Transcript Document

Offered by the Center for Teaching and Learning
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Users SCAN the web (79%)
Credibility is important
Users detest promotional writing style
Users read at most 28% of text
(Source: Jakob Nielsen's UseIt.com)
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Purpose
Audience
Duration
Content
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Write
short
Notice each
section on the
page at the right
is very short.
That’s good.
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I really
mean it.
Write short
Again, each
section on the
page to the right
is very short.
That’s very good.
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Don’t clutter
Too many people want to put way too much on a
page, especially their home page.
Here’s one that didn’t. A successful company:
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“Chunking”
-- another way of
saying “writing
short”
Write small bits of
succinct copy.
Why?
Because readers scan
web copy.
And because it takes
longer to read words
on a screen.
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Chunk? Chunking.
Now, this is a new word.
How long should a chunk be?
1.
Short. Succinct.
2.
One uninterrupted idea.
3.
No transitions from one idea to the next.
(14 words per sentence maximum, according to
American Press Institute)
(Source: Shel Holtz in lecture at UIS, February 2008.)
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Subheads…
remember, readers will scan
This is part of the AARP
home page… Notice the
chunks and subheads on
the left and on the bottom…
www.aarp.org
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Subheads…
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
How to write a clever headline
Read your headline out loud.
Get pumped up before you write
Get to the point. Keep it simple.
Write a bunch of headlines.
Examine your subject.
Write in one or two syllable words.
(Source: By Declan Dunn, The ClickZ Network, Feb 22, 2002)
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Links:
Create links rather
than more copy
whenever possible
Remember,
readers will scan…
The UIS home
page is mostly
hyperlinks. Easy to
navigate.
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Is longer copy EVER OK
on the web?
Yes.
But usually not on the first page.
Because readers scan web copy.
Readers will go to long stuff if they
really want it.
It’s better to start with something
short. Then create a link to the longer
piece. That’s what newspapers and
CNN do.
You get to longer stuff with chunks
and links and subheads.
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Home Page
◦ Subheads
◦ List of related links
◦ Possibly images
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Other Pages
◦ Introductory topical paragraph (95% of readers
read)
◦ List of related links
◦ LOTS of subheads
◦ Possibly images
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Style/Tone
◦ Use actions verbs
◦ Write to your readers – use “you”
◦ Write about your reader
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Organization
◦ Bullet and number lists
 One or two lines
 5-9 items per list
◦ Spacing
 Space between paragraphs or sentences
◦ Use heading styles to separate subhead categories
◦ Use columns to separate navigation and main text
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Revise content with an eye for your audience
and to keep content up to date
Edit for grammar and punctuation errors
Proofread for typos
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Readers usually SCAN web copy. So… write…
1.
Short: Write short -- short sentences, short
paragraphs.
2.
Chunks: Write in chunks.
4.
Subheads: Use subheads, not transitional words.
5.
Links: Use hyperlinks to provide more
information.
6.
Use subheads, chunks and links to direct
someone to more details or longer pieces, first
7.
Contrast home page versus other pages
8.
Write to and about your reader using action
verbs and “you”
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Organize text using bullet and number lists,
spacing, heading styles, and columns
10.
Revise, edit, and proofread.
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Cluttering a page with too many words and
long paragraphs.
Taking something you’ve written for print and
just putting it onto a web site and calling that
your good web site. Instead, use the
principles above and rework your material for
web readability.
Technical references – internet, world wide
web, computers or servers, files, etc.
Underlining text that is not a hyperlink
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Images
Audio
Video
Charts
Graphs
Polls
…but always
remember not to
clutter or “turn off”
your audience by too
many design elements
or text…especially
LOUD, multi-colored,
distracting designs.
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Let’s look at the following bad website examples:
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Let’s look at the following good website examples:
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3.
http://www.angelfire.com/super/badwebs/
http://members.tripod.com/pageantstyle/index.htm
http://members.tripod.com/fuzzymartian/
http://members.tripod.com/bobpelletier/index-2.html
http://www.dokimos.org/ajff/
http://www.our365.com/
http://www.monster.com/
www.uis.edu
One your own, find a well-designed/written website and
poorly designed/written website
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Re-write and format the following:
◦ In order to serve our customers as effectively as
possible, we will begin to offer them several new
options for settling claims starting January 1. One
of these new options pertains to a choice of driveup facilities, which will allow customers to pick the
facility that is most convenient to their homes or
jobs. Another one is a new short-form estimate. In
the past, customers have asked for faster ways to
settle claims. With these new options in place, we
now have a better array of services to meet their
needs.
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Did your revision reformatting look like this?
New customer claims options (as of 1/1):
◦ Drive-up facilities (convenience)
◦ Short-form estimate (faster claims settlement)
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Always brainstorm/pre-write
Remember the10 principles
Never conform to worst practices
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Dunn, Declan. 2002. See The ClickZ Network.
Holtz, Shel. 2008. Lecture at UIS. Also see A Shel of My Former
Self.
MIT Libraries. See MIT's Guidelines for Writing for the Web.
Nielson, Jakob. See UseIt.com
Purdue University. Purdue's Web Writing Tips
Wojcicki, Ed. 2008. Lecture at UIS for PAD 575
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