Writing Right for the Web... start with Jakob Nielsen
Headed out to San Diego tomorrow and a Sunday afternoon tutorial at the AMA Symposium for the Marketing of Higher Education on "Writing Right for the Web," still the most popular topic I'm asked to speak about. And just back from giving an on-campus web writing workshop at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University last Wednesday.
And that makes me think about the answer to a common question: where can I go to learn more about this?
Today, you'll find a plethora of articles and books on the subject with a basic web search. But you can't go wrong starting with Jakob Nielsen and his usability-inspired opinions and resources about web writing at http://www.useit.com/papers/webwriting/
Jakob Nielsen... on target since 1997
Start back with articles from 1997 and 1998 and you'll find that not many of the basics from a decade or so ago have changed. And yet, only recently does it seem that people who create websites are starting to pay more attention to the quality of writing that's actually needed to engage people at a website and make them feel comfortable about returning to it again.
The AMA tutorial is special for the 3.5 hour length that matches the time usually available at an on-campus presentation. Simply put, that gives time to review and talk more about the subject, including the popular section on writing for search engines added earlier this year.
Web Writing at CASE V in December
After the long version, it is also a special challenge to narrow the material for a 60 or 75 minute version. The next time for that is at the CASE V district conference in Chicago, December 10. You'll find the description of my session and 7 others that focus on creating more effective websites at http://www.casefive.org/conference/2007/web.cfm
Writing Right for the Web... focus on that and make your website a better place for everyone who uses it.