are clear and don‘t lead the reader astray. Sentences should convey a single thought. If a sentence is to convey two thoughts, the two

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thoughts must be closely linked and the connection should be apparent.

AWKWARD: Websense® Web Security is a leading security solution, and IT administrators face serious emerging threats from spyware and the like. BETTER: Websense® Web Security is a leading security solution. Enterprises with networks of virtually any configuration can benefit from using this product.

Write in a way that draws the reader‘s attention to the substance of the writing. Try not to overstate by using superlatives, such as saying we have the greatest product ever. Avoid using qualifiers, such as very or really. And avoid using a breezy tone and fancy words unless you want to call attention to yourself. Focus on the customer. Talk to them about what we can do for them rather than about our accomplishments. See pronouns. WRITING FOR THE WEB While the rules of good writing apply to any medium including the Web, readers will spend less time reading online material, preferring to scan it instead. Here are our recommended best practices when writing for the Web: Make copy concise, and use 50 percent less copy on the Web than you would use in a corresponding printed piece. Present information in chunks of copy rather than in blocks. Get to your point quickly. Consider that many readers don‘t read beyond the first paragraph; the first paragraph should have the bulk of your message. Bulleted lists can follow with greater detail. Bulleted lists do not need periods unless each bullet forms a complete sentence or completes an introductory statement. Try to fit each bullet on just one or two lines.

The Websense® TRITON™ solution combines industry-leading Web security, email security, and data loss prevention technologies into one unified architecture. The TRITON solution provides exceptional content security by:

Providing unified content analysis. Offering greater visibility and control

of your information.

The home page and initial landing pages should have simple, clear copy. As a reader digs deeper, copy can become more complex. Think globally — don‘t be colloquial, culture-specific, or use slang. In most cases, an international audience will read your words, and pages will be translated. Headlines, subheads, and content should be easy to scan. Capitalize headlines and subheads. Try to fit headlines and subheads on one line. Capitalize banner copy. Banner copy should conform to designated spacing guidelines (e.g., 68 characters for home page banners). Use meaningful, descriptive links to provide access to additional information for readers. Don‘t just say Click Here. When giving instructions in link copy, capitalize the copy and use the imperative verb form (expresses a command or makes a request), such as in the following examples: View White Paper (no period needed) Download Data Sheet Register and Download Often, it‘s enough to state what the link goes to, without using a verb. V-Series Appliances Live Demo Free Evaluation

http://www.websense.com/content/WebSecurityOverview.aspx

http://www.websense.com/content/MessagingSecurity.aspx

http://www.websense.com/content/DataSecurity.aspx

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If the link is more than three or four words, use sentence case, meaning only the first word is capitalized.

Get details on the benefits and features of Websense Web security, data loss prevention, and email security solutions.

Use numerals rather than spelling out numbers; use the percent sign rather than spelling the word percent in columns, tables, or charts. Take into consideration small screens, mobile devices, and that some users will print pages. Promos that look like ads should be avoided, because online advertisements tend to be ignored. Avoid empathy paragraphs; start with conclusions. For additional information about creating content for Web pages and writing with search engine optimization in mind, see the Websense Online Style Guide. See bullets and lists, capitalization, headings, periods, and colons. abbreviations, acronyms, and initialisms Abbreviations that are pronounced letter by letter — for example, IBM, Ph.D., p.m. — are called initialisms. Abbreviations that are pronounced as words — for example, ZIP (Code), AIDS, laser — are called acronyms. On first reference to terms for which acronyms or initialisms have been established, spell out the term, and then indicate its acronym or initialism in parentheses if the term is not well known among the audience you‘re targeting. On subsequent references, use the acronym or initialism alone. If you're not sure if your audience knows what the acronym or initialism stands for, spell it out.

Websense offers the leading data loss prevention (DLP) solution designed to protect customer information. Our DLP solution accurately prevents data loss, secures business processes, and manages compliance and risk.

Capitalize every letter in acronyms that are formed using the first letter of each word in a term, as shown in the preceding example and below.

Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA)

Within documents containing multiple articles, pages, or lengthy sections, spell out the term and indicate its acronym on first reference in each article, page, or section to remind readers what the acronym stands for. NOTE: Never use shortened acronyms for Websense products in external communications materials.

INCORRECT: The Websense® V10K and Websense WSG offer unique capabilities. CORRECT: The Websense® V10000™

appliance and the Websense Web Security Gateway offer unique capabilities.

Capital letters and abbreviations ending with capital letters are pluralized by adding s alone. VIPs

Use an apostrophe before the s where confusion might otherwise result. too many I‘s two U‘s When the context is clear, no apostrophes are necessary.

The personality test revealed many employees are Type As.

For the sake of clarity, lowercase letters and lowercase abbreviations are pluralized by adding an apostrophe plus s. dotting the i's p's and q's sending out three bcc's Do not make the abbreviation or acronym possessive if it follows immediately after a possessive name.

http://intranet.websense.com/Divisions/Corpcom/Documents/2009_WEBSENSE_online_style_guide.pdf

http://intranet.websense.com/Divisions/Corpcom/Documents/2009_WEBSENSE_online_style_guide.pdf

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INCORRECT: The Payment Card Industry's (PCI‘s) regulations state that … CORRECT: The Payment Card Industry's (PCI) regulations state …

NOTE: On subsequent references, the acronym may be possessive, if necessary. The PCI‘s regulations ACE This is the acronym for the Websense TRITON Advanced Classification Engine. On first reference, write it as follows:

The Websense® TRITON™ Advanced Classification Engine (ACE) is the analytic engine that‘s in the TRITON solution. ACE is powered by the Websense ThreatSeeker® Network.

If Websense® has appeared earlier in your text, do not repeat the ® after Websense, because this symbol only needs to appear on your first reference to Websense within body copy. See product and technology names and trademarks. active voice Use the active voice as much as possible in your writing. It is more direct, concise, and emphatic than the passive voice.

PASSIVE: Data loss is prevented by using the Websense® Data Security Suite. ACTIVE: The Websense® Data Security Suite prevents data loss.

This does not mean you should completely discard the passive voice. Using the passive voice is an effective way to make a word or words the subject or focus of a sentence.

Effective security is greatly valued by our customers. (emphasis on effective security)

adviser The common spelling is with an e; however, advisor is not incorrect, and the word advisory is spelled with an o.

affect and effect Affect, as a verb, means to influence. The game will affect the standings. As a noun, it is best avoided. Effect, as a verb, means to cause. He will effect many changes in the company. As a noun, effect means result. The effect was overwhelming. Effects as a noun may also mean movable property as in personal effects. ages Always use figures for people and animals but not for inanimates.

Jane Doe, 45, is director of Human Resources.

The girl is 8 years old. The law is twelve years old. Hyphenate ages expressed as adjectives before a noun or as substitutes for a noun. A 25-year-old man bought it. The race is for 3-year-olds.

afterward and afterwards Use afterward. We attended the conference afterward. a lot Write as two words when meaning to a considerable quantity or extent. Thanks a lot for your help. all right Write as two words. It means OK, agreed, or go ahead. Is it all right with you if they attend? Do not use alright.

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a.m./p.m Lowercase the abbreviations a.m. and p.m. with periods between the letters and place a space between the time and the a.m./p.m. designation. 8:45 a.m. Do not repeat these abbreviations in constructions that show a range of time. INCORRECT: From 8 a.m.–10 a.m. CORRECT: From 8–10 a.m. Do not use a colon and two zeros after the exact hour unless used to form a parallel structure in a list or agenda. Focus sessions will be held at: 8:00 a.m.

9:45 a.m. 12:30 p.m.

Use the words noon or midnight, not 12 a.m., 12 p.m., 12 noon, or 12 midnight. EXCEPTION: On agendas or programs, you may use 12:00 p.m. to keep the construction of lists parallel.

Ampersand

Use the ampersand (&) when it is part of a

company‘s or division‘s formal name.

Morgan Stanley & Co.

Do not use the ampersand instead of and in other text. a and an Use the article a before consonant sounds. a historic event

a one-year term (sounds as if it begins with a w)

a united stand (sounds like you)

Use the article an before vowel sounds. an energy crisis an honorable man (the h is silent)

an NBA record (sounds like it begins with the letter e)

an 1890s celebration and/or Avoid this legalistic term in ordinary writing. See slash. antimalware Write it like this. antispam Write it like this. antispyware Write it like this. antivirus Write it like this. apostrophe For singular common nouns ending in s, add ‘s unless the next word begins with s: the hostess‘s invitation the hostess‘ seat the witness‘s answer the witness‘ story Charles‘s car Charles‘ suitcase. Use an apostrophe to show missing text.

The ‘90s were the years when more people began using personal computers. (Use the single-closing quote.)

Don't use an apostrophe in the following: The plural form of an acronym. URLs

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The plural form of a decade.

The 1980s were challenging times for their industry.

Follow the practice of governmental, corporate, and institutional organizations that use or do not use an apostrophe with a descriptive word in their names. Diners Club The National Governors‘ Association Mortgage Bankers Association To indicate joint ownership, use the apostrophe after the final noun only. They were John and Jane‘s best years.

BUT: We were listening to the CEO‘s and the Board of Directors‘ opinions (separate opinions)

See years and academic degrees. area codes See telephone numbers. asterisk (*) The asterisk may be used to refer the reader to a footnote placed at the bottom of a page or a table. Place the asterisk at the end of the sentence that contains the text you're referencing and before the corresponding footnote. When the asterisk and some other mark of punctuation occur together within a sentence, the asterisk follows the punctuation mark, with no intervening space.

Consider the Websense® Data Security Suite.*

*See our data sheet on the Websense Data Security Suite. awhile, a while Use these as follows: He plans to stay awhile. He plans to stay for a while.

backup and back up Write this as one word when used as a noun or adjective and as two words when used as a verb.

Who is your backup for this procedure? Don‘t forget to back up your data. because and since Use because to denote a specific cause-effect relationship. He went because he was told. Use since when the first event in a sequence led logically to the second but was not its direct cause.

He went to the game since he had been given the tickets.

biannual and biennial Biannual means twice a year or semiannual; biennial means every two years. bidirectional Write it as one word without a hyphen. billions and millions Use numbers followed by the words million, billion, and higher amounts (unless an exact amount must be cited). INCORRECT: 5,000,000 visitors CORRECT: 5 million users $6.5 billion transaction 5,345,789 visitors See numbers and numerals. Biweekly This means every other week. Use semiweekly if you want to say twice a week. Do not include a hyphen in either case. Also, see numbers and numerals

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board of directors Use lowercase for this generic, widely used term. Websense board of directors the board The board will meet Friday.

Capitalize board when used as part of a formal title that precedes a name. Chairman of the Board John Doe bold type Leave the use of bold up to the designer or writer. bullets and lists Use bullets or dashes to set off items in a list. Wherever possible, use solid bullets. Avoid letters, numbers, or Roman numerals that make material look more technical unless the document has several layers of bullets. Begin the second line of an item directly underneath the first letter of the first word in the first line of the document. Always capitalize the first word after a bullet, even if a sentence fragment or list of items follows the bullet.

