Writing for the Web

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• Writing for the Web
• CASE III
• February 10, 2009
• Presented by Rosemary Jean-Louis and Barbara
  Obrentz

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Introduction
The Georgia Perimeter College Web site has become
a vital communication tool. It has multiple
purposes for multiple audiences.
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Why it Matters

• More time for faculty and staff when routine info
  and tasks are done on the Web
• The Web works for you 24/7
• Positive experiences through the Web builds
  relationships within institutions and about
  institutions
• A powerful way to accomplish your mission
• Speed of information
• Mobility of population

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Communication LeapsTop Ten
3500 BC The Phoenicians develop an
alphabet 1450 Newspapers appear in Europe 1714
Patent on the typewriter 1843 First telegraph
line 1876 Patent on the telephone 1936 First
programmable computer 1957 Soviets Launch
Sputnik 1982 FCC authorizes cellular
service 1990 Berners-Lee coins the phrase World
Wide Web 1992 World Bank comes online
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Communications Leaps1998-Present

• 1998-2005 The WWW size between 275 million and
  11.5 billion pages
• 1999 the word blog coined
• 2003-2006 Social networking sites such as
  MySpace, Facebook and YouTube launched
• 2007 iPhone offers first mobile, full Web
  browsing
• 2008 Twitter and microblogging takes off
  explosion of online communities/social networking
  sites

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Paradigm Shift 1Web Usage in Early Days

• Standard content was posted into new
• electronic medium
• Web was used as an Electronic Bulletin Board
• Text was static

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Paradigm Shift 2 New Media Model

• Web pages are multidimensional
• Text
• Images
• Audio
• Video
• Interactive elements
• RSS/Twitter feeds
• Blogs
• Podcasts

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Key FindingsPoynter Institute

• People read a high volume of story text in both
  print and online
• People read in two ways methodically and
  scanning
• Alternative forms of reading like QA, timelines,
  short sidebars and lists help readers understand
  information more quickly
• Big headlines and photos attract print readers,
  but directional elements draw online readers
• Photos get a lot of attention
• Eyetrack 07

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Understanding Users

• Usability research
• Three factors caused poor performance
• Insufficient reading skills
• Less sophisticated research strategies
• Dramatically less patience
• Jakob Nielsen, Nielsen Norman Group, 1997, 1999

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F Patterns Three Components

• Users read in a horizontal movement, usually
  across the upper part of the page
• Then they move down the page a little and read
  across again, but not as far across as before
• Users scan the pages left side in a vertical
  movement
• Jakob Nielsen, Nielsen Norman Group, 1997,
  1999

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Implications of the F Pattern

• Users wont read your text thoroughly
• The first two paragraphs must state the most
  important information
• Start subheads, paragraphs and bullet points with
  words that carry the meaning

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Measuring Effectiveness
Researchers measured usability by how successful
users were in accomplishing a given task.

• 5 versions of basically the same web pages
• Three improvements boosted usability 124
• -Concise writing (omit needless words)
• -Objective language no puffery, exaggerations
• -Scannable text
• Source Jakob Nielsen, http//www.useit.com/aler
  tbox/9710a.html

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Measuring Effectiveness
Original copy
Nebraska is filled with internationally
recognized attractions that draw large crowds of
people every year, without fail. In 1996, some of
the most popular places were Fort Robinson State
Park (355,000 visitors), Scotts Bluff National
Monument (132,166), Arbor Lodge State Historical
Park Museum (100,000), Carhenge (86,598), Stuhr
Museum of the Prairie Pioneer (60,002), and
Buffalo Bill Ranch State Historical Park
(28,446). Source Jakob Nielsen,
http//www.useit.com/alertbox/9710a.html
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Measuring Effectiveness
Revised Copy Half Amount of Words than
Original In 1996, six of the best-attended
attractions in Nebraska were Fort Robinson State
Park, Scotts Bluff National Monument, Arbor Lodge
State Historical Park Museum, Carhenge, Stuhr
Museum of the Prairie Pioneer, and Buffalo Bill
Ranch State Historical Park.
Source Jakob Nielsen,
http//www.useit.com/alertbox/9710a.html
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Measuring Effectiveness

• Revised Copy More Concise, Scannable Text, and
• Objective Language
• In 1996, six of the most-visited places in
  Nebraska were
• Fort Robinson State Park
• Scotts Bluff National Monument
• Arbor Lodge State Historical Park Museum
• Carhenge
• Stuhr Museum of the Prairie Pioneer
• Buffalo Bill Ranch State Historical Park

Source Jakob Nielsen,
http//www.useit.com/alertbox/9710a.html
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Scannable Text

• Text that communicates to scanners uses
• Highlighted keywords
• Meaningful headings and subheadings
• Bulleted lists
• One idea per paragraph (users skip over any more
  if they arent caught by the first few words)
• Half the usual word count

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Who is the Audience?

