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Writing For the Web For the Win
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Transcript of Writing For the Web For the Win
ALA Annual Conference
Ignite Session
January 31st, 2015
Heidi Steiner Burkhardt
Head of Digital Services
Kreitzberg Library, Norwich University
@heidi_sb
“You have to build your side of the conversation
into the site.” - Redish (pg. 5)
What are they coming to
your website to do?
Identify primary audiences
Demographics
Library Statistics
Surveys somebody else did
Extra Credit: “Your App Makes Me Fat”
Ordering
your content
Essential Message
• Sequence or time
• Audience
• Questions asked in order
• Task (I need to…)
Ordering
your content
Keep it
scannable
• Organize using headers
Keep it
scannable
• Organize using headers
• Highlight keywords
• Use bulleted lists
Keep it
scannable
• Organize using headers
• Highlight keywords
• Use bulleted lists
• One idea per paragraph
• 50% of usual words
It is a
conversation
• We/Us/Our and I/You/Your
It is a
conversation
• We/Us/Our and I/You/Your
• Plain language. Avoid
jargon.
• Use active voice.
Save time
of the reader
• Get to the point and stop
• Use parallel structure
Save time
of the reader
• Get to the point and stop
• Use parallel structure
• Cut unnecessary words
• Space out nouns
Font Choices
• Sans Serifs are best
• All caps is yelling…stay
away
• Use italics sparingly
• Never underline
Links
• No Click Here. Ever.
• Clear, concise and
meaningful
• Words, phrases or a
sentence
• No more than 2/sentence
Heidi Steiner Burkhardt
[email protected] @heidi_sb www.heidisb.com
Works CitedNielsen, J. (1997). How users read on the web. Nielsen Norman Group. Accessed at http://www.nngroup.com/articles/how-users-read-on-the-web/ on 8 May 2014.
-- (2006). F-Shaped pattern for reading web content. Nielsen Norman Group. Accessed at http://www.nngroup.com/articles/f-shaped-pattern-reading-web-content/ on 8 May 2014.
-- (2008). How little do users read? Nielsen Norman Group. Accessed at http://www.nngroup.com/articles/how-little-do-users-read/ on 24 April 2014.
Redish, G. (2007). Letting go of words: writing web content that works. Elsevier: San Fransciso.
Sierra, K. (2013). “Your app makes me fat.” Serious Pony. Accessed at http://seriouspony.com/blog/2013/7/24/your-app-makes-me-fat on 8 May 2014.
Works ConsultedClass notes from Library Juice Academy’s Writing for the Web course with Rebecca Blakiston and Nicole Capdarest.
Editorial Standards for Content on the UAL Website. University of Arizona Libraries. Provided via Writing for the Web Course.
Liegl, C. (2013). Kennedy Library web communications: A simple guide to good web content. Accessed at http://lib.calpoly.edu/about/publications/2013/web_communications_handbook.pdf on 24 April 2014.
Aaron Schmidt http://www.walkingpaper.org/ and
The User Experience Library Journal
column
Nielsen Norman Group http://www.nngroup.com/
Don’t Make Me Think by Steve Krug
Letting Go of Words by Ginny Redish
Further Reading