Please get me year-end figures on:

Domestic sales revenues.

Total operating costs.

Net operating income. Avoid the following treatment of displayed lists:

You‘ll profit from inquiries through:

Your 800 number;

A reader service card; and

A fax-on-demand service. See periods and colons for guidelines on using periods and colons in bulleted lists. business suffixes Unless they are critical to your meaning or to specifically identify a subsidiary of a company with the same name, do not use terms such as Inc., Ltd., LLC, or N.A. after the names of companies. Use Corp. for company names ending in Corporation.

Use Co. for any company names ending in Company. For Websense, use Websense, Inc. only when referring to the company as a corporation, such as you might do in financial reports, press releases, or when writing the company address. When writing about the Websense office in the United Kingdom, include a comma before Ltd.:

Websense U.K., Ltd. (you may use UK (no periods) in headlines)

HEADLINE: UK Sees Rise in Cyber Attacks See corporation and company and companies. can and may (could and might) Can and could imply ability or power; may and might imply permission or possibility.

Please call me if you think I can be of help. (Emphasizes the ability to help.)

Please call me if you think I may be able to help. (Emphasizes the possibility of helping.)

cannot Write it like this.

Many security solutions, like antivirus protection, cannot protect your information from today‘s modern threats.

capitalization Avoid unnecessary capitalization, thereby giving proper emphasis to those items we do capitalize. Use a capital letter only if you can justify it by one of these guidelines: Capitalize proper names of a specific person, place or thing: David, America, Dallas, English Capitalize common nouns such as party, street, and west as an integral part of a proper name: Republican Party, Wall Street, West Virginia.

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Capitalize words derived from a proper noun that are still dependent on it for their meaning: Shakespearean, Herculean. Capitalize the plural form of a common noun in expressions such as the Republican and Democratic Parties, Main and Tenth Streets, and the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. However, exceptions to this rule include lowercasing plural uses of senate. The Virginia and California senates Within a sentence, capitalize only those elements of a hyphenated word that are proper nouns or proper adjectives. At the beginning of a sentence, capitalize the first element in the hyphenated word but not other elements unless they are proper nouns or proper adjectives. In a heading or title, capitalize all the elements except articles, short prepositions, and short conjunctions. WITHIN SENTENCES up-to-date real-time on-premise

BEGINNING SENTENCES Up-to-date Real-time On-premise IN HEADINGS,TITLES, PRODUCT NAMES Up-to-Date Real-Time On-Premise

Titles of documents should be styled as are book titles, in an up style, i.e., the first word, all nouns, and other significant words should be capitalized. See document and report titles, forms, headings, and hyphenated words. cents Spell out and lowercase cents using numerals for amounts less than a dollar. 10 cents 2 cents

Use the dollar sign and decimal system for larger amounts. $1.01 $5.50 Do not include zeros for cents if there are no cents (unless necessary for consistency in tables, lists, or mathematical examples). INCORRECT: $50.00 CORRECT: $50 chairman and chairwoman Capitalize chairman or chairwoman when used as a formal title before a name.

Chairwoman Jane Doe led the board meeting. Do not use chairperson unless it is an individual‘s formal organizational title for an office. And, do not use chair alone. Use chairman when referring to the office in general.

ChannelBooster This refers to webinars for Websense channel partners. Always write ChannelBooster like this, as one word with no space. ChannelConnect Partner Portal Write ChannelConnect like this, as one word with no space. Always include the words Partner Portal on first reference. The same rule applies for the ChannelConnect Newsletter, the partner email newsletter. Write ChannelConnect as one word, with no space. chapters Capitalize chapter when used with a numeral in reference to a section of a book or legal code, and always use Arabic numerals. See Chapter 15 in the attached book. cities and towns Capitalize all cities and towns. Capitalize widely recognized names for the sections of a city but lowercase those representing a section of a city.

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Upper East Side (New York) northern Los Angeles

Do not use a state name with cities that are well known. See state names for a list of those cities. cloud Cloud is a synonym for the hosted platform. Choose Security-as-a-Service (SaaS) over cloud; it is the Websense preferred term. The terms in the cloud or cloud-based are acceptable to use. Never refer to cloud by itself, as in the cloud is useful. See product and technology names and hosted. co- Use hyphens with co- when forming nouns, adjectives and verbs that indicate occupation or status. co-author co-worker co-owner Do not use a hyphen in other combinations: comarketing cobranding coexist coast Capitalize coast when referring to regions of the United States lying along the major shorelines. The Websense corporate office is on the

West Coast, but we do have employee working on the East Coast and in other locations.

Do not capitalize coast when referring to smaller regions. They live on the Florida coast.

collective nouns Use singular verbs and pronouns with nouns that denote a unit. The committee is meeting to set its agenda. The team was sent to the region. Use singular verbs when the group or quantity is regarded as a unit for plural words that become collective nouns. The data is sound. (as a unit)

The data have been carefully collected. (as individual items)

colon When a clause contains an anticipatory expression (such as the following, as follows, thus, and these) and directs attention to a series of explanatory words, phrases, or clauses, use a colon between the clause and the series. Use only one space after a colon. Use a colon even if the anticipatory expression is only implied and not stated.

The house has attractive features: cross ventilation in every room, a two-story living room, and two terraces.

Scientists have devised a most appropriate name for a physical property opposed to gravity: levity.

A colon may be used after an incomplete introductory clause, if the items in the series are listed on separate lines.

The panel consists of:

Ms. Jones

Mr. Smith

Ms. Doe See bullets. Use a colon to give emphasis. There was one thing missing: data security. Do not use a colon in the following cases:

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a. If the anticipatory expression occurs near the beginning of a long sentence.

We have set the following restrictions on the return of equipment, so please be aware of this new policy when dealing with customers. Equipment cannot be returned after five days.

BUT: We have set the following restrictions on the return of equipment: equipment cannot be returned after five days.

b. If the sentence that contains the anticipatory expression is followed by another sentence.

Campers will find that the following items will add much to their enjoyment. These articles may be purchased from a store near the camp:

Lightweight backpack

Unbreakable vacuum bottle

Insulated sleeping bag

Polarized sunglasses c. If an explanatory series follows an introductory clause that does not express a complete thought. (In such cases the introductory element often ends with a verb or a preposition.)

INCORRECT: Some of the questions that this book answers are: How can you reduce total cost of ownership? How can you get the best return on your security investment? (Here the introductory clause is incomplete. It has a subject, Some, and a verb, are, but it lacks a complement.) CORRECT: Some of the questions that this white paper answers are these: How can you reduce your total cost of ownership? How can you get the best return on your security investment? (Here the introductory clause is complete; hence a colon is acceptable.) INCORRECT: The panel consists of: Ms. Smith, Mr. Jones, and Mr. Richards. CORRECT: The panel consists of Ms. Smith, Mr. Jones, and Mr. Richards.

Capitalize the first word after a colon if it‘s a proper noun, proper adjective, or the pronoun I, or

if it‘s the first word of an independent clause and requires special emphasis or is presented as a formal rule.

She said this: Websense will help protect your essential information. By all means, remember this: Don‘t open every attachment you receive. He emphasized this: Everyone is vulnerable to cyber attacks.

See bullets and periods for guidelines on using them with colons. columns Vertically align dollar signs, decimals, commas, and mathematical symbols in columns of numbers. Use the dollar sign only with the first number in each function and with the total of that function. Use parentheses instead of a minus sign to indicate subtraction. Double underline below the bottom line number in a column.

$100,000 (50,000) 50,000 2,250 $ 52,250

Use initial caps on important words in column heads, but capitalize only the first letter of the first word in column entries. Use the percent sign only in columns, tables, or charts. Otherwise, spell percent out in text. comma Try to avoid overusing commas by following the rules, but don‘t be afraid to break these rules to improve clarity. We have chosen to follow The Gregg Reference Manual guidelines for using commas in a series. IN A SERIES Use a comma to separate three or more items in a series, provided each item stands alone as an individual entity — unless all the items are joined by and or or.

It takes time, effort, and a good deal of money.

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BUT: It takes time and effort and a good deal of money. Use commas to separate a series of adjectives equal in rank. If the commas could be replaced by the word and without changing the sense, the adjectives are equal.

She approached the problem in a thoughtful, precise manner.

QUOTATION MARKS Always place commas inside quotation marks.

INCORRECT: Before ―the incident‖, everyone communicated effectively.

CORRECT: Before ―the incident,‖ everyone\ communicated effectively. OTHER USES Use a comma to set off a one-word introductory conjunction, a direct address, or a short introductory phrase (two or more words). Yes, that is the way to go. For example, the posted price is … But, she is not alone. Separate independent clauses joined by and, but, for, nor, or yet with a comma. An independent clause expresses a complete thought and can stand alone as a sentence.

The program was introduced in July, but the sale did not occur until August.

Do not use a comma for a compound sentence with a compound predicate (two or more verbs having the same subject). In the example below, the subject of testify and appear is the same, Mr. Doe.

Today Mr. Doe testified in the House and tomorrow will appear in the Senate.

Use a comma before the words such as, like, including, as well as, in addition to, plus, or similar expressions when they fall between the subject and the verb or when they provide additional but nonessential information about a noun or pronoun immediately preceding. You may omit the

commas if the phrase fits smoothly into the flow of the sentence or is essential to its meaning.

This means everyone, including executive management, must attend. We offer many products, such as the Websense® Web Security Gateway.

The business plan including strategies for the new market segments will be presented at 4 p.m. (No commas are needed here to distinguish this plan from other plans.)

Place commas after states, countries, abbreviated titles, and years (when part of a complete date) that appear in text. Do not separate the month and year by commas when a specific date is not given.

The sales conference was held in San Francisco on Oct. 26, 2009, at the Hilton. BUT: Temperatures rose to their highest levels in August 1992.

Use a comma to introduce a complete one-sentence quotation within a paragraph. (Use a colon to introduce quotations of more than one sentence.)

John Doe said, ―Websense leads the Web security market for the seventh consecutive year.‖

Do not use a comma at the start of an indirect or partial quotation. He said security threats are ―on the rise.‖ Use a comma instead of a period at the end of a quote that is followed by attribution.

―We‘re pleased to announce this important deal,‖ he said.

Do not use a comma before but also phrases

We offer not only the best products but also the lowest total cost of ownership.

