Web Writers Workshop

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Web Writers Workshop

• Cynthia Ross Pedersen
• Adeo Communications

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Innovative Thinking.Expert Delivery.
Adeo Briefer

• Web development firm since 1995
• Headquarters in Toronto, ON Canada
• eBusiness focused
• Build multi-lingual Web sites, intranets and
  extranets
• Recognized authority on user centric designs
• Work with large scale, bricks-based organizations

• Services include
• Strategy
• Site Application Development
• Tool Vendor Selection
• Content Development
• Internet Marketing
• Usability Testing
• Site Reviews
• Metrics

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Web Writers Workshop
Adeo Briefer

• Designed for planners, contributors writers of
  Web sites and intranets
• Running since 1997 - North America wide

• Presentation version
• In-house session
• Tailored to the organization
• Full day workshop
• In-house session
• Tailored to the organization
• Mix of presentation hands-on exercises

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Who are you?
Adeo Briefer
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Cynthia Ross Pedersen
Adeo Briefer

• Journalist
• Copywriter
• Desktop publisher
• Technical writer
• Web strategist

• Ive given up eloquence in favor of being better
  understood by more people

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Workshop
Agenda

• Why its different
• Web writing style
• Medium
• Architecting content
• Content for Web
• Audience
• Writing guidelines
• Visit examples
• -- Break --

• Your examples
• Text in graphics/Flash
• Customer Emails
• Templates
• Testing metrics
• Closing thoughts

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My 6 Big Challenges

• Barriers to good web writing

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6 Big challenges
Overview

• Ability to read and write

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6 Big challenges
Overview

• Dont care about the audience

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6 Big challenges
Overview

• Lack of creativity in applying technology

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6 Big challenges
Overview

• Content

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6 Big challenges
Overview

• Its a lot of work

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6 Big challenges
Overview

• Time budget

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Why Web is different
Overview

• Online medium
• Difficult to read on screen
• Scrolling issue
• Screens devices
• Structure is different

• Users
• Dont want to read
• Dont read, they scan
• Want fast easy access to information
• Expect explanations
• If they wanted to talk to you they would

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Current thoughts on Web
Overview

• User focused
• Its a listening medium its a dialogue
• Its about time saving time, convenience
• Helping people do their job
• Jakob Nielsen HOME RUN

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Usability study, Jared Spool
Overview

• I dont want an experience, I just want to find
  information.

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Everyone needs to know
Overview

• Understand how visitors interact with Web pages
• Understand the opportunities limitations
• Select appropriate material
• Produce appropriate material
• Approve appropriate material

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Lets visit some examples
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The context of Web
Consider

• Informational
• Instructional
• Policy
• Service
• Transactional or workflow
• Research
• News

• Scope
• Internal audience
• Role or Task
• Level of understanding
• Customers
• Individuals
• Companies
• Geographic focus
• Multilingual

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The audience
Consider

• Who are they?
• Are they returning visitors?
• New to Web or experienced?
• What do they want?
• How do they consume information?

• Looking for news
• Doing research
• Need help
• Applying for something
• Change the expectations

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User configurations
Consider

• User configuration affects content display
• Where do your words show up
• When do your words show up
• Templates designed with limitations in mind

• Screen size, resolution quality
• Different devices browsers
• Connection to the Net (home or work, wireless)

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The medium
Consider

• Hyperlinked, non sequential
• Content presented in connected layers
• A little goes a long way
• Page site sizes variable

• Interactive
• Search engines defeat structure
• Easy to change
• Its new

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Architecting content
Approach

• Structure your content by how it will be used
• Page flow should reflect workflow
• Make the structure of the site obvious
• Labeling or taxonomy
• Order
• Most important to least important
• General to specific

• Put yourself in the users place answer their
  questions at appropriate times
• Make sure there is valuable content on every page
• Key is content architecture sharing

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Content for Web
Approach

• Simplicity in approach
• 2 lines off the top to explain what youre
  offering
• Emphasis on mini-content scalable content
• Content presented in connected layers

• Watch words on both informational transactional
  pages
• Online reading vs. online distribution

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Choosing a format
Approach

• Native file for download
• PDF version
• Online version
• Use words or convert to a feature

• Webby content
• Snippet
• Summary topic at a glance
• Full version
• Tailored version
• Print version
• Email version

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Web Writing Guidelines
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Writing style
Web writing

• Direct/No fluff
• Inverted pyramid
• Its tough to be funny/hip
• Talk to the visitor
• Short pages, Short paragraphs

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Size guidelines
Web writing

• Word length
• Bulleted point length
• Sentence length
• Paragraph length
• Page length

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Creating benchmarks
Web writing

• Find a best practice
• Copy all text into word processor
• Word count will give you quantitative stats
• Grammar check will give you qualitative stats
• Document the benchmark
• Evaluate all similar material against it

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More on style
Web writing

• Mix of headings, paragraphs, bulleted points
• Use upper/lower case lettering
• Consistent spelling
• Other languages need more/less space
• Spell grammar check your work!

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Linking words
Web writing

• Consistent treatment
• Readability
• Keep the link text short
• Link keywords
• Avoid phrases like click here
• Dont overuse hyperlinks

• Navigational elements
• Space often limited
• Taxonomy is an issue

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ReWriting in Action
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Bell case study
Example

• Quick Way Pilot Service is used to leading the
  way. Usually its with pilot trucks to guide
  oversized vehicles on the highway. These, days,
  its with an innovative mix of customer service
  and marketing - using Advantage Call-Me service.

