Web Writing

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Web Writing

• By Mathew Gavin

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Why Web Writing Is Important

• Content is the point of your site. Nice CSS and
  well structured XHTML are virtually useless
  without good content. People come to your site
  for the content it contains, not for good looking
  menus.
• Remember, a computer is different than a printed
  page!

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Avoid using

• Metaphors Some people will take you literally
• Puns Not all users natively speak your language
• Slang If your site is professional the language
  should be also
• Unlabeled measurements price, distance etc
• Unspecific things like here or now

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Things To Know

• 79 of users scan a webpage instead of reading it
  word for word.
• People read 25 slower on a computer screen than
  on a printed paper.
• Web content should have 50 of the word count of
  its paper equivalent.

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Writing for Scanning

• Since users scan instead of read we have to write
  to accommodate them. ways to do this include
• Using lists instead of paragraphs because they
  are easier to scan
• Using bold and italics to highlight keywords
• Using effective link naming
• Using headings and sub-headings to break down
  content
• Consistent use of textual elements

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Paragraphs or Lists

• Since users scan instead of read we have to write
  to accommodate them. ways to do this include.
  Using lists instead of paragraphs because they
  are easier to scan. Using bold and italics to
  highlight keywords. Using headings and
  sub-headings to break down content. Using
  effective link naming. Consistent use of textual
  elements

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Bold and Italics

• Bold conveys importance
• Italics conveys emphasis
• Since users scan instead of read we have to write
  to accommodate them.
• I want that dog or I want that dog

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Link Naming

• Never write Click Here for a link name.
• Links should be brief and meaningful
• Provide information when read out of context
• Explain what the link offers
• Should be 2-5 words at most

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Shorter Is Better

• Users want to quickly get information so shorter
  sentences and paragraphs are better.
• Simple words are better than long ones,
  especially if its a word not commonly used.
  Palliate for example
• Use only the words needed to get your point
  across.
• People only remember 7-10 things at a time.
  Keeping it short helps people remember it.

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Say No To The Passive Voice

• Use action words and avoid the passive
  voice.(except in some places)
• The passive voice is when the object of an action
  is made into the subject
• Why did the chicken cross the road?
• Why was the road crossed by the chicken?
• Passive voice is generally wordier and harder to
  follow.

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Just Relax

• Write the way you talk.
• The web is an informal medium and using a
  conversational tone makes your writing easier to
  read and makes it seem as though you are speaking
  to the user.

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Stay On Topic

• Users come to your site because they think it
  offers something they want.
• So write content that is relevant to what your
  page is about.

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The Inverted Pyramid

• Most important information first
• Additional helpful information
• Extra but not needed information

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Structure

• Avoid walls or big blocks of text
• Indent or put spaces between paragraphs
• Use headings that clearly describe their content
• Use contextual elements properly
• Keep page lengths down, break them up into
  multiple pages

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Proofread

• Always proofread!
• Use correct punctuation
• Having speling or grammitical errors makes ur
  page look unprofessional and will turn readers
  away. Dont rely on a spellcheker to find all of
  youre errors four you.

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F Pattern
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• http//www.efuse.com/Design/effective_writing.html
  
• http//webdesign.about.com/od/writing/a/aa080800a.
  htm
• http//www.sun.com/9807/webwriting/wftw2/html
• http//webdesign.about.com/od/writing/a/aa031405.h
  tm
• http//www.w3.org.QA/tips/noClickHere
• http//www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb/handouts/passivevoi
  ce.html
• http//www.useit.com/papers/webwriting