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Do not use a comma after an introductory phrase such as ―At that time …‖ or ―On Tuesday …‖. Exceptions occur when omitting the comma might cause ambiguity or when the phrase ends in a proper name or a number and the next word is a proper name. In June, Jennifer was promoted to manager. commercial products Capitalize trademarks, brand names, proprietary names, and names of commercial products, except those that have become clearly established as common nouns, such as real estate agent, aspirin, and fax. To be safe, consult the International Trademark Association at 212.768.9886 or by email at [email protected]. The common noun following the name of a product should not ordinarily be capitalized. Macintosh computers However, manufacturers and advertisers often capitalize such words in the names of their own products to give them special emphasis. Krazy Glue Brand names normally should be used only if they are essential to what you‘re writing. Check to see if the organization uses a trademark or service mark raised symbol, such as ™ or ®, after its trademark, brand, or proprietary name. If a trademark or service mark is used and you refer to this name in material of a commercial nature that will be publicly distributed, use the raised symbol after each trademark. In all other documents, these symbols are not necessary, but do use the proper spelling and capitalization for these trademarks. For information about the Websense brand, refer to Websense Brand Guidelines. For information about Websense trademarks, refer to Websense Trademark and Usage Guidelines. NOTE: If a mark of punctuation, such as a period or comma, falls at the same point as a trademark

plus a raised symbol, insert the punctuation after the symbol. Read about Websense® Security Labs™. See product and technology names, trademark symbols, and possessives. committee Do not abbreviate committee. Capitalize this word when it‘s part of a formal name. The Senate Banking Committee company and companies Use Co. or Cos. when a business uses either word at the end of its proper name. Spell out the word company or companies if it appears alone in the second reference. See business suffixes. compose See comprise and compose. composition titles Apply these guidelines to book titles, computer game titles, movie titles, opera titles, play titles, poem titles, album and song titles, radio and television program titles, and the titles of lectures, speeches, and works of art: Capitalize the principal words, including prepositions and conjunctions of four or more letters. Capitalize an article — the, a, an — or words of fewer than four letters if it is the first or last word in a title. Put quotation marks around the names of all such works except the Bible and books that are primarily catalogs of reference material. In addition to catalogs, this category includes almanacs, directories, dictionaries, encyclopedias, gazetteers, handbooks, and similar publications. Do not use quotation marks around such software titles as WordPerfect or Windows.


http://intranet.websense.com/Divisions/Marketing/Marcom/Document%20Library/Websense%20Corporate%20Brand%20Guidelines_v1.3.pdf

http://intranet.websense.com/Divisions/Marketing/Marcom/Document%20Library/WEBSENSE_Trademark_Guidelines_External_v1.0.pdf


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Examples: ―The Star-Spangled Banner,‖ the NBC-TV ―Today‖ show, the ―CBS Evening News.‖ Reference works: Webster‘s New World Dictionary of the American Language; Encyclopaedia Britannica. Foreign works: Rousseau‘s ―War‖ Do not put quotation marks around newspaper or magazine titles. See headings; capitalization; document and report titles; magazine and newspaper names; and forms. compound words Much is written about compound words. We won‘t attempt to cover it all, but here are a few reminders. See grammatical terms for a description of terms used here. ADVERB PLUS PARTICIPLE Do not hyphenate an adverb-participle combination if the adverb ends in ly. a poorly secured gateway a wholly owned corporation a highly valued employee NOTE: Do hyphenate adjectives ending in ly when they are used with participles. A few adjectives ending in ly include costly, orderly, timely, worldly, lively, and lovely. She had a friendly-sounding voice. Other adverb-participle compounds are hyphenated before the noun. When these same combinations occur in the predicate, drop the hyphen if the participle is part of the verb. BEFORE THE NOUN

a well-known consultant much-needed solutions

ELSEWHERE IN SENTENCE This consultant is well known. These solutions were much needed.

However, if the participle does not become part of the verb and continues to function with the adverb as a one-thought modifier in the predicate, retain the hyphen. BEFORE THE NOUN a well-devised plan a clear-cut position a well-intentioned proposal

ELSEWHERE IN SENTENCE The plan is well-devised. Their position was clear-cut. The proposal was well-intentioned. Hyphenate phrases used as compound adjectives before a noun. Do not hyphenate such phrases when they occur normally elsewhere in the sentence. BEFORE THE NOUN up-to-date expense figures down-to-earth projections on-the-job training

ELSEWHERE IN SENTENCE The expense figures are up to date.

These projections appear to be down to earth.

I got my training on the job. ADVERB PLUS ADJECTIVES Since an adverb normally modifies an adjective, do not use a hyphen to connect these words. a not too interesting report a very moving experience a rather irritating delay a quite trying day in the not too distant future Do not hyphenate a comparative or superlative form when the adverb more, most, less, or least is combined with an adjective. a more determined person a less complicated transaction the most exciting event

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PARTICIPLE PLUS ADVERB BEFORE THE NOUN filled-in forms an agreed-upon date worn-out equipment ELSEWHERE IN SENTENCE These forms should be filled in. We agreed upon a date. The equipment was worn out. See hyphenated words. comprise and compose Comprise means ―to contain, consist of‖; compose means ―to make up.‖

Three major divisions compose (make up) the parent corporation. The parent corporation comprises (contains or consists of) three major divisions. The parent corporation is composed of (NOT is comprised of) three major divisions.

NOTE: Do not use comprise and include as synonyms. Include implies that what follows represents some but not all of the parts. Comprise implies that what follows embraces all the parts. connectives (Subjects joined by or or similar connectives) If the subject consists of two or more singular words that are connected by or, either ... or, neither ... nor, or not only ... but also, the subject is singular and requires a singular verb.

Either July or August is a good time for the sales conference.

Neither the Finance Department nor the Accounting Department has the file.

Not only a cost-profit analysis but also a marketing plan needs to be developed. NOTE: Traditionally, either ... or and neither ... nor have been used to connect only two items. It is now acceptable, however, to use them to connect more than two items.

Neither the general manager nor the divisional controller nor the marketing director has the authority to engage the services of a management consultant without higher-level approval.

If the subject consists of two or more plural words that are connected by or, either ... or, neither ... nor, or not only ... but also, the subject is plural and requires a plural verb.

Neither the regional managers nor the salesclerks have the data you want.

Not only the dealers but also the retailers are unhappy about our new policy.

If the subject is made up of both singular and plural words connected by or, either ... or, neither ... nor, or not only ... but also, the verb agrees with the nearer part of the subject. Since sentences with singular and plural subjects usually sound better with plural verbs, try to locate the plural subject closer to the verb whenever this can be done without sacrificing the emphasis desired.

Neither the buyers nor the sales manager is in favor of the system. BETTER: Neither the sales manager nor the buyers are in favor of the system.

contractions Contractions reflect informal speech and writing. Avoid excessive use of them, except when you want the tone of your writing to be informal or conversational. copy editor, copy-edit, copywriter, copywriting Write them like this. I am a copy editor I copy-edited the test View my copy edits. BUT: I am a copywriter Do you require copywriting? copyright A copyright is a form of protection by law to the authors of original published or unpublished works giving them exclusive rights to their works. Websense is considered the author of any works

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prepared by its employees for purposes of copyright law. Here is the text that should be at the bottom of every external communication and collateral piece from Websense: ©2010 Websense, Inc. All rights reserved.

Websense and the Websense logo are registered trademarks in the U.S. and various countries. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

Works for which an even higher level of protection is desired should be registered with the U.S. Copyright Office. See trademark symbols. countermeasure Write this as one word. county Capitalize county when used as an integral part of a proper name.

Websense headquarters is in San Diego County.

courtesy titles Do not use courtesy titles, such as Mr., Mrs., Miss, or Ms. in the text of publications. Use courtesy titles in personal correspondence. Use the first and last names in the first reference. Let context and tone determine whether second reference is by first name only or last name only. criterion and criteria Criterion is the singular form. Criterions and criteria are the plural forms. cyber attack Write this as two words. cyber threat Write this as two words. dash Although the dash has a few specific functions of its own, it most often serves in place of the comma, the semicolon, the colon, or parentheses. When used as an alternative to these other

marks, it creates a much more emphatic separation of words within a sentence. Because of its versatility, some writers are tempted to use a dash to punctuate almost any break within a sentence. This indiscriminate use of dashes destroys the special forcefulness that a dash can convey. So please use the dash sparingly — and then only for deliberate effect. Dashes come in different lengths: one em, two ems, three ems, and one en. (An em has the same width as a capital M; an en is one-half the width of an em.) A two-em dash is used to indicate that letters are missing from a word. A three-em dash is used to indicate that an entire word has been left out or needs to be provided. USE OF SPACES WITH EM DASH Put one space before and after the em dash. Everything was finished — or so he thought. USE OF EM DASH WITH ABRUPT CHANGE Use em dashes to set off an abrupt change in thought or an emphatic pause. Otherwise, use commas instead.

He offered a plan — it was unprecedented — to raise revenues.

USE OF EM DASH WITH A SERIES WITHIN A PHRASE When a phrase that otherwise would be set off by commas contains a series of words that must be separated by commas, use em dashes to set off the full phrase.

He listed the qualities — flexibility, reliability, and comprehensiveness — that he liked in a security solution.

USE OF EM DASH TO SET OFF NONESSENTIAL

ELEMENT Use em dashes in place of commas to set off a nonessential element that requires special emphasis.

At this year‘s annual banquet, the speakers — and the food — were superb. Of all the providers you referred to me, there was only one I liked — Websense.

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USE OF EM DASH BEFORE ATTRIBUTIONS When providing an attribution for a displayed quotation — that is, when identifying the author or the source of the quotation — use an em dash before the name of the author or the title of the work. The attribution typically appears on a separate line, aligned at the right with the longest line in the displayed quotation above.

Never put off till tomorrow that which you can do today.

— Benjamin Franklin USE OF EN DASH Use an en dash (or a single hyphen if you do not have access to an en dash) to link two figures that represent a continuous sequence. The en dash means up to and including in the following expressions: on pages 18–28 in Articles I–III during the week of May 15–21 during the years 1999–2003 The en-dash is used much less frequently than the hyphen or the em-dash and usually indicates a range of inclusive numbers, say from 40–60. Do not include a space on either side of an en-dash. Observe the difference between the hyphen (-), en-dash (–), and em-dash (—). Don‘t confuse the hyphen with the en-dash or the em-dash. The hyphen is used most often to join words into compounds. We offer real-time security updates. user-generated content The hyphen is also needed when a non-hyphenated phrase is used as an adjective: This software does the analysis in real time.

BUT: This real-time analysis is entirely reliable.

data This is a plural noun, which normally takes plural verbs and pronouns.

The data have been carefully collected. (as individual items)

However, use a singular verb when it means a single unit. The data is sound. (as a unit) See collective nouns. database Write this as one word. A database is the collection of all data used and produced by a computer program. data center Write this as two words.

SaaS shifts all security inspection, enforcement, and management processes from the customer‘s location to 10 globally available data centers in the cloud.

data sheet Write this as two words. dates Spell out the names of months when using alone, or with a year alone. When a phrase lists only a month and a year, do not separate the year with commas. January 1972 was a cold month. When a phrase refers to a month, day, and year, set off the year with commas. March 2, 2007, was a cold day. When a month is used with a specific date, abbreviate only Jan., Feb., Aug., Sept., Oct., Nov., and Dec. Jan. 2 was the coldest day of the month. His birthday is May 8. Feb. 14, 2009, was the target date. When the day precedes the month or stands alone, express it either in ordinal figures (1st, 2nd,

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3rd, 4th) or in ordinal words (the first, the twelfth, the twentieth).

FOR EMPHASIS: This year‘s international sales conference runs from Monday, the 2nd of August, through Thursday, the 5th. FOR FORMALITY: We leave for Europe on the third of June and return on the twenty-fifth.

