Transcript Writing for the Web - College Communicators Association of

Writing for the Web
Phillip Gravely
Director of Web & Editorial Strategy
University of Richmond
A Few Things to Start…
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What we’ll cover
An acknowledgment…
What does “writing” entail on the Web?
How is it Different?
The way we “read” on the Web
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We don’t “read,” we scan
8-11 seconds: “The Internet Death Penalty”
Users control the experience
Greater variance in knowledge of the medium and skills
Inherently more difficult to read and interact with
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Takes at least 25% longer to read online
Glowing light v. reflected light
Blink rate (5x/min. instead of 20x/min.) = dehydration, strain
Monitors, angle, etc.
Source: Shel Holtz, 2007
How is it Different? (cont.)
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Changes easily
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This is good
This is bad
Interactive
Multiple media (Web 2.0/3.0)
Non-linear
“Endless”
Why Web Writing Fails
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Too much content
Loss of trust
Lack of usability
Inconsistency
Losing focus on the user
Not approached with
thought and care; sloppy
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Rushed
Done by a committee
Everyone thinks they’re a
writer
Too many objectives
Insincere, inappropriate,
overdone language
Content repurposed
incorrectly
Way-finding v. Editorial
Way-finding pages
 Top-level pages; for scanning
 Very little new info
 Show them what’s there
 150 words of body copy maximum!
Editorial pages
 Deeper content
 Visitors will read
 Three screens of scroll…
Three Things…
(the reader always needs to know)
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Where am I?
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What can I do here?
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How do I get back?
Source: Flair Interactive, 2007
Rules and Tips
Keep it brief
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Short paragraphs and sentences
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Use simple sentence structures
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Limit each paragraph to one idea
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Avoid transitions between paragraphs
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Users don’t mind scrolling once engaged, but they
do prior
Rules and Tips
Write for “scannability”
 Use an intro paragraph (95% will read at least part)
 Arrange your content with the “F pattern” in mind
 Subheads and anchor tags
 Use bullet points
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Two lines max. per bullet
Seven items max. in list (3-5 is ideal)
Use the “inverted pyramid” style…begin with the main
point
White space is key
Source: Poynter Eyetrack Study
Rules and Tips
Links, not length
 Use hypertext links
 Link phrases instead of single words
 Stay at the subject level
 “Hear” your links
 Think context and expectation
Rules and Tips
Incite action
 Think: “What do I want them to do?”
 Give them an easy way to do it (call to action)
Rules and Tips
General
 Multiple points of entry to everything
 Make each page within a site independent
 Don’t assume the reader has seen prior pages
 3 screens of scroll at maximum (content pages only!)
 Avoid words/phrases that are specific to the Web
 Find a consistent “voice” for the site
 Define and stick to a writing style
Questions?
Now…
Later…
Phillip Gravely
[email protected]
Social Media
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CAN be a good way to support business
objectives
But…it’s better to have no presence than a
poor one
Keys: be honest, transparent, thoughtful,
respectful
Social Media (cont.)
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Start with: audience, goal, platform, resultsmonitoring plan
Contribute, don’t promote
Respond and encourage
conversation…that’s the whole point
Am I adding value to the “conversation?”
Facebook
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A quick way to share information widely
All about interaction
Post regularly
Leverage existing content
Remember, these are “friends”
Great feedback channel
http://www.istrategylabs.com/2009/07/2009-facebook-demographics-and-statistics-report-513-growth-in55-year-old-users-college-high-school-drop-20/
Twitter
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Audience: mid-to-late 20s
140 characters…”what’s happening?”
Post regularly and consistently…is a
commitment
Immediately relevant and “shareable”
Only as good as the people who follow you
Great feedback channel
YouTube
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Video content is huge (it’s not reading)
Hosting content is all part of it
Create a channel
Create playlists
Have content!
Questions?
Now…
Later…
Phillip Gravely
[email protected]