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Bell case study
Example

• Quick Way recently provided trucking firms with
  Advantage Call-Me cards so drivers could call for
  free to request assistance from Quick Way pilot
  vehicles. Quick Way pays for the call, and gets
  the job.

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Bell case study
Example

• As Quick Way owner William Gunderson explains,
  Advantage Call-Me service gives his business a
  competitive advantage, an effective marketing
  tool, and helps him provide even better customer
  service.

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Lets visit some sites
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Text on graphics
Text Graphics

• Navigation
• Icons
• Buttons banners
• Illustrations

• Small words, few words
• Consistent labeling
• People see pictures first so use graphics to
  reinforce your words
• Use technical tricks to add words to images
• Add motion to your message through animation
• Remember that some languages take more space than
  others

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Text within Flash
Text Graphics

• Understand what textual treatments work well in
  Flash
• Know your audience
• Make sure the designers/programmers understand
  the audience and your message

• Watch the fonts, size, colour
• Limit the textual content
• Understand the other elements in the movie
  (distraction or aid your message)
• Audio can help your message

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Carrying the concepts to Email
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Communications
Email

• Essential part of intranet
• Use it to drive people to the intranet
• Part of business process with notifications
• Key to customer service
• Timely, informative, to the point

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Guidelines
Email

• Subject line is key
• Short is sweet
• Simple, direct message
• Narrow columns (newspaper)
• Break apart sections
• One subject vs. multi-subject messages
• Message, attachment or link
• Respect netiquette
• Email is not a memo or a flyer!

• No Spam!

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Consumer email
Example

• I recently had a can of your pie filling which I
  felt was not good and hence having dumped it into
  the shell ended up throwing both in the garbage.
• It was runny and very dark in colour, not the
  usual bright red. I am providing all of the
  numbers from the can so that you might explain
  why this particular can of filling did not meet
  the quality I have come to expect.
• The numbers are as follows 37 274 2024 87 3,
  cor 65 0 67324208 and 72 75 CHP1828

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The response
Example

• Thank you for visiting our web site. We enjoy
  hearing from consumers who appreciate the quality
  of our products and are concerned that your can
  of company namePie Filling did not meet your
  expectations.
• The production code which you provided indicates
  that the filling was quite old. We recommend that
  our fruit fillings be used within two years of
  production for best quality. After this time, the
  flavour begins to lose its freshness and the
  colour darkens. Although the filling is still
  safe to consume, we recommend that it be
  disposed.
• It is important that both retailers and consumers
  constantly rotate the canned goods on their
  shelves to ensure that no can awaits consumption
  for over a year. We apologize for your
  disappointment and inconvenience, and would like
  to forward coupons for three company name
  products of your choice, which we hope you will
  enjoy with our compliments. We are confident that
  the products will meet your expectations. Please
  email your current mailing address, so that we
  may forward the coupons to you.
• We appreciate your interest in our company and
  our products. Thank you for your inquiry.

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The response revised
Example

• Thank you for contacting us. We are concerned
  that your can of company namePie Filling did
  not meet your expectations.
• The production code which you provided shows that
  the filling was quite old. We recommend that our
  fruit fillings be used within two years of
  production. After this time, although the filling
  is still safe to consume, the flavour begins to
  lose its freshness and the colour darkens.
• We apologize for your disappointment and would
  like to forward coupons for three company name
  products of your choice, which we hope you will
  enjoy with our compliments. Please email your
  current mailing address, so that we may forward
  the coupons to you.

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Templates

• Supporting your words

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A template approach
Templates

• Gives a consistent and professional look
• Reduces the work
• Eliminates time consuming decisions
• Gives you a framework for intranets web sites
• Feature of content management tools

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Standardized elements
Templates

• Elements used for navigation
• menus, navigation bars, header bar
• icons
• Match communications standards
• Provide graphical features
• Preserve look, size, quality save time

• Containers for text incorporating best practices
• Section pages
• Content pages
• Single column
• 2 or 3 column
• Special layouts

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Writing for templates
Templates

• Keep templates in mind as you select material
• Prioritize your content putting the good stuff up
  top
• Add annotations for the Web publishers
• Use the templates as they were designed and
  intended

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How do you know it works?
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Usability testing
It works

• Testing
• Navigation
• Content
• Readability Comprehension
• Processes
• Qualitative quantitative goals
• Selecting the testers (different groups
  represented)
• Facilitating the sessions but users surf as
  individuals
• Emulate or test in their environment

• Test multiple approaches
• Only needs a few users
• Build it into the process
• Act on what you learn

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Metrics
It works

• Traffic per page or section
• Duration of visit
• Use it to judge popular/unpopular content
• Click patterns
• What do you do about it?
• Write more of what works
• Fix problems by moving content on the page or in
  the site
• Rewrite portions
• Add or remove links adjust wording

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Dos and Donts
Remember

• Multiple flows access from different points
• Layers with threaded pieces
• More information is better more words is not

• Surf to see what others are doing
• Share ideas best practices
• Use templates
• Test alternate approaches

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Good Web writing
Lastly

• Focuses on the user
• Is appropriate for the medium
• Uses a clear, readable style
• Has valuable, up to date content
• Uses page layouts that ease comprehension
• Comes from good writers
• Costs money and time

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Youre done!

• Cynthia Ross Pedersen
• cindyrp_at_adeo.com
• Adeo Communications