When the day follows the month, use a cardinal figure (1, 2, 3, etc.) to express it. on March 6 NOTE: Do not use the form March 6th or March sixth, even though those versions reflect the way the date would sound when spoken aloud. All official external marketing communications, such as data sheets, brochures, or direct mail, should have a date. Place the date in the area designated by the template for that item. See months. days of the week Capitalize days of the week. Do not abbreviate days of the week except when needed in a tabular format: Sun, Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu, Fri, Sat (three letters without periods, to facilitate tabular composition.).

The webinar will take place on Monday, Jan. 4. Here is the agenda:

Sun – Reception Mon – Breakout sessions Tue – Closing ceremony See dates.

decades Use Arabic numerals to indicate decades of history. Use an apostrophe to indicate numerals that are left out. Show plural by adding the letter s. the 1990s the mid-1930s the '90s See years and apostrophe.

decimals See numbers and numerals. decision maker and decision making Write each as two words when used as a noun.

She is the key decision maker for security purchases at her organization. We factored that into our decision making. BUT: What is your decision-making process?

District of Columbia See Washington, D.C. dividing words As a matter of style, whenever possible, avoid dividing a word at the end of a line. Word divisions are unattractive and they may confuse the reader. However, an extremely ragged right margin is also unattractive. AVOID: Websense solutions help increase employee productivity.

PREFERRED: Websense solutions help increase employee productivity

dollars Always lowercase dollars. Please donate a dollar. Use figures and the $ sign for references to specific dollar amounts. The manual cost $4. Use $ and numerals up to one decimal place for amounts of more than $1 million. The contract is worth $2.3 million. He proposed a $500 billion budget. See numbers and numerals. dropdown Write it as one word when used as an adjective. View the dropdown menu.

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e.g. This means for example and is always followed by a comma. Also place e.g., in parentheses.

Many of the components (e.g., the motor, the batteries, and the cooling unit) are manufactured.

See i.e. either Use it to mean one or the other, not both. She said to use either door.

INCORRECT: There were lions on either side of the door. CORRECT: There were lions on each side of the door. There were lions on both sides of the door.

See connectives. either ... or See connectives. ellipsis ( ... ) Treat an ellipsis as a three-letter word. Insert a space before and a space after the three periods, as shown here. Use an ellipsis to indicate the deletion of one or more words in condensing quotes, texts, and documents. Be especially careful to avoid deletions that would distort the meaning.

... However, it has become evident that cyber attacks are increasing.

As a general rule, do not use ellipsis marks in place of a period at the end of a sentence. However, ellipsis marks may be used to indicate that a sentence trails off before the end. The three spaced periods create an effect of uncertainty or suggest an abrupt suspension of thought. (No terminal punctuation is used with ellipsis marks in this kind of construction.)

He could easily have saved the situation by ... But why talk about it?

Ellipsis marks are often used in advertising to display individual items or to connect a series of loosely related phrases. Where can you match these benefits? ... Centralized reporting ... Unified content analysis ... Increased visibility into your data

With zero-day attacks increasing ... the effects of which could be devastating ... you need a security solution that goes beyond antivirus to address previously undiscovered threats on the fly, when they are first introduced.

PUNCTUATION GUIDELINES: If the words that precede an ellipsis constitute a grammatically complete sentence, either in the original or in the condensation, place a period at the end of the last word before the ellipsis. Good evening. ... Will you attend? ... If one or more words are omitted at the end of a quoted sentence, use three spaced periods followed by the necessary terminal punctuation for the sentence as a whole. In the example below, the ellipsis is followed by a period.

We have been witnessing a change in buying habits …. Consumers are becoming increasingly sophisticated.

However, if the quotation is intended to trail off, use only three spaced periods at the end of the sentence. His reaction was, ―If I had only known …‖ email This is the short form for electronic mail. Only capitalize the e at the beginning of a sentence or in a title or headline. Do not use the word messaging for email. See capitalization.

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end-user Write it with the hyphen when used as a noun or adjective. The bot was installed on the end-user‘s PC. View the End-User Subscription Agreement. Essential Information Protection™ Capitalize this phrase and include the trademark symbol on first reference.

Websense delivers best-in-class security solutions that allow organizations to work in new, more efficient, and innovative ways and that keep employees productive anytime, anywhere. That is Essential Information Protection™.

See trademark symbols. every day and everyday Every day is an adverb and everyday an adjective. She goes to work every day. It‘s an everyday occurrence. everyone and every one Write this as two words when you mean each individual item. Every one of the options is valid. Write as one word when you mean all persons. Note that everyone takes singular verbs and pronouns. Everyone wants her information to be secure. exclamation point (!) Use this mark for emphasis or to convey disbelief or strong emotion. Avoid overusing this mark, and do not end a sentence with more than one exclamation point. FAQ Acronym for frequently asked questions, a format often used to summarize information on the Internet. Spell it out in copy. To make it plural, add an s to it.

Please go to our section containing frequently asked questions. View FAQs (copy for a Web link) federal Capitalize federal for corporate or governmental bodies that use the word as part of their formal names. Lowercase it when used as an adjective to distinguish something from state, county, city, town, or private entities. filter, filtering Since Websense has become much more than a Web filtering company, for which we were initially known, minimize use of filter or filtering except when referring to the Websense® Web Filter product. Filtering is still a supported feature that we offer, but we do not want to focus on it. firm Use firm when referring to a business partnership. Use company or corporation when referring to an incorporated business entity. first-quarter Hyphenate when using first-quarter as a compound modifier. The same applies for second-, third-, and fourth-quarter.

Websense announced its first-quarter earnings today.

foreign governmental bodies Capitalize the names of specific foreign governmental agencies and departments either with the name of the country or without it if clear in the context. Japanese Ministry of Finance fractional expressions When the subject is an expression such as one-half of, two-thirds of, a part of, a majority of, a percentage of, a portion of, or the rest of: a. Use a singular verb if a singular noun follows

of or is implied. Three-fourths of the mailing list has been checked.

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A large percentage has to be retyped (Referring to a document.) About 20 percent of the production run was unacceptable.

b. Use a plural verb when a plural noun follows

of or is implied.

Two-thirds of their employees work remotely.

A third of these transactions involve repeat customers. A large percentage of the employees hold part-time jobs.

NOTE: Sometimes the context requires a singular verb.

A majority of only 90 votes is not exactly a ringing endorsement.

fractions Spell out amounts less than one in text (as opposed to tables), using hyphens between the words, such as two-thirds, four-fifths, and seven-sixteenths. Use figures for precise amounts larger than 1, converting to decimals whenever practical. Use decimals and percentages, rather than fractions, in calculations set up in rows and columns or in a table. 0.250%

(0.042%) 0.208% See numbers and numerals gender See he and she. government Lowercase government and never abbreviate this word. grammatical terms Here is an overview of some of the grammatical terms mentioned in this guide. Some terms have

been singled out (see the list at the end of grammatical terms). adjective: a word that answers the question what kind (excellent results), how many (four laptops), or which one (the latest data). An adjective may be a single word (a wealthy man), a phrase (a man of great wealth), or a clause (a man who possesses great wealth). An adjective modifies the meaning of a noun or a pronoun. adverb: a word that answers the question when, where, why, in what manner, or to what extent. An adverb may be a single word (speak clearly), a phrase (speak in a clear voice), or a clause (speak as clearly as you can). modifier: a word, phrase, or clause that qualifies, limits, or restricts the meaning of a word. Adjectives and adverbs are modifiers. participle: a word that may stand alone as an adjective or may be combined with helping (auxiliary) verbs to form different tenses. There are three forms: present, past, and perfect. Examples of participles include coming, advertising, asked, or having asked. predicate: that part of a sentence which tells what the subject does or what is done to the subject or what state of being the subject is in. An example of a complete predicate is Barbara has handled the job well. subject: a word, phrase, or clause that names the person, place, or thing about which something is said.

Whoever applies for this job from within the department will get special consideration.

See capitalization, collective nouns, commas, compound words, contractions, dash, plurals, possessives, prefixes, prepositions, pronouns, semicolon, split infinitive, and verbs. he and she The traditional use of he and she as generic pronouns is offensive to many people, who feel that the masculine bias in the word he makes it unsuitable as a pronoun that applies equally to

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women and men. The ideal solution would be a new generic pronoun without masculine or feminine connotations. However, until such a pronoun has been devised and accepted into common usage, consider various alternatives to the generic use of he or she. Avoid the use of he/she, s/he, and similar constructions.

An instructor should offer his or her students challenging projects.

Change the wording from singular to plural.

Instructors should offer their students challenging projects.

Reword to avoid the generic pronoun.

INCORRECT: Ask him or her to leave his or her phone number. CORRECT: When a customer calls, be sure to ask for a phone number.

headings In headings, capitalize all words with four or more letters. This includes with, from and over. How to Sell With Confidence

Also capitalize words with fewer than four letters except: ARTICLES: the, a, an SHORT CONJUNCTIONS: and, as, but, if, or, nor

SHORT PREPOSITIONS: at, by, for, in, of, off, on, out, to, up

Be sure to capitalize short verb forms like Is and Be. However, do not capitalize to when it is part of an infinitive.

How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying Redevelopment Proposal Is Not Expected to Be Approved

It is important to maintain a consistent style of capitalization. You may thus find it necessary to disregard the capitalization style used on the title

page of a particular brochure. For reasons of typographic design or graphic appeal, titles may appear in such places in a variety of styles. You may use headlines or titles with only the first letter of the first word capitalized if this look is essential to the design of the publication and is applied consistently throughout the piece. Even articles, short conjunctions, and short prepositions should be capitalized under the following circumstances: Capitalize the first and last word of a title. A Home to Be Proud Of The New Economy: Signs and Signals to Watch For

CAUTION: Do not capitalize the at the beginning of a title unless it is actually part of the title.

There are stories in the ―San Francisco Chronicle‖ and ―The New York Times.‖

Capitalize the first word following a dash or colon in a title. Abraham Lincoln — The Early Years The Treaty of Versailles: A Reexamination Capitalize short words like in, out, off, and up in titles when they serve as adverbs rather than as prepositions. (These words may occur as adverbs in verb phrases or in hyphenated compounds derived from verb phrases.) Remember that an adverb is defined as a word typically serving as a modifier of a verb, an adjective, another adverb, a preposition, a phrase, a clause, or a sentence, expressing some relation of manner or quality, place, time, degree, number, cause, opposition, affirmation, or denial, and in English also serving to connect and to express comment on clause content. EXAMPLES OF ADVERBS:

really, promptly, badly, only, nearly, almost, ever, too, also, slow,

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NOTE: Some adverbs have two forms, which sometimes have different meanings: late, lately, hard, hardly.

