When creating content, creating a clear and consistent feel is incredibly effective. Accurately representing the MTA brand across all mediums of communication allows us to be approachable and dependable technology leaders. The sections below all work together to create clear, engaging, and effective content that facilitates the MTA mission.
Writing Style
Words are just as important as looks — they quite literally allow us to communicate with our members and communities. Written communication with our members and our communities should reflect the mission and values of MTA.
Tone
When writing on behalf of MTA, the tone should be approachable with an element of professionalism.
Here are some tone phrases to think about when writing copy for MTA:
- Community oriented
- Forward-thinking
- Technologically intelligent
- Pioneers
- Connected
Emphasis
See ‘typography’ for fonts to use when creating emphasis.
A key element of the MTA brand is using emphasis. Emphasis draws attention to the core massaging being conveyed. It should be used sparingly, with purpose. Emphasis is predominantly used in headers and subheads and is more infrequently used in the content body.
When inserting emphasis, keep it simple by only emphasizing keywords.
Below is an example header from MTA’s website:
Quality Over Quantity
When writing for minimal space, focus on conveying the desired message as fast as possible. Encourage your audience to keep reading; don’t inundate them with fluff. Avoid overly complex sentences, and keep the call to action above the fold. Rather than placing interjections in the middle of a sentence, lean on an em dash or semicolon for brevity.
Editorial Guidelines
AP style is our baseline — when in doubt, refer to the AP Stylebook for best practices. Below are MTA’s rules for frequently used words and phrases:
Phone Numbers (907) 745-3211
Must be 10 digits. Written with dashes, parentheses around the area code.
Alaska
Do not abbreviate in copy.
Alaskan
Use to describe a person, never a place.
a.m., p.m.
Lowercase, with periods.
co-op
Lowercase, unless used at the beginning of the sentence.
esports
Lowercase, capitalize ‘E’ when referred to in a title.
Fiber to the Home; fiber-to-the-home
Title case when referring to the actual project. Hyphenate when referring to the connection.
internet
Lowercase, unless used at the beginning of the sentence.
lower 48
Lowercase, unless appearing in a title or beginning of a sentence.
totalWiFi
‘t’ is always lowercase, ‘W’ and ‘F’ are always capitalized.
WiFi
Always written as such. ‘W’ and ‘F’ are always capitalized. Both ‘i’s are always lowercase.
Punctuation
Em Dash
Used to separate parenthetical matters or to create simple emphasis. Add a space on either side during use.