People read differently on the Web

• It’s harder to read on screen than on paper
• The extra effort reading on the Web requires slows readers down
• The longer the document, the bigger the problem
• Readers scan Web pages. They look at headings and subheadings first
  You must overcome a reader’s impatience by keeping things brief and simple
  

Shorter is Better

• Documents intended for online reading should rarely be longer than 1,000 words
• A good target length is 600-700 words

If it is possible to cut out a word, always cut it out

Shorter sentences can be more powerful. See the below example from the January 7, 2001 New York Times.

LONG
Washington, Jan. 6—One thing is already clear about how President-elect George W. Bush intends to govern the nation: state and local officials will have far more leeway to shape and operate the full range of federal social, regulatory, and public works programs.

vs.

SHORT
Washington, Jan. 6—One thing is clear about how George W. Bush intends to govern: state and local officials will have more leeway to shape and operate federal social, regulatory, and public works programs.

By cutting out unnecessary words, The SHORT sentence decreases the content of the LONG sentence by 23 percent.

Be Direct

• People on the Web are usually looking for particular information
• “Getting to the point” and going no further allows readers to find what they need and move on
• The best way to write for the Web (especially business writing) is to begin with the shortest and clearest statement you can make about your topic
  

“Begin at the beginning and go on till you come to the end: then stop.”
(delivered by the King of Hearts to the White Rabbit in Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.)

Web Headings that Work

Headings should be short and direct

• On the Web, you “live or die” by your headings
• Headings should use key words or phrases to immediately tell the reader what will appear below
  

Use powerful language

• Nearly all good headings have some kind of power in their language
• Do not “undersell” your content
• Use active, rather than passive verbs.

Example: say “Ad agencies cut jobs.” NOT “Layoffs announced by some agencies.”


Use Subheads

• Subheads should pick out a word, phrase, or idea from the following few paragraphs that will make the reader want to keep reading
• Subheads don’t need to be dramatic, just get the reader’s attention
• You should insert subheads often enough so that a reader never scrolls more than a screen and a half without seeing one
  

Web Paragraphs are Different

• Web paragraphs are as much visual as they are verbal
• Paragraphs should average around 50 words
• On the Web, shorter is better
  

Keep Your Sentences Simple

• Keep your sentences short and simple
• Communicate as quickly and efficiently as possible

Editing Yourself

After completing your text, ask yourself these four questions:

1. Is this clear?
2. Is there a simpler way to say this?
3. Is there a shorter way to say this?
4. Is this necessary?

For more on the subject, read The Web Content Style Guide, An Essential Reference for Online Writers, Editors and Managers,
by Gerry McGovern, Rob Norton and Catherine O’Dowd, © 2002, Prentice Hall.

More Writing Tips

Commonly Misspelled/Misused Technology Terms

E-mail

- At the beginning of a sentence or in a title/header, use E-mail (capital E)

- In the body of a sentence, use e-mail (lower case e)

- Do not use email

Web and Web Site

- Web is spelled with a CAPITAL “W.” Do not use web

- Web site is two separate words

- To use in a title/header, use Web Site (capital S in Site)

- In normal use, use Web site (lower case s in site)

Home Page

- Home page is two separate words

- To use as a title/header, use Home Page (capital P in Page)

- In normal use, use Home page (lower case p in page)

- Do not use homepage

Listing of Common Computer Terms

- Is located at: http://ais.its.psu.edu/online_documentation/web_style_guide.html#terms

Grammar, Spelling and Style

Punctuation

- Place only one space after a period

Spelling

- Make a habit of running a spell check before submitting your content for edit. In the Text Editor, click on the spell check icon, , found in the toolbar.

Links within your Text

- Test all hyperlinks within your text before submitting for edit

Titles of Systems and/or Services

- For new pages/documents, spell out names of a system and/or service in

conjunction with its acronym. This should be done the first time the

system/service is mentioned on the page. Example: Integrated Business

Information Systems (IBIS). For further use on the page, simply use

the acronym.

Required Elements

Taken from the AIS Web Style Guide: http://ais.its.psu.edu/online_documentation/web_style_guide.html

- Web sites at Penn State are expected to adhere to the highest levels of quality, and to abide by the minimal guidelines on the proper display of the Penn State mark contained in this guide. While department and other units of the University are free to develop or modify their own sites, if these sites are determined by the Department of University Publications to have elements that conflict with University style guidelines, the site's managers will be required to make the necessary improvements.

- As with print publications, any questions that arise about proper graphic use on Web pages may be referred to the departmental Univ. Editor (Anissa Rupert).

- As a general matter, it is recommended that Web pages under the purview of an academic department provide a complete and current list of their faculty, including biographies or curriculum vitae. The department head should monitor pages posted under the department's authority, for compliance with University graphic style guidelines. Faculty pages, particularly those that report on research findings, should be in full compliance, particularly with regard to the use of the official Penn State mark.

User Documentation

- Samples of proper User Documentation. Note use of outline structure and ‘notes’

• http://ais.its.psu.edu/aims/aimsguide.html
  
• http://ais.its.psu.edu/aims/aimsprinting.html
  
• http://ais.its.psu.edu/generalized_interface/media/TechDoc.pdf

Document Formats

- Documents should be submitted in either Word format or as an HTML page(s). *NOTE: If a document is subject to frequent adjustments or will be printed by users, Word format is suggested for its ease of use and printability. If a document contains more than 1,000 words, it should be submitted as an HTML page, or converted to PDF format by the editor (See **note below)

- HTML versions of content preferred over downloadable media

- No PowerPoint presentations unless information isn't readily available on the AIS Web site. Those PowerPoints used must be reviewed by the editor prior to releasing

**NOTE: Those documents used for final documentation, i.e. user documentation that will not change, Annual Report, etc., may be converted in PDF format by the editor. Viewing of these documents from the Web requires Adobe Reader.

For more information on writing for the Web and other style guidelines: AIS Web Style Guide