A preposition is defined as a function word typically serving as a modifier of a verb, an adjective, another adverb, a preposition, a phrase, a clause, or a sentence, expressing some relation of manner or quality, place, time, degree, number, cause, opposition, affirmation, or denial, and in English also serving to connect and to express comment on clause content. EXAMPLES OF PREPOSITIONS: at, by, for, in, of, off, on, out, to, up, from

Microsoft Chalks Up Record Earnings for the Year

BUT: Sailing up the Mississippi

The Spy Who Came In From the Cold BUT: Pollsters Project an Easy Win for Foxworth in Heavy Voter Turnout

Capitalize short prepositions like in and up when used together with prepositions having four or more letters. Sailing Up and Down the Mississippi Happenings In and Around Town Mall Opening On or About May 1 When a title or heading is displayed on more than one line, do not capitalize the first word of any turnover line unless it needs to be capitalized on the basis of the preceding guidelines. Should You Invest for the Long Pull or Should You Trade Continually? See capitalization, composition titles, document and report titles, and forms. historic periods and events Capitalize the names of widely recognized periods and events. Lowercase century. Capitalize only proper nouns or adjectives in general descriptions of a period. the Great Depression the 20th century

the Elizabethan period holidays Capitalize all holidays such as Labor Day, Veterans Day, and Christmas. home page Write this as two words. hosted Do not use the term hosted except when it is part of a specific product name, such as Websense®

Hosted Email Security. Use Security-as-a-Service (SaaS) when referencing a platform or deployment option.

The Security-as-a-Service (SaaS) platform allows organizations to work with advanced technologies that rival those found in on-premise enterprise security solutions.

See Security-as-Service (SaaS) and cloud. hyperlinks Underlined words often indicate a link. To avoid confusion, don‘t underline words in copy that are not links. We recommend spelling out the Uniform Resource Locator (URL) or Web address if the text will be available in a non-electronic format, where an embedded hyperlink may not work. Another reason to spell out the URL is that if the link does not work, the user will then have the URL to copy and paste into a browser window. If the URL does not fit on one line, continue it onto the next line. Do not insert a space, hyphen, or other punctuation mark where the break occurs. Your URL should be as user-friendly as possible. Work with your Web person to obtain a user-friendly URL, which means one that is easy to remember and quickly conveys what it is linking to. http://www.partnerconferenceregistration.com

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Avoid making the link copy an instruction like click here. The link copy should describe what the link is for. View Corporate Brochure NOTE: When referring to a primary site, such as websense.com in narrative writing, citing the domain name is easier to read and a sufficient reference to use in accessing the site, because if you cut and paste a domain name into your browser, the Domain Name System or DNS will resolve the path correctly. See Writing for the Web. hyphen See dash. hyphenated words Here are some commonly used hyphenated compound terms or modifiers: on-premise platform

long-term strategy, but we will win in the long term

third-quarter earnings up-to-date findings, but he will bring you up to date (no hyphens)

year-end (as a noun and adjective) real-time classification, but it classifies content in real time (no hyphens)

When a series of hyphenated adjectives has a common element shown only with the last adjective, insert a suspending hyphen (a hyphen followed by one space) after each of the preceding adjectives to indicate a relationship with the last term. Second- and first-quarter earnings First-, second-, and third-quarter earnings

BUT: They anticipated receiving a low to moderate bid. (no hyphens)

In the last example, low and moderate are being used as independent adjectives preceding a noun, so no hyphens should be used.

In a few cases, two adjectives joined by and are hyphenated because they function as one-thought modifiers, but these are rare. a cut-and-dried presentation a tried-and-true rule an up-and-coming manager

NOT HYPHENATED Some terms that may appear to need a hyphen are not hyphenated because they have become well-established compound nouns that serve as adjectives. Here are some examples: data loss, as in data loss prevention (and other combinations using the word data) acceptable use, as in acceptable use policy health care, as in health care industry Web security, as in Web security solution branch office, as in branch office locations home page, as in home page article You will find many inconsistencies. Even in our reference materials, a word with a hyphen in Webster‘s New World College Dictionary may not be hyphenated in The Associated Press Stylebook. As you come across terms like these in the course of your work at Websense, please send them to our comments mailbox and we will incorporate the agreed-upon look for that term into this guide. See troublesome words, compound terms, capitalization, and dividing words. i.e. This is the abbreviation for the Latin id est or that is and is always followed by a comma.

Does he have what it takes (i.e., is he diligent, resourceful, and responsive)?

See e.g. industry-leading Do not use this compound adjective more than once on a page of text. Consider using other adjectives such as best-in-class, top-rated, or market-leading.


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infinitive See split infinitive. Internet Write it like this. Be acutely aware that all information on the Internet falls into the tangible form category that is subject to copyright protection as well as libel guidelines. See hyperlinks and Writing for the Web. intranet Use lowercase with this word. This refers to a private network inside a company or organization. The name of the Websense intranet is the Company Wide Web (CWW). italics Use italics for special emphasis. This special offer is now available to you. Do not italicize a possessive or plural ending that is added on to a word being emphasized.

The last day to take advantage of this special offer‘s savings is today.

Italicize words referred to as words. This guide is filled with examples of words referred to as words. See chairman and chairwoman. See quotation marks. it’s and its Do not confuse certain possessive pronouns with contractions and other phrases that sound like the possessive pronouns. its (possessive)

Each unit comes carefully wrapped in its own carton

NOT: it‘s own carton it‘s (for it is or it has) It‘s better if you plan ahead. job titles Capitalize a job title when it immediately precedes a name.

Division Head John Doe Vice President Jane Doe

Lowercase the title if it follows the name or is separated by commas.

Jane Doe, senior vice president of Human Resources The controller, Jane Doe, will speak.

Lowercase a title when it is used in place of a name.

The vice president of our unit will speak. Use initial caps when a title is not part of the text, but stands alone (as in a business card, signature line or address block).

Jane Doe, Vice President of Corporate Communications (stands alone)

See chairman and chairwoman. links See hyperlinks. lists See bullets and lists. login, logon, logoff Write as one word when using as a noun. Do you know your login information? Write as two words in verb form. I log in to my computer. lookup Write as one word when referring to the noun that means a data search performed within a predefined table of values (array, matrix, etc.) or within a data file.

The browser performs a DNS lookup.

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lowercase Write as one word when using as a noun, adjective, or verb. magazine and newspaper names Capitalize the actual name on the masthead for titles of magazines, newspapers and publications. Do not put newspaper titles in italics or quotation marks. Time magazine The Wall Street Journal (the appears on masthead) The Washington Post The San Francisco Chronicle See composition titles. marketplace Write this as one word. may See can and may. measurement Use the word by, not the x symbol, when writing measurement dimensions. You do not need to write the same unit type twice. The room is 24 by 17 square feet. The dresser is 13 inches wide and 4 feet high. It is a 3-foot-high chair. minus sign Use a hyphen, not a dash to represent a minus sign. Use the word minus if there is any danger of confusion. However in columns with numbers, use parentheses instead of a minus sign to indicate subtraction. See columns. months Also, see dates and years.

multimedia Write this as one word without a hyphen. neither ... nor See connectives. New York and New York City Use New York state when a distinction must be made between state and city. New York can be used as a shortened version of New York City if the reference in the text is clear. No. Use No. as the abbreviation for number with figures to indicate position or rank. No. 3 choice no one Always write this as two words. No one requires a singular verb. No one was available to attend. numbers and numerals Spell out whole numbers one through nine in text unless used with a percentage or a precise unit of measure. Units of time, such as weeks, months, and days are not considered precise units of measurement. Sales increased in February by 7 percent.

The office is 17 by 12 square feet. Customers receive a six-month trial. See measurement. Also, spell out the first through ninth ordinal numbers. This means spelling out first instead of writing it as 1st; second instead of 2nd, etc., unless the use of the numeral is part of the name, such as the 7th Fleet. She was second in line at the booth. Use figures for 10 and above, unless the number begins the sentence. However, a figure that identifies a year may begin a sentence.

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Twenty-five vendors participated in the program.

Last year, 25 vendors participated. 2000 was the company‘s 30th anniversary. Use figures beginning with the 10th ordinal. Do not use the superscript feature.

She is the 12th candidate I‘ve interviewed for this position.

When a sentence includes both single- and double-digit numbers, continue to follow the rules for numbers and numerals.

There were six sales made in the first quarter, 11 in the second, and 22 in the third.

DECIMAL UNITS Use a period and numerals to indicate decimal amounts. Generally, use only one decimal place for numbers in millions. The contract is worth $2.3 million. If you feel it‘s necessary to use more, limit to two places unless there are special circumstances. The contract is worth $5.24 million For amounts less than 1 percent, use the numeral zero before the decimal point. Rates fell 0.56 percent today. When the decimal is 1 or less, the type of measurement should be singular. 0.35 mile See cents, dollars, and percent.

NOTE: Remember to spell out the word percent when writing a percentage with a numeral, except in tables and charts. Use hyphens when a number forms part of a modifier preceding a noun. We suggest producing a 25-page booklet. It is 21st-century technology.

Do not use hyphens when the numbers follow the noun. Use hyphens after spelled-out numbers ending in y. Twenty-six customers attended. Do not use hyphens or commas to punctuate other words that are part of one number.

One hundred forty-three customers were contacted.

Use commas to separate numbers above 1,000, except for years.

We deliver security solutions to offices as small as 25 users and to large, distributed enterprises of more than 100,000 users.

Use figures with billion or million.

About two-thirds of these new customers, or approximately 2.3 million, will benefit from the product updates.

Repeat the unit, symbol, or abbreviation with each number in a phrase.

INCORRECT: They retained from $2 to $4 million. CORRECT: They retained from $2 million to $4 million.

Use Roman numerals for wars and to establish personal sequence, such as World War II and King George V. Do not use M to mean million. OK and okay Using okay, okayed, and okaying in sentences is preferred; however OK, OK’d, OK’ing may be used. Do not include periods in the latter versions. online Write as one word in all instances. Follow the online instructions. Please go online to see our list of products.

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online instructions When writing about names of radio buttons and fields on Web pages or electronic screenshots, enclose those words in quotation marks, when they are first used.

The ―Add Feature‖ or ―Remove Feature‖ options allow you to customize your features based on your organization‘s unique needs.

on-premise Write this with the hyphen whether it precedes or follows a noun.

Have you considered a hybrid solution that combines Security-as-a-Service (SaaS) with on-premise deployment?

Is your deployment platform on-premise? BUT: The appliance is on the premises (meaning at this location or in this building).

on-site, off-site Write each like this when used as an adjective or adverb. We can demonstrate all equipment on-site. On-site services are available to you. The parts are assembled off-site. Off-site facilities are available. organizations and institutions Capitalize the full names of organizations and institutions. Retain capitalization if Co., Corp., or a similar word is deleted. See company and companies and divisions, departments, units, and executive offices. page numbers In footers on a page of text, use numerical figures without the word page. If a letter is needed with the figure, capitalize the letter but don‘t use a hyphen. 1 10A Page is lowercase when it occurs in a sentence of text and refers to a particular page.

