Web FundamentalsTraining Series
Writing for the Web
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What We’ll Be Covering…
Web Writing VenuesWriting FormsInformative Writing for the WebThe Web Audience
• Propriety & Professionalism• Typos & Grammar
Proofreading Technology• Ex. 01: Enabling Spell Check• Ex. 02: Using Spell Check
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Web Writing Venues
Despite the audio and visual capabilities of the Web, text publications are still quite popular
There are many venues on the Web that work well for different forms of writing
• Blogs– Short for “Web Log”– Can be corporate or personal, text based or multimedia– Can consist of any writing form
• Forums– Also known as discussion boards or newsgroups– Allows for categorized discussions– Usually shorter than blogs, often Q&A based
• Page– Content typically does not change often: Ex.: an “About Us”
page– Often linked to Blogs and / or Forums
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Writing Forms
Many different forms of writing exist• Informative
– Informs or explains: Journalism, Technical Writing, White Papers
• Persuasive– Persuades: Marketing, Legal Arguments, Political Speeches
• Narrative– Tells a story: Short Stories, Novels, Personal Accounts
• Descriptive– Describes with sensory details: Poetry, Prose, Lyrical Music
These forms are not cut and dry. All can, and often do, contain elements of each other
For our purposes, we will focus on Informative writing
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Users in search of information usually want to find what they are after within 3-4 mouse clicks
• Keep introductory text concise and to the point• Avoid slang terms and long sentences
Users typically scan a page, versus reading word for word. Scanable text should be used.
• Use meaningful subheadings• Use bulleted lists and/or lists to links• Use links where appropriate
– If acronyms are used, provide an expansion and some sort of definition
• Use half the word count or less than conventional writing• Use one idea per paragraph – don’t ramble
Informative Writing for the Web
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The Web Audience
Web publication is intended for many people to see• Your employer• Your colleagues• Your family
On a publicly accessible website, your publications can be viewed by the world
• Your customers & suppliers• Law enforcement agencies
Informative material should be scrutinized for both content and errors before publication
• Overall Propriety & Professionalism• Typos & Grammatical Errors
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Propriety & Professionalism
Don’t be casual when you should be professionalPropriety: The customs and manners of polite society
• The “Wouldn’t – Shouldn’t” Rule– If you wouldn’t show your grandma, you probably shouldn’t
publish– For further information regarding acceptable information
systems use at OSU, please read OSU’s Acceptable Use of University Computing Resources policy
Professionalism: The conduct, aims, or qualities that mark a professional person
• Provide citations or links to original works where applicable• Writing is organized and free of typos and grammatical errors
– Use spell check, or– Ask someone to proofread for you
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Proofreading Technology
The easiest way to check written material for typos and incorrect grammar is to use a spelling and grammar checking feature
Many Web applications, from e-mail to web browsers to content management systems, have some form of this tool
If your application does not have a spelling and grammar checking feature, MS Word can always be used, as shown in the following exercise
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Ex. 01 Enabling Spell-Check
Generally, MS Word comes standard with spell-check enabled. If spell-check has been disabled, it’s easy to turn back on
To turn Spell Check on:1. Open MS Word2. Left-click on Tools3. Left-click on Options4. The Options Dialog Box
opens5. Left-click on the Spelling &
Grammar tab6. Ensure the Check Spelling
as you type, Check grammar as you type, and Check grammar with spelling options are checked
7. Left-click on OK
1
4
3
25
6
7
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Ex. 02 Using Spell-Check
Before we start…• Spelling and grammar checking tools are very helpful, but
not perfect• Homonyms, words that sound the same but have different
meanings, can sometimes slip by– To, too, two– Wait, weight– Some, sum
• Spelling and grammar checkers are great preliminary tools that catch the obvious but the results should always be double-checked
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Copying Text from a File
1. Open the Notepad file preamble.txt
2. To select all of the text use the shortcut keys Ctrl + A or :1. Left-click on Edit2. Left-click on Select All
3. All text will automatically be selected
4. To copy text, use the shortcut keys Ctrl + C or :1. Left-click on Edit2. Left-click on Copy
12.1
2.2
3
4.1
4.2
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Pasting Text Into MS Word
1. If MS Word is not open, open it
2. To paste text, use the shortcut keys Ctrl + V or :
1. Left-click on Edit2. Left-click on Paste
3. Any spelling and/or grammar errors will immediately show with squiggly underlines
1. Spelling is red2. Grammar is green
12.1
2.2
3.13.2
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Using the Spelling Checker
1. Within MS Word, to open the Spelling and Grammar Checker press F7 or :
1. Click on Tools2. Click on Spelling and Grammar
2. The Spelling and Grammar dialog box opens with the first error showing
3. If the word is actually misspelled… 1. And a correct alternative is available in
the Suggestions box, click on Change2. And no suggestion is available, choose
Add to Dictionary, Ignore Once or Ignore All
Repeat until all errors have been fixed
1.1
1.2
2
3.1
3.2
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Using the Grammar Checker
After the spelling check, the program will automatically select all of the text and perform a grammar check
Grammar errors will show up in green in the dialog box
Upon viewing the results…• If clarification is needed left-click on
Explain• If you don’t agree with the results,
left-click on Ignore Once or Ignore Rule
• If you are satisfied, left-click on Change
Repeat until all errors have been fixed
1
2
3.1
3.2
3.3
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Finishing Up
After the grammar check, a dialog box will appear, informing that the check is complete. Click on OK.
Make sure to double-check the work – note the homonym “too” in the first line of text. The word should actually be “to”
Make any additional changes / corrections that are required
2
1
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Font Selection
The graphic nature of the Web makes it tempting to experiment with different font styles for a unique look.
The problem is…
Not all fonts are created equal
Many non-standard fonts may not be recognized by your web browser, which causes two problems:
• The writing is illegible when viewed• The writing is not searchable
Standard fonts include the basic fonts that are provided by Microsoft and Apple. These are always a safe bet.
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Conclusion
This completes the Web Fundamentals tutorial. For additional tutorials, please visit WebTrain, the CWS web publishing training site, at:
http://oregonstate.edu/cws/webtrain
To submit a Help Ticket to Central Web Services go to:
http://oregonstate.edu/cws/contact
Other OSU resources for web and computer help:
http://oregonstate.edu/helpdocs
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