Writing for the Web Remember that web users

Writing for the Web Remember that web users: • graze, pulling out what’s meaningful or useful to them and ignoring the rest • can enter your site at any page • read about 25% more slowly from screens than from paper and find it painful to read too much text • are impatient and critical -- they have something they need to know • can rapidly lose trust in you if you don’t deliver

Writing for the Web 1. As Gayeski says, think “branchingly. ” Make sure content makes sense from all possible starting places. 2. Keep individual segments short. . before providing some opportunity for interaction and choice

Writing for the Web 3. Present your thoughts in small “chunks. ” Don’t incorporate too much text into any one screen -- it’s both easier to read and more aesthetically pleasing. 4. If something is written out elsewhere, make a link rather than repeating.

Writing for the Web 5. Use short sentences and paragraphs. Complex and convoluted writing is even harder to understand online. 6. Do not use clever or cute headings. Users scan these to pick up the meaning of the text 7. Avoid long screens of scrolling text.

Writing for the Web 8. Put your most important point or key concepts in the first 50 words. Many search engines grab the first sentence or two 9. Avoid things like puns. International visitors to your site may not understand 10. Use inverted pyramid style of writing -- give them your conclusions first.

Writing for the Web 11. Add boldface and italics discretely to aid the eyes. 12. A lighter, less formal writing style is appropriate. 13. Make each page stand alone. 14. Be sure to provide your name and e-mail address.

Writing for the Web 15. Remember that the size of type on a reader’s screen is controlled by things you have no control over.

Writing for the Web Develop good questions • Construct questions that really find out if the user knows the important content. • Be sure question statements are short and clearly worded. • Do not provide clues to the answer.

Writing for the Web Develop good feedback • Generally, give feedback right after a response. • Make your feedback user-polite. • Be sure question statements are short and clearly worded. • Make feedback on incorrect items specific (and helpful) to the user’s response.

Writing for the Web Develop good feedback (cont. ) • Consider not telling learners what the right answer is immediately. • Encourage learners to reflect on their own choices, and the reasons for those choices. • Don’t make feedback annoying or repetitive.