How to Write for the Web

Taken from:

Concise, SCANNABLE, and Objective: How to Write for the Web by John Morkes and Jakob Nielsen

Short Version

Writing for the Web: Guidelines

Evaluation:

·        The strength of your argumentation and the plausibility of your thesis!

·        The selection and presentation of information and proof for your arguments.

·        The implementation of your argument and the necessary information in a web-adequate way.

·        Using the resources of the web: links, interactivity and intermediality when adequate.

How to Write for the Web:

·        Conventional Guidelines for Good Writing:

o       Information has to be carefully organized (topic sentence, one thought paragraphs, precise language).

o       Credibility: Citation, using reliant sources, plausibility

o       It is important for a writer to know the audience

·        Web-specific Guidelines:

o       Scannability  (bulleted items, highlighting, paragraphs, headlines, dividers)

o       Short Texts

o       Objectivity

o       Clarity

o       Down-to-earth language

o       Hypertext

o       Well-organized sites that make information easy to find

o       Summaries, abstracts, keywords, conclusions upfront (i.e. inverted pyramid style)

o       Pictures and Graphs to complement the writing