Copyright Information Today, Inc. May/Jun 2005| [Headnote] |
| Often it's assumed that people who write reports, documents, marketing presentations, and e-mail will automatically know how to write well for the Web. Sadly, this is often not the case. |
Much of the success of your intranet or Web site rests with the words on each page. Despite the importance of the writing, we spend a disproportionate amount of development time on the visual design, labels, and links on the home page. The content of subpages is largely ignored. While it's certainly true that the home page needs attention, this doesn't mean that content and writing can be ignored.
Often it's assumed that people who write reports, documents, marketing presentations, and e-mail will automatically know how to write well for the Web. Sadly, this is often not the case. We need to encourage and foster effective online writing that facilitates "scannable" pages; great headlines; chunked content; wise use of hyperlinks; and effective use of typography, language, and tone to inform the reader. There are dozens of usability studies that point out specific ways to write more effectively for the online medium, yet these findings are rarely passed on to intranet content developers.
As intranet Webmasters, we have to step up to the plate and find ways to promote and encourage excellent Web writing so that the intranet is an effective communication medium. Whether you are the only person who writes for your intranet or are part of a team, there are ways that you can continue to improve the quality and overall effectiveness of your site. Some of the following strategies are geared more toward a team-based environment; others are more suitable for the "solo" Webmaster.
Promoting good writing is especially challenging in larger environments, where the culture of your organization comes into play. Is your organization highly centralized, where a small group of people manages all the material? If so, you are in luck because you only have to work with those few people on the content. Most intranets are highly decentralized, with individual units responsible for their own content. There can be dozens or even hundreds of content contributors. In this case, promoting good writing can be a major challenge, but it can be done. The following 10 strategies are some ideas to help you promote excellent online writing.
EDITORIAL CONTROL AND MANDATE
The first three guidelines focus on establishing the importance of writing and editorial control for content on the Web site.
Number One: Make the case for good Web writing.
There is no way around it, you have to take up the challenge and make the case for writing for the Web. It takes more than technical and visual design skills to create an excellent Web site. Remind people that one of the w's in "www" is writing. Talk about the importance of writing to members of the Web team, your colleagues, and to management. Give concrete examples of how words and good writing made a difference in the use of a page or in increased visitor satisfaction.
Web teams often undervalue the fundamental importance of writing on the Web because it is assumed that people who write for print can "naturally" write well for the Web. This is not necessarily true, but there are specific techniques that can transform traditional writing skills into Web writing skills.
If your colleagues and/or management seem receptive, try to ensure that someone will be responsible for editorial control over the intranet or require an editor for each large section. Having a clear mandate to do this work is very helpful when you're working with lots of content developers.
Number Two: Develop editorial guidelines for your site.
One of the chief failures of many Web sites is not recognizing that the Web is an application and a publication. The publication dimension needs editorial control and management. Whether you're on your own, in a small team, or have dozens to hundreds of content providers, you should develop editorial guidelines.
Editorial guidelines can address questions as varied as:
* How will you handle abbreviations?
* How will you format headings, bullet points, and numbering on this site?
* What rules will you follow for punctuation?
Editorial guidelines should include a dictionary of preferred terms. As intranet users move from page to page within the site, they should see the same sitewide functions or service labeled in a consistent way. Additionally, it is useful to provide a list of jargon and alternative terms if people outside your unit will be using your content.
Whether your guidelines are mandatory or recommended practices depends on your culture. In some corporate and government environments, everything that is posted is vetted by a communications department. If you work in a decentralized environment, invite representatives to come together to help develop the guidelines. Be sure to have some crystal clear examples that show the trouble with non-standard terminology, punctuation, and style. After getting agreement from your working group, post the guidelines as recommendations. You'll find many content providers are appreciative of any help that you can give them.
Number Three: Use a prepublication checklist.
Create and distribute a prepublication checklist. It can cover everything from validating HTML to spell checking, from link checking to editorial guidelines. You can ask questions such as:
* Have you avoided embedding hyperlinks in text?
* Have you avoided dense blocks of text?
* Did you exceed your word count?
* Is the readability score grade 7 or less?