The answer to this question is given

on page 2. In general, only insert page numbers when the publication has more than four pages (excluding front and back covers). When the publication is 8½ by 11, place the page number in the center of the footer or in the lower right corner of the footer; if the publication is smaller, place the page number in the lower right corner of the footer. In both cases, use the same font as the text or let the design of the document determine the look. parentheses Use parentheses sparingly — they are jarring to the reader. Use them in sentences only if no other arrangement works. Place the period outside parentheses when the phrase within the parentheses directly relates to what preceded it.

Analysts predict more sophisticated attacks (see today‘s NetworkWorld). BUT: Analysts predict more sophisticated attacks. (The number of blended attacks has reached a record level.)

people Use people instead of persons for plural uses. Billions of people are online. The American people are united.

The peoples of Asia speak different languages.

See person and persons. per Per, a Latin word, is often used to mean by the, as in 28 miles per gallon. Whenever possible, substitute a or an; for example, at the rate of 75 cents a liter. Per must be retained in Latin phrases; for example, per diem (by the day) or per capita (for each person; literally, by the head). NOTE: Do not use per or as per in the sense of according to or in accordance with.

We are sending you the samples you requested.

NOT: as per your request or per your request.

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percent Spell out the word percent when writing a percentage with a numeral, except in columns, tables, and charts. Use figures for percent and percentages. 1 percent

Rates rose 2.5 percent (use decimals, not fractions)

4 percentage points For a range, 12 to 15 percent or between 12 and 15 percent. For amounts less than 1 percent, use the numeral zero before the decimal point. Rates fell 0.56 percent today. See numbers and numerals. periods Use one space after a period before starting the next sentence. Use periods after independent clauses, dependent clauses, or long phrases that are displayed on separate lines in a list. Also, use periods after short phrases that complete the introductory statement. Please get me year-end figures on:

Domestic sales revenues.

Total operating costs.

Net operating income. However, no periods are needed after short phrases in a list if the introductory statement is grammatically complete or if the listed items are like those on an inventory sheet or a shopping list.

When you order office supplies, please include these items:

Copier toner

Fax paper

File folders

The panel consists of:

Ms. Jones

Mr. Smith

Ms. Doe When you have a list that includes incomplete and complete sentences and groups of words, follow these guidelines: If circumstances allow, rewrite the list so there is parallel construction throughout. For example, make each bullet a complete sentence or have each bullet complete the clause that introduces all the bulleted items.

If rewriting all bullets is not an option, follow the general rules, such as ending complete sentences with periods and ending sentences that complete the introductory clause with periods. person and persons Use person when referring to an individual. Do not use coined words such as chairperson or spokesperson in text. Instead, use chairman or spokesman when referring to a man or the office in general. Use chairwoman or spokeswoman when referring to a woman. If applicable, use a neutral word such as leader or representative. Never use the word persons. See people and he and she. plug-in and plug in Write it as one word with the hyphen, except when using it as a verb.

Activating Defensio is as easy as selecting and installing the Defensio plug-in appropriate for your given blog platform or Web 2.0 site/application. You need to plug in the extension cord into the outlet.

plurals Use the plural that the dictionary lists first for a particular sense of word. For most words, this means adding s. solutions

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For words ending in ch, s, sh, ss, x, and z, add es. Boxes For words ending in is, change is to es. The plural of parenthesis is parentheses. Do not use ’s for the plural of words as words.

INCORRECT: His speech had too many ―if‘s,‖ ―and‘s,‖ and ―but‘s.‖ CORRECT: His speech had too many ―ifs,‖ ―ands,‖ and ―buts.‖

For proper names ending in es or s or z, add es. Joneses Gonzalezes For acronyms, do not add an apostrophe for the plural form. PCs RVSes

BUT: The PCI‘s regulations (used in the possessive form)

See abbreviations, acronyms, and initialisms. pop-up and pop up Write this as one word with the hyphen unless you are using it as verb.

Display a popup window with the appropriate ePHI protection guidance.

Please program the feature to pop up when the user clicks here.

possessives Add ’s for plural nouns not ending in s. the alumni‘s contributions Add only an apostrophe for plural nouns ending in s. states‘ rights the VIPs‘ entrance

Do not add an apostrophe to a word ending in s when it is used primarily in a descriptive sense. a writers guide Add an apostrophe or s to the word closest to the object possessed in a compound word. the attorney general‘s decision the work force‘s commitment. When there are two or more nouns that form the possessive, only put an apostrophe after the last noun. This is Bob and Mary‘s first project together. NOTE: Never use a trademark in the possessive when referring to products and services. The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office says this rule is an important part of protecting a trademark.

INCORRECT: Websense's unified content security CORRECT: Websense® unified content security

See abbreviations, acronyms, and initialisms and trademark symbols. predefine and predefined Write it as one word with no hyphen. prefixes In general, do not hyphenate when using a prefix with a word starting with a consonant. nondiscriminatory antibiotic antidote antithesis antivirus Use a hyphen if the prefix ends in a vowel and the word that follows begins with the same vowel, except for cooperate and coordinate. re-enter re-examine anti-inflammatory

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Use a hyphen if the word that follows is capitalized. un-American Use a hyphen if it would help clarify the meaning of the word. co-op as in buy a co-op versus fly the coop

re-create as in re-create the security flaw versus recreate on a long vacation

Use a hyphen to join doubled prefixes. sub-subparagraph See hyphenated words president Capitalize president only as a formal title preceding the name. Lowercase in all other uses. President Jane Doe greeted attendees. The president said he will not run again.

EXCEPTION: Former president Jimmy Carter spoke in Atlanta today.

prepositions SUPERFLUOUS PREPOSITIONS Omit prepositions that add nothing to the meaning — as in the following examples: The carton apparently fell off [of] the truck. Where is she [at]? She could not help [from] laughing. NECESSARY PREPOSITIONS Conversely, do not omit essential prepositions.

I need to buy a couple of books. Of what use is this gadget? We don‘t stock that type of filter. Jo will graduate from Yale next spring. You have a great interest in, as well as a deep respect for, fine antiques.

AT END OF SENTENCE Ending a sentence with a preposition is not incorrect. Whether you do so or not should depend on the emphasis and effect you want to achieve.

INFORMAL: I wish I knew which magazine her article appeared in. FORMAL: I wish I knew in which magazine her article appeared.

Trying to avoid ending a sentence with a preposition may lead to very awkward results.

STILTED: It is difficult to know about what you are thinking. NATURAL: It is difficult to know what you are thinking about.

principal and principle Principal is a noun and adjective meaning someone or something first in rank, authority, importance or degree.

He was the principal player in the trade.

Principal can also refer to the original balance of money lent in a financial transaction, excluding interest, or to the remaining balance of a loan, excluding interest. Principle is a noun that means a fundamental truth, law, doctrine, or motivating force.

They fought for the principle of self-determination.

product and technology names The following is a list of the most frequently used Websense product and technology names with their marks and the approved generic nouns that should follow them, when applicable.

Websense® Advanced Classification Engine (ACE)

Websense® Data Security Suite Websense® Data Discover Websense® Data Monitor Websense® Data Protect Websense® Data Endpoint

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Websense® Web Filter Websense® Email Security Websense® Hosted Web Security Websense® Hosted Email Security Websense® V10000™ appliance Websense® V-Series™ appliance

Defensio™ technology (or Web service or service)

Internet HoneyGrid™ Websense® ThreatSeeker® Cloud Websense® ThreatSeeker® Network

Websense® TRITON™ system, solution, or architecture (TRITON may be used alone only in titles but should otherwise be followed by system, solution, or architecture)

Websense® TRITON™ Console Websense® TruHybrid™ deployment Websense® TruContent™ intelligence Websense® TruEmail DLP™ capability Websense® TruWeb DLP™ capability

Websense® Web Security Websense® Web Security Gateway Websense® Web Security Gateway Anywhere

This list is limited. For the most complete and updated list, please refer to the Websense Trademark and Usage Guidelines. On first reference within a document, use the full product name with its mark. On subsequent references, you may drop Websense®. If Websense® has already appeared in your text, no need to repeat the ® after Websense. NOTE: The Websense logo should never be considered the first reference to Websense. The logo design is a separate protected trademark. First reference:

The Websense® Web Security Gateway offers unique capabilities.

Subsequent references:

Web Security Gateway fully integrates with the leading directory systems like Microsoft active directory …

Within documents containing multiple articles, pages, or lengthy sections, write the full product

name with its mark on first reference in each page, article, or section. Remember, product names are capitalized, product categories are not.

The Websense® hybrid email security solution [product category] includes both Websense Hosted Email Security and Websense Email Security.

pronouns A pronoun, or word used in place of a noun, must be in the same person as its antecedent — the word it refers to. INCONSISTENT: The more you look for financing, the more our options expand.

CONSISTENT: The more you look for financing, the more your options expand.

Singular pronouns must have singular antecedents; plural pronouns, plural antecedents.

INCORRECT: Anyone can pass this test if they study. CORRECT: All students can pass this test if they study.

See he or she. proven and proved Proven is an adjective, as in a proven solution. Proved is a verb, as in we proved that our security solution works. Q & A Format Do not use quotation marks when using the question and answer format. Use a colon after the Q and the A.

Q: When must I complete my benefits selection?

A: By midnight, Dec. 1. quotation marks RUNNING QUOTATIONS If a full paragraph of quoted material is followed by a paragraph that continues the quotation, do not put close-quote marks at the end of the first paragraph. Do, however, put open-quote marks at



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the start of the second paragraph. Continue in this fashion for any succeeding paragraphs, using close-quote marks only at the end of the quoted material.

―I don‘t believe that‘s the case … (full paragraph goes here) we should resume this discussion at a later date. (no close-quote marks)

―While I don‘t believe it was intended in this manner. I beg to differ with you on that assessment.‖ (use close-quote marks here only if this ends the quoted material)

QUOTES WITHIN QUOTES Use single quotes when quotes are needed within quotes.

―When Mary said, ‗call me,‘ I followed up the next day,‖ he recalled. ―Accounting asked for all mail stamped ‗priority.‘‖

PERIODS AND COMMAS Periods and commas always go inside the close-quote marks. Sign your name wherever you see an ―X.‖

―Secure,‖ ―trustworthy,‖ ―reliable,‖ and ―comprehensive‖ are only a few of the adjectives that are being applied to Websense solutions.

Periods and commas also go inside the single closing quotation mark.

Mr. Doe said, ―Please let me see all the orders marked ‗Rush.‘‖ ―All he would say was ‗I don‘t remember,‘‖ answered the witness.

SEMICOLONS AND COLONS Semicolons and colons always go outside the closing quotation mark.

Last Tuesday, you said, ―I will mail a check today‖; it has not yet arrived.

WITH QUESTION MARKS AND EXCLAMATION POINTS At the end of a sentence, a question mark or an exclamation point goes inside the closing quotation mark when it applies only to the quoted material.

His first question was, ―How long have you worked here?‖ Garland still ends every sales meeting by shouting, ―Go get 'em!‖

At the end of a sentence, a question mark or an exclamation point goes outside the closing quotation mark when it applies to the entire sentence.

When will she say, for a change, ―You did a nice job on that‖?

Stop saying ―Don‘t worry‖!

If a sentence ends with quoted material and both the sentence and the quoted material require the same mark of punctuation, use only one mark — the one that comes first.

