1. Week Four
Writing For The Web
Wayne MacPhail

2. Overview
• A History Lesson
• Inverted Pyramid Revisited
• Online Voice
• MicroContent
• What Eye Scans Teach Us
• Writing for Navigation
• Writing Links

3. A History Lesson
Or, why you should
never draw a pig in clay.

4. From Oral to Written

5. Token Gestures

6. Early Egyptian Writing

7. Early Media

9. Synoptic Gospels

10. Synoptic Gospels

12. Time to crack
open a beer.
Editoral Comment

13. Says him.
Says me.
Says him.
Says him.
Says him.

14. Illustrated Manuscripts

17. This will kill that
The archdeacon gazed at the gigantic edifice
for some time in silence, then extending his right hand,
with a sigh, towards the
printed book which lay open on the table,
and his left towards Notre-Dame,
and turning a sad glance
from the book to the church,--
quot;Alas,quot; he said, quot;this will kill that.quot;
Notre-Dame de Paris
Victor Hugo

20. Inverted Pyramid
Most Important
Least Important

21. Write Tight
Say what you want to say.
Cut it in half.
Cut it in half again.
Write it.
Cut it in half, twice.
Write. Cut. Twice.

22. Passive vs. Active
Passive
There were a great number of dead
leaves lying on the ground. Active
Dead leaves covered the ground.
Passive
It was not very long before she
was very sorry that she had said Active
what she had. She soon repented her words.
Passive
At dawn the crowing of a rooster
could be heard. Active
The cock’s crow came at dawn.

23. Banish Happy Talk
Hello. Welcome to our new, improved site about gardening in
Canada. We’re sure glad to see you and hope this site
provides you with the tips, message boards and catalogue
guides every Canadian gardener needs! Enjoy your visit and
thanks!!!
New
Message Boards
Tips
Catalogues

24. Microcontent
• Heads
• Subheads
• Marginalia
• Grabber Quotes
• Captions

29. Structure

30. Writing Microcontent

31. Heads and Blurbs

32. Eye Scan Reality

33. Attention Grid

34. Word Scans

35. Eye Scan

36. Key Eye Scan Findings
• Upper left of page gets most attention
• Dominant headlines get first attention
• Underlined heads discourage subhead reading
• Lefthand words in subheads read most
• Shorter paragraphs preferred
• Larger pictures preferred

37. Writing for Navigation
• Consider each button a door sign
• Use the words your users use
• Be consistent page to page
• Don’t make your users go on a treasure
hunt

38. Buttons Like Door
Signs

39. Use words your
users use
Learn more about assistive devices
Find out about our articulation agreements
What accomodations can you expect?
Free devices that can help you succeed.
Turn your diploma into a degree.
How should the college be helping you?

40. Be consistent
Win all your textbooks
Books-for-Free Contest
Win all your textbooks
Win all your textbooks

41. No Treasure Hunts
Main Menu
Documents
Resources
Key Papers
Backgrounders
Need to Know

42. Find the Free Player

43. What’s the Diff?

44. Writing Links

45. Metafilter Goodness

46. Wayne MacPhail
wmacphail@gmail.com
wmacphail