Susannah Ross
Communication Services

A Simple Guide to Writing for Your Website

by Susannah Ross
(Pearson Education 2001, £7.99)

Table of contents

1. What's so special about the Web? - describes the characteristics of the Web compared with other media.
2. What's your website for? - takes you through the process of sorting out your ideas and rigorously eliminating all but the essential things you want your website to do.
3. Who is it for? - uses exercises to help you focus on your target users and write for them.
4. What's the story? - gives you practical guidance in organising material for a non-linear medium.
5. The language of the Web - looks at the kind of language you should use on the Web and the differences between written and spoken English.
6. Using as few words as possible - gives you tips and exercises to make your writing concise.
7. Choosing the right words - gives you advice on what to avoid and how to improve a piece of bad writing.
8. The functions of words> - reminds you of the mechanics of the language; the grammar.
9. Constructing sentences - helps you put words in the right order and make your sentences flow.
10. Spelling and punctuation - gives you advice on spelling consistently and using punctuation effectively.
11. How does it look? - helps you use layout, fonts and colours to make the most of your words.
12. Writing your home page - tells you what your home page must do if it is to work.
13. Writing summaries, headlines and lists - takes you through three essential skills in Web writing.
14. Editing and maintaining - reminds you that a website is dynamic, not static, and needs constant attention; a good reason for keeping it simple.

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