1 / 20

Writing for the Web: Basic Principles

Writing for the Web: Basic Principles. A Slide Show by Crawford Kilian. Web Consumers. Lookers: TV refugees Readers: Print refugees Users: Information grabbers Shoppers: Online bargain hunters Listeners: Audiophiles. Web Content Producers. Merchants Governments NGOs Schools Advocates

trinh
Download Presentation

Writing for the Web: Basic Principles

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Writing for the Web: Basic Principles A Slide Show by Crawford Kilian

  2. Web Consumers • Lookers: TV refugees • Readers: Print refugees • Users: Information grabbers • Shoppers: Online bargain hunters • Listeners: Audiophiles

  3. Web Content Producers • Merchants • Governments • NGOs • Schools • Advocates • “Talkers”: Self-publishers, bloggers

  4. Communication Models • Instrumental model: • “Do what I say.” • Constructivist model: • “Is this what you want?”

  5. Web Readers: • Slower readers (-25%) • Skimmers and scanners • Impatient • Addicted to jolts

  6. Text on the Computer Screen • Low resolution = hard to read • Author can’t control page appearance • Print text doesn’t work except in archives

  7. Principles of Webwriting • Orientation • Information • Action

  8. Orientation • Where am I? • What’s this site about? • How do I get around it?

  9. Orientation Elements • Minimalism • Coherence • Headlines, subheads, blurbs, links

  10. Information • What do you have to tell me? • Is it in a format I can use?

  11. Information Elements: I • Who’s your audience? • What’s your “exformation”? • Organization: narrative, logical, categorical? • Clarity • Correctness

  12. Information Elements: II • Hooks: • Direct address • Quotation • Question • Unusual statement • Promise of conflict • News peg

  13. Information Elements: III • Links are self-explanatory • Visit CBC Radio Overnight • Blurbs give more reasons to go there • Great programs for Canadian insomniacs

  14. Information Elements: IV • Chunks • 80-100 words • Break into short paragraphs • Use subheads if helpful • Scrolling Text • Include internal links to speed navigation • Bulleted lists

  15. Action • “You” attitude • Positive attitude • Response cues • Solve a problem • Easy response • Quick response

  16. Editing Webtext: I • Active voice • Concrete Anglo-Saxon words • Strong verbs • Simple sentences (under 20 words) • Short paragraphs (under 5 sentences) • Frequent headings and subheads

  17. Editing Webtext: II • Don’t respect the text! • The 50% rule • Print out to proofread

  18. Edit for Global Readers • Short sentences, real subject first • Positive language • Avoid slang, idioms • Avoid phrasal verbs (write up, write down) • Avoid “miniword” clusters (as a kind of a way to make the reader confused)

  19. The Subtext of Webtext • Register: public or intimate? • Nonverbal message • Can undercut verbal message • Always more trusted than verbal message • Built into site structure and graphics as well as text

More Related