Writing for the Web: What is It All About?  

What is an internet? What is the Web? Why do I care? How will this affect my job in the immediate future? This session is an introduction to the Web for “Newbies” - those who are just starting out, or haven’t started yet. We will discuss the impact of this new technology on our jobs and on our writing.

Yeo, Sarah C. STC Proceedings (1996). Articles>Web Design>Writing

Writing for the Web: Why is the Advice so Scant?

Be careful when you go online searching for advice about writing for the Internet. The literature and composition teachers of the world -- the traditional arbiters of 'good' writing -- have been slow to adapt to the special requirements of electronic text. Turning the pages of a book is still (and will probably always be) the best way to read a novel; after all, the novel was designed for the book -- which was then a 'novel' device. But the Internet has spawned new writing genres (email, instant messages, FAQ pages, annotated lists of links, weblogs, personal home pages) which demand a different writing mode.

Jerz, Dennis G. University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire (2000). Articles>Web Design>Writing

Writing for the World Wide Web

This is a course about writing and the World Wide Web in at least two different and related ways. First, we will be reading, 'browsing,' and writing about the World Wide Web in order to understand how the web works rhetorically. Second, we will be creating web sites that are good examples of effective web sites.

Krause, Steven D. Eastern Michigan University (2005). Academic>Course Materials>Web Design>Writing

Writing for the World Wide Web

Through course readings, class discussion, and web projects, you'll learn to apply rhetorical principles of audience analysis, invention, organization, style, and design to hypermedia authoring; to use hypertext markup language as a presentation tool for publishing on the World Wide Web; to plan and manage web projects; to develop independent learning and problem-solving skills.

Payne, Don. Iowa State University (2002). Academic>Courses>Web Design>Writing

Writing for the World Wide Web

Course goals: to analyze specific audiences and rhetorical situations in the design of large-scale Web sites; to apply the principles of information architecture to the creation of intuitive navigation systems and a seamless user experience; to learn how hypertext markup language (HTML) renders Web pages and supports the use of graphics, video, and other media; and to learn the basics of visual design and production as they relate to Web photographs and graphic images.

Honeycutt, Lee. Iowa State University (2002). Academic>Courses>Web Design>Writing

Writing for the World-Wide Web

Teaches how to apply the principles of information architecture to the creation of intuitive navigation systems and a seamless user experience.

Sauer, Geoffrey. Iowa State University (2004). Academic>Courses>Web Design>Writing

Writing for the World-Wide Web

Teaches how to apply the principles of information architecture to the creation of intuitive navigation systems and a seamless user experience.

Sauer, Geoffrey. Iowa State University (2003). Academic>Courses>Web Design>Writing

Writing for the World-Wide Web

As a student in this course you will have the opportunity to learn to write for the World Wide Web and use appropriate hardware and software.

Tesdell, Lee S. Minnesota State University, Mankato (2003). Academic>Courses>Web Design>Writing

Writing for Your Web Site: What Works, and What Doesn't  

Offers tips for constructing Web sites that cater to users' needs.

Fugate, Alice E. Intercom (2001). Articles>Writing>Web Design

Writing Hypertext Copy

The two pitfalls of writing hypertext copy are links and emotions. Links are a new stylistic element that writers must learn to handle. The emotional problem is harder: we must snap out of the 'host' or 'provider' role, must get away from the excitement of guiding another person through the text, and get back to - just writing.

Degener, Jutta. Technischen Universitat Berlin (1998). Design>Web Design>Hypertext>Writing

The Writing on the Web

Sure, the Web talks a good game with its sound and video and animation and god-awful 3-D interfaces. But lurking beneath all those various bells and whistles is good ol' text. It doesn't have the sinus-blowing sex appeal of Flash or MP3, but text is the stalwart backbone of Web-based content. It rolls up its sleeves and gets the real work done.

Allen, Joshua. Webmonkey (1999). Design>Web Design>Writing

Writing Online In Two Syllables or Less

It's often tempting to write with long, complex words. Perhaps it has to do with how we were taught at school. And sometimes we use long words simply to sound clever.