Have you seen the advertisement that starts, ―Why pay more?‖

Let's not panic and yell ―Fire!‖ These same principles govern the placement of a question mark or an exclamation point in relation to a single quotation mark. Dr. Marks asked, ―Was the check marked ‗Insufficient Funds‘?‖ WITH TITLES OF LITERARY AND ARTISTIC WORKS Use quotation marks around the titles of chapters, lessons, topics, sections, and parts within a book; the titles of articles and feature columns in newspapers and magazines; and the titles of essays, lectures, and conference themes. SPECIAL EMPHASIS When using technical terms, business jargon, coined words or phrases not likely to be familiar to your reader, use quotation marks when they are first used. Have you ―booted up‖ your computer?

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Also, use quotation marks when they‘ve been made to play an abnormal role in a sentence. The apartments were bought ―as is.‖ You may also put quotation marks around a word or words used in an ironic sense. The "debate" turned into a free-for-all. A word or words being introduced to readers may be placed in quotation marks on first reference.

Broadcast frequencies are measured in ―kilohertz.‖

Do not use the quotation marks on subsequent references to kilohertz. See italics and online instructions. ratios Use figures and a hyphen when referring to ratios. Omit the word to when the numbers precede the word ratio. The ratio was 2-to-1. A ratio of 2-to-1 A 2-1 ratio real time Hyphenate real time only when it is used as a compound adjective before a noun.

ACE analyzes content as it traverses the gateway with real-time security scanning …

BUT: It scans content in real time. registration symbol Once a trademark or service mark has been registered with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, use the symbol ® immediately following the particular product or service name. The symbol need only be used in the first reference of any document, or in a long document, at the first reference of each chapter. If the first reference appears in a title or headline, include the symbol and repeat it once more in the first reference within the body of the text. See Websense Trademark and Usage Guidelines.

RSVP Write RSVP with all capital letters and no periods. SaaS See Security-as-a-Service. salesforce.com Write it like this in lowercase except in titles and headers. seasons Lowercase spring, summer, fall, and winter unless part of a formal title where they should be treated like other words and capitalized. Security-as-a-Service (SaaS) On first reference, write this as Security-as-a-Service (SaaS). Always place the acronym SaaS in parentheses beside Security-as-a-Service on first reference even if you don‘t intend to use it again within the copy — for search engine optimization purposes.

Websense offers security solutions using a Security-as-a-Service (SaaS) platform.

On subsequent references, you may refer to it as SaaS. You‘ll benefit from our SaaS platform. As noted, SaaS is a platform and should be referred to as such. However, once you have established that it is a platform, you may refer to it as a solution since it is commonly referred to in our industry as a solution.

Web and email security solutions deployed on a Security-as-a-Service (SaaS) platform are increasingly attractive to many organizations. Yet many organizations are understandably reluctant to adopt SaaS solutions due to concerns that they will not provide the same level of control, flexibility, reliability, and other features associated with on-premise solutions.

NOTE: When referring to Websense email security, do not use the term SaaS email,


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because customers may think we‘re referring to hosted email, like Google gmail.

INCORRECT: Websense offers SaaS email or Websense offers SaaS for email. CORRECT: Websense offers email Security-as-a-Service or Websense offers Security-as-a-Service for email.

If you must use the acronym, always add the word security after email. Websense offers SaaS email security.

In a multiple-page document, we suggest spelling out Security-as-a-Service on first reference on each page it appears to remind readers what the acronym means at Websense. semicolon Consider breaking clauses linked with a semicolon into two independent sentences. Use semicolons for lists containing internal commas.

He contacted his customer, First Federal of Chicago; his supervisor, John Smith; and his investment banking firm, Merrill Lynch

service marks See trademark symbols. sign on and sign-on Write as two words (no hyphen) when used as a verb; one word (with hyphen) when used as a noun or adjective. He will sign on to the project.

Single sign-on is a specialized form of software authentication.

sign up and sign-up Write as two words (no hyphen) when used as a verb; one word (with hyphen) when used as a noun or adjective. To sign up, you must go online. Class Sign-Up Visit the sign-up page.

slash (/) Acceptable in descriptive phrases such as 24/7 or 9/11, but avoid using the slash to combine two words. Choose one word or put an and between the two words.

NOT PREFERRED: If you are a manager/administrator …

PREFERRED: If you are a manager or administrator … Avoid using and/or. Not preferred: You can call and/or write me. Preferred: You can call or write me. Social Security number Capitalize all references to the U.S. system. Lowercase generic uses.

Confidential information could include employee Social Security numbers.

Is there a social security program in your country?

someone Use a singular verb with this singular indefinite pronoun. Someone wants to purchase this house. Other singular indefinite pronouns that take singular verbs include anyone, everyone, anybody, no one, nobody, everyone, and everybody. spacing Put one space after a period.

They watched the demo. Then they bought the product.

Do not put spaces before or after slashes.

We offer an on-premise/SaaS hybrid platform.

Put one space before and after an ellipsis. See ellipsis.

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In the time it takes you to read this, Websense will have … caught 199,000 spam emails.

split infinitive Splitting an infinitive (that is, inserting an adverb between to and the verb) is no longer considered incorrect. However, it should be avoided when it produces an awkward construction and the adverb functions more effectively in another location.

WEAK: He always tries to carefully do the work. BETTER: He always tries to do the work carefully.

spouse Use spouse, not wife or husband. stand-alone Write this as one word with the hyphen when used as an adjective. Stand-alone devices are popular. state names Spell out the names of the 50 U.S. states when they stand alone in textual material. Use these state abbreviations with the name of a city or town, except in addresses: Ala. (Alabama) Ariz. (Arizona) Calif. (California) Colo. (Colorado) Conn. (Connecticut) Del. (Delaware) Fla. (Florida) Ga. (Georgia) Ill. (Illinois) Ind. (Indiana) Kan. (Kansas) Ky. (Kentucky) La. (Louisiana) Md. (Maryland) Mass. (Massachusetts) Mich. (Michigan) Minn. (Minnesota) Miss. (Mississippi)

Mo. (Missouri) Mont. (Montana) Neb. (Nebraska) Nev. (Nevada) N.H. (New Hampshire) N.J. (New Jersey) N.M. (New Mexico) N.Y. (New York) N.C. (North Carolina) N.D. (North Dakota) Okla. (Oklahoma) Ore. (Oregon) Pa. (Pennsylvania) R.I. (Rhode Island) S.C. (South Carolina) S.D. (South Dakota) Tenn. (Tennessee) Vt. (Vermont) Va. (Virginia) Wash. (Washington) W.Va. (West Virginia) Wis. (Wisconsin) Wyo. (Wyoming)

The fires near Palm Springs, Calif., are out of control.

Don‘t forget to place a comma after the state name or abbreviation in the text. NOTE: The names of eight states are never abbreviated in datelines or text: Alaska, Hawaii, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Ohio, Texas, and Utah. These states do have ZIP code abbreviations. See ZIP codes. Spell out the state when used with a county. Fairfax County, Virginia, has much to offer. Do not use a state name with cities that are well known. These include the following: Atlanta Baltimore Boston Chicago Cincinnati Cleveland Dallas

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Denver Detroit Honolulu Houston Indianapolis Las Vegas Los Angeles Miami New York Oklahoma City Philadelphia Phoenix Pittsburgh St. Louis Salt Lake City San Antonio San Diego San Francisco Seattle Washington, D.C. Use state of Washington or Washington state when necessary to distinguish the state from the District of Columbia. Use New York state when necessary to distinguish the state from New York City. See Washington, D.C. superscript To indicate the presence of a comment or a source reference at the bottom of a page or in a special section at the end of a report, insert a superscript (a raised figure) following the appropriate word, phrase, or sentence in the text. There should not be any space between the superscript and the preceding word. If a punctuation mark follows the word, place the superscript immediately after the punctuation mark. There is one exception: the superscript should precede, not follow, a dash.

The alternative approach is taken largely from an article entitled, "How to Prevent Data Loss."1

Our article, "The Benefits of Hybrid Security," was published last month1 — we urge you to read it.

telephone numbers Use periods and not hyphens or parentheses.

212.621.1500 For international numbers use 011 (from the United States), the country code, the city code, and the telephone number. 011.44. 20.7434.1515 The form for toll-free numbers is 800.111. 1000. If extension numbers are needed, use a comma to separate the main number from the extension. 212.621.1500, ext.3 that and which Use that and which in referring to inanimate objects and to animals without a name. Use that for essential clauses, important to the meaning of a sentence, and without commas.

I put the book that our partner discussed on your desk. (distinguishes this book from others)

Use the pronoun which to introduce a non-essential clause (information, if omitted would not change the meaning). When used to introduce a nonessential clause, always use a comma.

They welcomed Websense security solutions, which provide the best security against modern threats.

NOTE: Many writers now use either which or that to introduce an essential clause. Which is preferred to that (1) when there are two or more parallel essential clauses in the same sentence, (2) when that has already been used in the sentence, or (3) when the essential clause is introduced by an expression such as this … which, that … which, these… which, or those … which.

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ThreatSeeker Cloud and ThreatSeeker Network On first reference, write each as follows: Websense® ThreatSeeker® Cloud Websense® ThreatSeeker® Network On subsequent references, you may refer to them as follows: ThreatSeeker Cloud ThreatSeeker Network time zones Use the abbreviations EST, MST, CST, and PST (for Eastern Standard Time, Mountain Standard Time, Central Standard Time, and Pacific Standard Time) on first reference if they are linked with a clock reading. Do not set off the abbreviation with commas. The event occurs at 9 a.m. EST. Please arrive by noon PST. The same rule applies for EDT, MDT, CDT, and PDT (Eastern Daylight Time, etc.). A federal law specifies that daylight time applies from 2 a.m. on the second Sunday of March until 2 a.m. on the first Sunday of November in areas that do not specifically exempt themselves. Spell out references to time zones not used within the contiguous United States: When it is noon EDT, it is 1 p.m. Atlantic Standard Time and 8 a.m. Alaska Standard Time. Exception: Greenwich Mean Time may be abbreviated GMT on first reference if used with a clock reading. See a.m./p.m. titles See job titles total cost of ownership Write this as total cost of ownership. Do not use initial caps except in titles and headers. Always put the acronym in parentheses next to the phrase on first reference even if it will not be

referred to again later in the text — for search engine optimization purposes.

Websense offers the best security against modern threats at the lowest total cost of ownership (TCO).

If total cost of ownership does appear again, here‘s how it would look:

The Websense® TRITON™ Console reduces TCO and vendor management costs through unified management of Web, data, and email security solutions.

toward and towards Use toward. He had his back toward me. trademark symbols A trademark is a word or words, names, symbols, and combinations of these that identify goods or services. Specifically, trademarks refer to goods and service marks refer to services. Websense offerings are always services; we do not manufacture physical goods. Therefore, all of our marks are service marks. For convenience, both trademarks and service marks are commonly referred to as trademarks. When a trademark, such as a name, is first established at Websense, use the service mark symbol, SM. Once the trademark is registered with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, the business area will be notified to use the registered trademark symbol ®. These symbols should be in superscript format in all communication materials, except Web pages, where registered trademarks are not superscripted for improved readability. The appropriate symbol should appear in all communication materials, including correspondence, advertising, booklets and brochures, presentation slides, Web pages, packaging, and labeling. It should appear immediately after the first reference to the service mark, for example Websense® ThreatSeeker®

Network, as well as in prominent titles, headings, and captions.