Gerry Gaffhey has posted a prepublication checklist that you can download in Word or PDF that includes both general Web site issues and items related to editorial matters [www.info design.com.au/usabilityresources/gen eral/prepublicationchecklist.asp].
BE INSPIRATIONAL
Often people need to be reminded that writing is important, and they need to be motivated to learn new techniques. They need to know that their efforts will make a difference. Here are some ways to motivate yourself and your co-workers.
Number Four: Lead by example.
Make sure the pages that you work on exemplify the practice of good writing for the Web. Make sure they are succinct, clear, and easy to read. For example, be the first to develop your areas according to the guidelines so you can set the example for other content providers to follow.
Number Five: Promote good writing.
Send out regular tips, or even a regular newsletter, on Web development. Make sure you include tips on writing. Sprinkle in quotes from usability studies and point out how others changed their labels, reduced jargon, or streamlined pages to improve overall satisfaction and user success. If you see a good article that drives home the importance of writing, send it around.
Finally, if you have an anecdote or story about one of your own users, share it. Stories show why something is important and work better than telling.
Number Six: Recognize good writing and writers.
If you notice that someone has done an excellent job of writing content in a clear, succinct manner, make a point of telling him or her. If you have anecdotal or usability-testing evidence of how well such writing works, share those stories with everyone.
Number Seven: Encourage editing and be the first to offer to edit others' work.
Try to instill a culture of peer editing, where people will ask someone to look over their new page and provide suggestions. Start the ball rolling by offering your pages up first-ask for help by pointing out sections you think could be more concise or where you would like to eliminate jargon. Often the first and second rewrite of a page will result in significant improvements.
NEVER UNDERESTIMATE THE POWER OF TRAINING
Often we're so busy working on our intranet or Web site that we forget to take a time out and think about training. Take time to consider how you might share what you have learned about writing for the Web from your experiences creating content, performing in-house usability tests, reading "how-to" articles and usability reports, and/or taking courses on writing for the Web.
Number Eight: Offer a training session on writing for the Web.
Plan a seminar that focuses on writing for the Web. Consider facilitating a session on usability that discusses labels and content. You can do this in house by developing a seminar or "brown-bag" lunch hour session. Maybe developing a Webcast or small tutorial would work better in your organization. Choose the medium that works best for your organization. You can encourage your content providers to attend workshops or online courses on writing and editing for the Web by sending out announcements describing what is available and finding funding for workshop fees.
Number Nine: Include writing and editorial guidelines in the standard briefing for all new Web site authors.
Work with your intranet team to make sure that new content providers not only receive an account and a password to post Web pages, but that they also have some time with an individual who can describe the editorial guidelines.
Number 10: Invite key content providers to be observers in usability testing.
Seeing is believing. Some people will fail to recognize the problems with writing online until they see actual users failing. Try to have key content providers in your organization take turns observing usability tests and then debrief the session.
CONTINUE TO EXPAND WHAT YOU KNOW
Take time to keep learning about writing for the Web. New studies are always being published. The recent report from the Poynter Eyetrack III study fwww.poynterextra.org/eye track2004/J had several interesting findings about how people read online, including the fact that people spend the most time looking at text on the page. The results of the study have to be used with care. It focuses on news sites, so the findings are most applicable to intranet news pages.
Often you can learn the most simply by formally or informally observing people as they use your intranet. If you can, take part in or establish a program of usability testing. Usability testing can range from the very simple to the complex. At the very least, you can show people a sketch of a new page with labels and content. Ask them "Where would you click to ....?" If they don't recognize the section or the terms you've used, you've learned something! You know that you have to change the wording and/or organization.
Additionally, observe the sites that you visit and try to see them through the eyes of new user. When you spot a well-written, effective site, stop for a moment. Think about what techniques they are using and how you might apply them to your site. Try out some of these ideas in your next design or prototype that you test.
The secret to good writing for the Web is to observe, test, learn, and test some more. Write often. Edit and reedit what you write.
| [Author Affiliation] |
| Darlene Fichter |
| Northern Lights Internet Solutions, Ltd. |
| [Author Affiliation] |
| Darlene Fichter [fichter@lights.com/is president of Northern Lights Internet Solutions, Ltd. |
| Comments? E-mail letters to the editor to marydee@xmission.com. |
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