Usborne, Nick. Excess Voice (2003). Articles>Web Design>Writing

Writing Style for Print vs. Web

Linear vs. non-linear. Author-driven vs. reader-driven. Storytelling vs. ruthless pursuit of actionable content. Anecdotal examples vs. comprehensive data. Sentences vs. fragments.

Nielsen, Jakob. Alertbox (2008). Articles>Web Design>Writing>Usability

Writing the Web: A Step-by-Step Guide, with Resources

This guide is designed for writers who want to design and code Web sites. Originally written for Mike Palmquist's seminar, Writing the Web, offered in Spring 1999, it was last updated in spring 2001.

Palmquist, Mike. Colorado State University (2001). Articles>Web Design>Writing

Writing Web Content  

Content is the most important part of a Web site. If the content does not provide the information needed by users, the Web site will provide little value no matter how easy it is to use the site. When preparing prose content for a Web site, use familiar words and avoid the use of jargon. If acronyms and abbreviations must be used, ensure that they are clearly understood by typical users and defined on the page. Minimize the number of words in a sentence and sentences in a paragraph. Make the first sentence (the topic sentence) of each paragraph descriptive of the remainder of the paragraph. Clearly state the temporal sequence of instructions. Also, use upper- and lowercase letters appropriately, write in an affirmative, active voice, and limit prose text on navigation pages.

Usability.gov (2006). Articles>Web Design>Writing

Writing Well for the Web

Writing for the Web is different. Surfers often have short attention spans, so you have to grab their attention with graphics and great text. Stick with the few tried and true writing tips in this article and you'll be on your way to writing well for the Web. We'll also cover the most common mistakes found on web pages.

Titta, Catherine M. Internet.com (2001). Articles>Writing>Web Design

Writing Well Online: Talent Isn't Enough

Somewhere along the way, I fell in love with the web. Before I knew it, I was a web writer.

Henning, Kathy. ClickZ (2000). Articles>Web Design>Writing

The Writing, not the Words

Individual words are simply tools. Similarly, a particular color is a tool to a painter, and a given note to a musician. To write copy while focused on power words is like painting by numbers. You achieve a recognizable outcome with absolutely no creativity or life. No passion, no originality. Copywriting 'by numbers' may be good enough for some people. But if you have aspirations to write great copy, to make your mark -- you need to think beyond that.

Usborne, Nick. ClickZ (2003). Articles>Web Design>Writing>User Centered Design

The Year of the Blog: Weblogs in the Writing Classroom

While blogs (short for 'weblogs') have been around since at least 1993, something in the stars and planets has just now come into alignment, making blogs rise above the horizon of notice.

Computers and Composition (2004). Articles>Web Design>Writing>Blogging

Your Own Content Epiphany

I have learned that nobody believes a word I say about the importance of content and copy on web sites...until their have their own personal epiphany.

Usborne, Nick. Excess Voice (2005). Articles>Web Design>Writing

Are We Designers or Developers?

On the about page of this site I used to call myself a “developer/designer/occasional writer”. It’s a bit confusing, and I still find it hard to know what to answer when someone asks me what I do for a living. Am I a Web designer? A Web developer? A Web programmer? All of them? Neither? It really is a difficult question to give a simple answer to.

Johansson, Roger. 456 Berea Street (2007). Careers>Web Design>Programming>Writing

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

Writing as an Asynchronous Conversation

Conversation is a theme that flows through all the work we do as technical communicators. Every use of your web site is a conversation started by a busy site visitor.

Redish, Janice C. 'Ginny'. STC Proceedings (2008). Presentations>Web Design>Writing>User Centered Design

Web Content Writing Is Not Technical Writing

We’re all taught that online writing has to be hard hitting and quick because readers scan, and will not invest time in reading a meandering piece. My brain so efficiently crunches data and spits it out in list format, complete with headings and summarized with concise sentence structure, that I have a hard time writing anything else.

Designing User Experience (2008). Articles>Web Design>Writing>Technical Writing

SEO (Search Engine Optimization): Why It Works Best With Quality Writing

Attracting the attention of Google and other search engines is crucial for bringing visitors to your website. To achieve this effectively, search engine optimised copy should run parallel with good website construction.

Ward, Merlin. Webcredible (2008). Articles>Web Design>Writing>Search Engine Optimization