#13048
Blurbs: How to Write Them for Web Pages
On the web, a blurb is a line or short paragraph (20-50 words) that evaluates (or at least summarizes) what the reader will find at the other end of a link. A good blurb should inform, not tease. Usability testing will help you determine the best way to lay out your blurbs, but this document will help you write the content.
Jerz, Dennis G. Seton Hill University (2001). Design>Web Design>Writing>Usability
#19629
Instructions: Write for Busy, Grouchy People
People hate reading instructions, and will only glance at them when they are hopelessly lost. By then, they will already be frusrated and behind schedule. Organize your instructions carefully, phrase them clearly, and make them as brief as you possibly can.
Jerz, Dennis G. Seton Hill University (2000). Articles>Documentation>Writing
#19619
Navigation: An Often Neglected Component of Web Authorship
Web authors should follow web design conventions that account for the variety of ways users will try to navigate through their pages. While usability testing is the best way to ensure your site is really operating as you intend it to, this page offers a basic overview of basic navigation principles that most visitors will expect on most pages that they visit.
Jerz, Dennis G. Seton Hill University (2000). Design>Web Design>Information Design>Usability
#19623
Newbie Web Author Checklist: Before You Publish That Project
If you've recently created your first website and you're getting ready to publish it, then this page is for you. I've helped hundreds of people create their first websites, and I really enjoy helping them move from their first tentative forays into electronic authorship to more advanced projects. Follow this checklist before you publish your web project, and you'll avoid many simple technical issues.
Jerz, Dennis G. Seton Hill University (2002). Articles>Web Design>Writing
#13050
Oral Presentations: Delivering Technical Information Face-to-Face
This document describes how to write and deliver a formal oral presentation on a technical subject. The content is the most obvious component of an oral presentation -- after all, if you are talking, you had better have something worthwhile to say. But an oral presentation -- no matter how well-written -- is only as effective as its delivery. If you cannot hold the interest of your audience, your presentation is a failure.
Jerz, Dennis G. Seton Hill University (2001). Presentations>Slideshows
#19630
Employers read resumes in order to find evidence that a particular applicant is well qualified for a particular job. Experience, education, training, and personal qualities relevant to the job are all important. The resume should describe what has led the applicant to where he or she is now.
Wymelenberg, Erin Vanden. Seton Hill University (2000). Careers>Resumes>Writing
#19631
Many employers look for creativity and imagination when the job calls for it. However, it is best to aim for a professional, neat, and organized look for your resume. If you are applying for a job that requires radical creativity, you can always include a portfolio of your wildest, most unbusinesslike work!
Wymelenberg, Erin Vanden. Seton Hill University (2000). Careers>Resumes>Writing
#19628
I regularly ask my students to submit resumes early in the semester. Here are the top 5 problems that typically cause stress for my students (and me) on resumes.
Jerz, Dennis G. Seton Hill University (2001). Careers>Resumes>Writing
#19627
Short Reports: How To Write Routine Technical Documents
This document introduces two basic principles of technical communication -- meeting the reader's needs and using the inverted pyramid. It also describes the section headings typically found in a technical report.
Jerz, Dennis G. Seton Hill University (2001). Articles>Writing>Reports
#19624
Top 5 Web Conventions (Writing and Design)
While following a list of guidelines will not provide you with nearly as much information as usability testing a prototype, this page presents five important conventions for writing and designing web text.
Jerz, Dennis G. Seton Hill University (2003). Design>Web Design>Writing
#19622
Two Kinds of Titles for Web Pages (In-Context and Out-of-Context)
Most writers know the value of an informative title, but many beginning web authors don't know that each web page needs two kinds of titles. The in-context (IC) title always sits at the top of a page, with the rest of the document immediately beneath it. The in-context title of this page is 'Two Kinds of Titles for Web Pages (In-Context and Out-of-Context)'. The out-of-context (OOC) title is frequently displayed by search engines or archive pages, as part of a long sorted list.
Jerz, Dennis G. Seton Hill University (2001). Design>Web Design>Usability
#19626
Usability Testing: 8 Quick Tips for Designing Tests
This document is intended to help beginners design questions to help them conduct a good usability testing session. If you already have a prototype you want to test, you've already drafted a few questions, and you're eager to learn how to make the most of your opportunity to learn from your users, then this document is for you.
Jerz, Dennis G. Seton Hill University (2002). Articles>Usability>Methods>Testing
#19625
Usability Testing: What is it?
Better-written technical documents enable people to work with greater speed, recall, accuracy, and comfort. These qualities, when taken together, make up the usability factor. This document suggests some ways you might conduct tests to measure the usability of your technical documents. It covers the kind of data you should collect, how many test subjects you need, and how you should treat those subjects.
Jerz, Dennis G. Seton Hill University (2000). Articles>Usability>Methods
#22280
A Writing a Mechanism Description: Analyzing the Function, Appearance and Operation of an Object 
This document describes how to write a mechanism description (also called an object description). A mechanism description is a short report designed to convey to the reader a technical understanding of the function, appearance, and operation of a particular object. In one or two sentences, give the reader a quick overview of these three elements, before you lauch into the details.
Jerz, Dennis G. Seton Hill University (1998). Articles>Writing>Technical Writing
#19620
Writing Effective E-Mail: Top 10 Tips
The informal e-mails you exchange with your friends don't have to meet any particular standards, but if you want to be taken seriously by professionals, you should learn proper e-mail etiquette.
Bauer, Jessica and Dennis G. Jerz. Seton Hill University (2000). Articles>Business Communication>Correspondence>Email
#19621
Writing for the Web: Illustration of the Need
Many on-line web tutorials give practical, useful technical advice on everything from non-clashing color combinations to effective uses of animated GIFs, but barely mention writing at all. There seems to be an unspoken assumption that the content will be supplied by the marketing and PR people, by the technoweenies, or worse, the pointy-haired bosses (of 'Dilbert' fame).
Jerz, Dennis G. Seton Hill University (1998). Articles>Writing>Web Design