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TITLE: The Websense® ThreatSeeker® Cloud FIRST PARAGRAPH OF TEXT: The Websense® ThreatSeeker® Cloud extends Websense market-leading content security technology and its Security-as-a-Service (SaaS) platform to third-party solution providers … There should not be any space between the raised symbol and the preceding word. If a punctuation mark, such as a period or comma, falls at the same point as the raised symbol, insert the punctuation after the symbol. Please note that this is the opposite of what you should do with a number as a superscript, such as you might use in a footnote. Please see our brochure on Websense® TRITON™.

.... and computers were used.2 In longer documents, use the appropriate symbol only after the first reference to the service mark in the text of each article or section of the document, or on the first slide of a presentation. On Web sites, the symbol should be used after the first reference to the registered trademark or service mark on each discrete Web page when referring to what Websense offers versus when referring to Websense as a corporation. A trademarked term should never be in the possessive form.

INCORRECT: Websense's Data Security Suite offers many features. CORRECT: The Websense® Data Security Suite offers many features.

Note: When talking about the company in a generic sense, then you may use the possessive of Websense.

Websense‘s employees volunteer their time in the community.

Websense‘s headquarters is in San Diego. Trademarks are valuable corporate assets, and their protection depends to a large extent on their proper use.

For more information, view Websense Trademark and Usage Guidelines. See brand names, commercial products, copyright, possessives, registration symbol, and superscript. TRITON On first reference in copy, write this as Websense® TRITON™ system, solution, or architecture. On subsequent references, you may drop Websense and TRITON should be followed by system, solution, or architecture, each in lowercase unless used in a title or header.

The Websense® TRITON™ solution combines industry-leading Web, email, and data security technologies across three areas. The TRITON architecture delivers increased content security and cost savings …

If Websense® has already appeared in your text, no need to repeat the ® after Websense in the example above. TRITON Console On first reference, write this as the Websense®

TRITON™ Console. On subsequent references, you may drop Websense.

The Websense® TRITON™ Console reduces total cost of ownership and vendor management costs. By using the TRITON Console, your organization will benefit from greater efficiencies, visibility, control, and management.

If Websense® has already appeared in your text, no need to repeat the ® after Websense. Troublesome and Commonly Used Words English has many words and phrases for which no standard spelling or styling has emerged. For consistency in our writing, we use only one form of these troublesome terms. In addition, there are certain words that we prefer over synonymous terms. Here, listed alphabetically, are the forms that have been decided upon for use in Websense marketing communications.



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24/7 not 24 X 7 or 24x7 antimalware antispam antivirus botnet (lowercase) categorize (not classify) company (see organization) data sheet email endpoint (as a noun or adjective; view the endpoint; endpoint security, endpoint application) enterprise IM (capitalized; use after initial mention of instant messaging) impact (usually affect is what you mean) instant messaging (lowercase; IM on second mention) Internet (uppercase in every occurrence) organization (use this when referring broadly to the customer; do not use enterprise or company or other too specific terms) P2P (capitalized; use after initial mention of peer-to-peer) peer-to-peer (lowercase and hyphenated; P2P on second mention) phishing (lowercase) select (means ―of higher quality‖; not synonymous with selected) spam (not Spam or SPAM) spyware (lowercase) Trojan URL (all capitals) v. (for version; lowercase) Web (uppercase in every instance) webinar Web page (two words, Web is uppercase) Web site (two words, Web is uppercase) Websense, Inc. (use comma) white paper (two words, lowercase) World Wide Web (all capitalized) zero-day (lowercase and hyphenated; use as an adjective, as in zero-day threat) TruContent On first reference, write this as Websense®

TruContent™ intelligence. On subsequent references, you may drop Websense and the ™.

Websense TruContent™ intelligence is a benefit of combining Web security, email security, and data loss prevention

classification technologies (delivered via ACE). TruContent intelligence unifies content visibility and analysis all the way to the data level.

If Websense® has already appeared in your text, no need to repeat the ® after subsequent references to Websense. TruHybrid On first reference, write this as Websense® TruHybrid™ deployment. On subsequent references, you may drop Websense and the ™.

Websense® TruHybrid™ deployment is our ability to combine on-premise and SaaS deployment of Websense solution modules. With TruHybrid deployment, you receive …

If Websense® has already appeared in your text, no need to repeat the ® after subsequent references to Websense. 24/7 Write it this way. U.K. The abbreviation for United Kingdom. Use UK (no periods) in headlines. They visited the U.K. office last month.

HEADLINE: UK Companies See Rise in Cyber Attacks under way Always write this as two words. The transfer of data is under way. up front and up-front When used as an adverb meaning in or at the front or in advance, write it as two words. Customers will have less to do up front. When used as an adjective meaning frank or forthright, hyphenate it.

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He operated in an up-front manner. URL Always capitalize it and do not insert periods. See Internet and hyperlinks. U.S. Spell this out when used as a noun. Always use U.S. as an adjective. Use US (no periods) in headlines. They live in the United States. U.S. Congress U.S. financial markets

HEADLINE: US Firms See Rise in Cyber Attacks

verbs In general, avoid awkward constructions that split infinitive forms of a verb (to leave, to help, etc.) or compound forms (had left, are found out, etc.)

AWKWARD: She was ordered to immediately leave on an assignment. PREFERRED: She was ordered to leave immediately on an assignment. AWKWARD: There stood the wagon that we had early last autumn left by the barn. PREFERRED: There stood the wagon that we had left by the barn early last autumn.

Occasionally, however, a split is not awkward and is necessary to convey the meaning: He wanted to really help his mother. Those who lie are often found out. The budget was tentatively approved. versus Means in contrast to or as the alternative. She supported free trade versus protection. Spell it out in ordinary speech and writing.

They welcomed the proposal to revamp Medicare versus proposals to reform Medicare and Medicaid at the same time.

In short expressions, however, the abbreviation vs. is permitted.

The issue of guns vs. butter has long been with us.

For court cases, use v., as in Marbury v. Madison. voice-over Write this as one word with a hyphen. voice mail Write this as two words. Washington Use state of Washington or Washington state when referring to the state of Washington. Use Washington, D.C., or District of Columbia when referring to the U.S. capital. Do not abbreviate Washington when referring to the nation‘s capital. Washington, D.C. Abbreviate as D.C. when used in conjunction with Washington, D.C. Spell out District of Columbia when used alone. Use the district, rather than D.C. in subsequent references. Always use a comma before and after D.C. If you use Washington, D.C., in a series, remember to add the semicolons to separate the other items in the series.

I stopped in Washington, D.C., and then flew to Paris. The tour stops in Washington, D.C.; New York; and San Francisco.

Web Capitalize the first letter of this word when it stands alone.

All businesses need a presence on the Web these days.

See Internet, technology terms and URL.. Web fields and Web screens Write them like this. See online instructions.

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webinar Write it like this. Web page Write it like this. Websense Take care when using the term Websense by itself that you do not create an ambiguity that will puzzle the reader or weaken the brand. Websense, Inc. is the name of the company, and Websense Web Security is the name of a product. Do not refer to products as ―Websense‖ as seen in this sample:

INCORRECT: Instances of infection have dropped significantly since the installation of Websense.

Websense should never be used in the possessive form when used in the context of describing our products or services. It may only be used in the possessive form when referring to Websense as a company.

INCORRECT: Websense‘s security solutions are the best in the industry.

(Here we‘re talking about our capabilities) CORRECT: I just read Websense‘s announcement about security risks at work. (Here we‘re talking about Websense as a company.)

Websense product names must include Websense as part of the name on first reference.

There‘s an excellent hosted security solution on the market called Websense® Hosted Email Security.

websense.com In marketing materials, write the URL for the Websense Web site like this without the www. For more details, visit us at websense.com. WebsenseConnect This is the company newsletter sent to the public. Write as one word, with no space.

Web site Write it like this. white paper Write this as two words. who and whom Use who when referring to the subject of the sentence. The woman who came to Websense completed her application.

Who is greeting the attendees?

We will select whoever meets our system requirements.

Use whom when someone is the object of a verb or preposition.

The woman to whom the lunch was served was a customer.

With whom do you wish to speak? I will hire whomever you recommend. workday Write this as one word. work force Write it like this. The Websense work force is highly diverse.

workout Write this as one word when referring to the noun describing an exercise, plan, or test. The volunteer event was quite a workout.

Write this as two words when used to mean solve or develop or engage in a workout. Did you work out the problem? She worked out at the gym. workplace Write this as one word.

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year-end Write it like this when year-end is used both as a noun or adjective. We‘ll finish the project by year-end. Our year-end delivery date is December 23. years Use figures without commas to represent a year, such as 1993. Use an s without an apostrophe to indicate spans of decades or centuries, such as the 1980s or the 1900s. Use an apostrophe to indicate numerals that are left out.

She was a graduate of the class of ‘89. (use the single-closing quote)

You may start a sentence with a year, which is the exception to the general rule that you should not start a sentence with a number. 2009 has been a very good year. Offset years used with a date with commas before and after the year.

She was born May 3, 2006, and died May 5, 2090.

See apostrophe, dates, and numbers and numerals. zero-day Write it like this in lowercase and hyphenated. Use zero-day as an adjective. We protect against zero-day threats. ZIP codes Use all-caps ZIP, but lowercase the word code. Be sure to include your ZIP code. Run the five digits together without a comma, and do not put a comma between the state name and the ZIP code. New York, NY 10020

Use of the four-number addition to the standard five-digit ZIP code is recommended to accelerate postal delivery. Here is a list of state ZIP code abbreviations:

AL (Alabama) AK (Alaska)

AZ (Arizona) AR (Arkansas) CA (California) CO (Colorado) CT (Connecticut) DE (Delaware) FL (Florida) GA (Georgia) HI (Hawaii)

ID (Idaho) IL (Illinois)

IN (Indiana) IA (Iowa)

KS (Kansas) LA (Louisiana) ME (Maine) MD (Maryland) MA (Massachusetts) MI (Michigan) MN (Minnesota) MS (Mississippi) MO (Missouri) MT (Montana) NE (Nebraska) NV (Nevada) NH (New Hampshire) NJ (New Jersey) NM (New Mexico) NY (New York) NC (North Carolina) ND (North Dakota) OH (Ohio)

OK (Oklahoma) OR (Oregon) PA (Pennsylvania) RI (Rhode Island) SC (South Carolina) SD (South Dakota) TN (Tennessee) TX (Texas) UT (Utah) VT (Vermont) VA (Virginia)

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WA (Washington) WV (West Virginia) WI (Wisconsin) WY (Wyoming) See Washington, D.C.