Guest Author - Gregory A. Kompes



March 2008 Distance Learning Site of the Month

The developers of the Plain Language.gov website are a group of federal employees from many different agencies and specialties. Combined, they're the Plain Language Action and Information Network (PLAIN). Started in 1994 to serve federal advocates for clarity in government, students and volunteers have restructured and revamped the site to make it more useful and user friendly.

Plain language (also called Plain English) is communication your audience can understand the first time they read or hear it. Written material is in plain language if your audience can:

• Find what they need;
  
• Understand what they find; and
  
• Use what they find to meet their needs.

Originally called the Plain English Network, the Plain Language Action and Information Network (PLAIN) has been meeting informally since the mid 1990s. Their goal is to promote the use of plain language for all government communications. They believe that using plain language will save federal agencies time and money and provide better service to the American public by

• offering limited editing services to all federal agencies
  
• sponsoring occasional seminars about plain language
  
• commenting on agency documents, especially regulations
  
• offering a short half day introduction to plain language free of charge to any federal agency

The usefulness of plain language extends well beyond government agencies. While the goals of PLAIN are geared toward the federal government, the resulting Website is a large collection of information that online teachers and online course developers will find helpful.

Plain Language Topics covered in depth on the Plain Language Website include:

• History of PL Movement
  
• Definitions of Plain Language
  
• Government Mandates
  
• Examples
  
• Before-and-After Comparisons
  
• Government Examples
  
• Legal Examples
  
• Award-Winners
  
• Humorous Examples
  
• Examples Database (beta)
  
• What's This?
  
• How To/Tools
  
• Quick Reference Tips
  
• Guidelines
  
• Word Suggestions
  
• Dictionaries, Thesauruses, Grammar Sites
  
• Tips for Starting PL Programs
  
• Why Plain Language?
  
• Benefits
  
• Arguments in Favor of PL
  
• Testimonials
  
• Usefulness in Web-Writing
  
• Using Plain Language in...
  
• Government
  
• Legal Profession
  
• Private Sector
  
• Sciences
  
• Resources
  
• Books, Articles, Journals
  
• Materials for Trainers
  
• Quotes
  
• Federal Plain Language Guidelines
  
• Word version of full Guidelines
  
• PDF version of full Guidelines