• To whom are your Web pages speaking?
• How does your audience find information?
• What are they looking for?
• What response do you seek?

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What Key Audiences Seek

• Accurate, searchable online directories
• New information
• Benefits of college
• Updated information
• Photos, especially action photos
• Student testimonials
• News releases
• Events
• Universal navigation same on every page
• Consistent look and feel
• Links and cross-references

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Paradigm Shift 3Organizing Content

• Making the jump to a non-linear model

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Inverted Pyramid Style


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Inverted Pyramid Style

• The conclusion or ending comes first
• College welcomes largest class ever.
• Most important supporting information comes next
• Record SAT scores
• Large increase in traditional age students
• New faculty hired

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Chunking

• Segment writing into smaller, coherent units to
  avoid long, scrolling pages. Each page is an
  inverted pyramid connected to the larger subject.
• Try to keep most important information above the
  fold the limit of the initial screen view
  without scrolling.
• Take care not to over-divide your information.
  For critical information, such as Admissions
  Requirements, users will print out and read.

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Redundancy

• Expect related Web pages to have some overlap
• The highest priority is to make things clear to
  your reader
• Try to provide a complete account of the subject
  with an appropriate amount of background or
  detail

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Redundancy Examples

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Links

• A bonus for online writing links invite further
  pursuit of topic or provide additional aspects
• George Landow, Professor of English and art
  history at Brown, named both ends of the link
• -Rhetoric of departure
• -Rhetoric of arrival
• Highlights the need for both ends of the link to
  give users understanding of where they may go and
  why the arrival page is relevant

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Redundancy Examples

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Streamline Content

• Omit needless words
• Keep it simple, unless content dictates otherwise
• Use the active voice
• Speak in one voice
• Put statements in positive form
• Keep to one tense
• Write in a way that comes naturally
• Do not overstate
• Do not affect a breezy manner
• Do not explain too much
• Avoid fancy words
• Be clear
• Elements of Style Strunk White

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Empower the User

• Make sure people know what your site, and each
  page will do for them
• If people need or want to act on your
  information, provide them what they need.
• Give to the college
• Register for class
• Join a student organization

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Proofread and Check

• Read what you have written out loud
• Proofread it backwards, one word at a time
• Double-check all contact information phones,
  email addresses, Web links, and mailing addresses
  
• Know the editorial style chosen by the College
  and stick to it
• Avoid acronyms

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Pitfalls to Avoid

• Visual distraction colored and underlined text
  within a paragraph pulls the eye and disrupts the
  unit.
• Most readers will click on link without ever
  finishing the paragraph
• Disrupting the narrative Links lead to stories
  half-told. Users may follow the link, and
  subsequent ones, and never return to your site

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References

• Elements of Style, Strunk and White
• Dont Make Me Think, Steve Krugs
• AP Style Guide
• Poynter Institute Eyetrak 07
• Jakob Nielsen, Nielsen and Norman
• Catherine Tittle, Technical Documentation
  specialist, Arbor Technicomm
• Nathan Wallace, E-gineer.com
• Daniel Will-Harris E-fuse.com

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Further Reading

• Ragans Web Content Report
• Ragan.com News, Ideas for Communicators
• Edustyle.net Latest web design, content trends
  of higher education sites
• Dont Make Me Think, Steve Krugs
• Net words, Nick Usborne
• Content Critical, Gerry McGovern and Rob Norton
• Killer Web Content, Gerry McGovern
• The Unusually Useful Web Book, June Cohen
• Yale University Press Web Style Guide, 2nd Ed.,
  Patrick J. Lynch and Sarah Horton

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Contact Us
Rosemary Jean-Louis rose.louis_at_gpc.edu Barbara
Obrentz barbara.obrentz_at_gpc.edu Download the
presentation at www.gpc.edu/mpr/presentations.htm
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