Hypertext Gardens: Delightful Vistas

The attention of the audience is a writer's most precious possession, and the value of audience attention is seldom more clear than in writing for the Web. The time, care, and expense devoted to creating and promoting a hypertext are lost if readers arrive, glance around, and click elsewhere.

Bernstein, Mark. Eastgate Systems (1998). Design>Information Design>Hypertext

Hypertext Maps

Hypertext mapping has long challenged writers, and perplexed hypertext system designers. Clear, attractive, and informative maps help readers and writers understand the structure of complex hypertexts. Conversely, in the absence of adequate mapping tools, many writers fall back on simplistic link models like sequential lists and outlines.

Bernstein, Mark. Eastgate Systems (2003). Design>Web Design>Hypertext>Sitemaps

The Narrative Web: Beyond Usability and Design

The point is not that we should add stories to our sites to ensnare narrative-starved readers. The point is that the reader's journey through our site is a narrative experience. Our job is to make the narrative satisfying.

Bernstein, Mark. List Apart, A (2001). Articles>Usability>User Experience>Rhetoric

Ten Tips on Writing the Living Web

Some parts of the Web are finished, unchanging creations--as polished and as fixed as books or posters. But many parts change all the time. Learn how that part works.

Bernstein, Mark. List Apart, A (2002). Design>Web Design

Ten Tips on Writing the Living Web

Some websites change every week; many change every day; a few change every few minutes. Daypop’s Dan Chan calls this the Living Web, the part of the web that is always changing. Every revision requires new writing, new words that become the essence of the site. Living sites are only as good as today’s update. If the words are dull, nobody will read them, and nobody will come back. If the words are wrong, people will be misled, disappointed, infuriated. If the words aren’t there, people will shake their heads and lament your untimely demise. Writing for the Living Web is a tremendous challenge. Here are ten tips that can help.

Bernstein, Mark. List Apart, A (2008). Articles>Web Design>Writing