^#294

Get Rid of "Orphans" and "Widows"...
And Stop Them From Cluttering Up Your Site!

By Bill Koelzer

No, we’re not being cruel to the unfortunate; we’re talking here about a web page failure that most agents aren’t even aware of…maybe even YOUR site is a victim.

In publishing terms, an "orphan" is the first line of a paragraph, printed alone at the bottom of a page or column of text.

A "widow" is the last line of a paragraph, printed alone at the top of a page or column of text.

Orphans

You see two columns of type halfway down an agent’s home page. After the last paragraph in the first column ends, there is a space, then a single line of type. (That line is actually the first line of the paragraph atop the right column, but you don’t know that yet.) But there it sits, strangely, at the bottom of the first column, lonely, by itself, abandoned…. looking sadly awkward there.

At first glance, you wonder if it---instead of being part of the next column to the right--- is the first line of a paragraph that the Webmaster forgot to add below it. Or maybe it is a subhead that should stand by itself…which makes you search farther below for what it might refer to.

Within a few seconds you go ah-ha! and finally see that the line is merely an “orphan,” which, in this case, is a line or word that should logically have been where it belongs---atop the first paragraph of the column on the right---but did not quite make it there.

Widows

Let’s say that the agent fixes the orphan problem, but now overcompensates and takes--- what should have been the last line of the column on the left---and now moves it so that it is sitting by itself atop the text of the column on the right. Again, you are confused. Is it a subhead for the paragraph below? Is it a paragraph unto itself? What is it?

We have a similar problem as we did with the orphan…. we have a sad, lonely line that has a story to tell but never quite got to tell it where it would have done the most good--- back at the bottom of the first column, properly attached to the end of the last paragraph there.

Variations on What are called Orphans and Widows:

The Online Consultancy Network Monthly Newsletter gave this additional orphan example:

'It was the best of time, it was the worst of time, it was the
age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch
of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season
of Light, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair,
we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we
were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the

--- imagine a page break ---

other way.'

The Editorial style guide of the University of Oklahoma dictates that a single word alone on the last line of a paragraph must have five or more letters, or it is an orphan. The top sentence at the top of a column must go at least half the width of the column, or it is a widow.

Don’t get too stuck in all these variations. There are many such variations on orphans and widows. Some people even call widows orphans and orphans widows, but essentially they all get back to this: Don’t break up paragraphs; keep stuff that goes with a paragraph with THAT paragraph so you avoid dangling single lines or words at the end of a column, or estranging them at the top of a column. Why? Mostly for less confusion and easier readability!

In your general typing, an easy way to control orphans and widows is to compose your text in Microsoft Word, which has a Widow/Orphan control which prevents these little devils from appearing at the top or bottom of a page.

To activate the widow/orphan control in Word, just go to the format/paragraph menu, which you’ll find under the Line and Page Breaks tab.

You’ll find that switching to the Page Layout View is most helpful when applying page breaks; it will show you exactly how the page will print out so you can avoid orphans and widows.

Orphans and Widows often occur because people are afraid of white space…they think that it is essential to fill up every bit of space at the top or bottom of a Word document. Yet, often by starting a new page earlier, through adding white space at the bottom of a Word page, one can more easily control orphans and widows, and certainly so when using Page Layout View.

Okay, now is the moment of truth. Go to your web site. Look first carefully at your home page. Then at all your other major pages. How many confusing orphans and widows do you see?

Now, take a look at the text on your blog. Look at articles or news releases you’ve sent to media publishers. How did you do there?

Controlling orphans and widows makes you look more professional. And making sure that your text is journalistically formatted correctly is a big part of you looking professional.

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Bill Koelzer is a Web marketing consultant to Web-proficient agents nationwide. He is co-author, with Barbara Cox, Ph.D., of the Prentice-Hall books, "Internet Marketing in Real Estate" and Internet Marketing. Koelzer is also webmaster of Orange County Real Estate - Search MLS, among the most-awarded known Realtor ® sites. Contact info: www.koelzer.com or e-mail him at Bill@Koelzer.com

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