Chapter 4 - What's In a Word?
Writing
for the Web
Writing for the Web is different. Sentences should be direct and
short.
Since reading from a flickering monitor is difficult, long sentences, such as this one, and sentences with passive voice, also like this one, and sentences with dependent clauses, also like this one (and parenthetical remarks, unless they are a lot shorter than this one) are to be avoided.
See what I mean?
Break up the paragraphs
One of our most cherished ideas in writing is that paragraphs should contain
one idea. Use a topic sentence, add supporting data and move on.
This is still true on the web, but instead of keeping all of our sentences on one topic inside a paragraphs, you should break them up.
After one, or at most two, sentences, put a break.
At the head of the group of sentences that would formerly have been a paragraph, put a bolded subheader, like the one above.
This helps readers who scan. It also helps readers who read carefully but who must do it on a CRT monitor.
See:
- Jakob Nielson on writing for the web
- From A List Apart - Mark Bernstein
- Writer's Resource Center | Writing for the Web as a Career
- Steve Krug Don't Make Me Think Chapter 5
- Computer Haiku
Headline writing is an art form
The smaller the space you try to fit information in, the more thought
you have to put in to the words you use.
One of the best kinds of things to put on your home page are "teasers," short samples of the information to be found on other pages. Here is where you can really test your writing skills.
Would you be more likely to read a story with the headline "President Announces 4th Quarter Results" or one that says "President Says Sales Higher Than Expected."
Find the angle that means something to people, and put it into the fewest words possible.
Labeling is crucial
Perhaps you don't think of deciding what words go on buttons as "writing,"
but it is.
If it makes your job easier, think of labeling as a kind of haiku, where you suggest entire universes with an economy of utterance: "Contact Us" suggests action and friendliness and a team ready to help, whereas "Contact Info" suggests that you're on your own, kid.
Generally choose the shorter, more common word instead of the lengthier, more latinate one.
Avoid jargon - usually
If your site is for the general public, avoid jargon at all costs.
It's hard to imagine that some people have no idea what a CPU is, or RAM or
ROM, if you work in the computer industry, but you have to become aware of
your own use of jargon and learn to translate back into a more broadly shared
vocabulary.
If, however, your site is for internal use only, or targeted to a special audience, the jargon may in fact be a wonderful shorthand. It may be clearer and more specific than the common word.
I recommend setting up a page of translations to assist newcomers - an Acronym Alert page, for example.
Discussion:
1. Sorting and Labeling Challenge
2. Paragraph Re-write
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