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Writing for the Web

Written by Joe Marren

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This article gives four suggestions for writing on the web.

They include:

Make it Tight and Bright!

-use action verbs instead of passive verbs
-tell readers the ending right away
-use subject-verb-object sentences
-avoid overusing adverbs and adjectives

Explain

-readers want to know the five W's, especially the why
-don't bury the lead and don't pile on with updating

Banish gray

-avoid large blocks of gray
-keep text short
-use graphs and polls to spice up the story
-always keep web writing scannable and splitable

Link, Link, Link!!!

-use internal links for easier naviagation
-make sure links are straightforward and succint
-don't be afraid to link deep within a site instead of just on top pages


A fun way Marren spruced up this article was to add in these lyrics to a song made up by Poynter collegue Roy Peter Clark.

"Oh give me white space, lots of white space
Under an editor's smile from above,
Don't fence me in.
Let me write through the wide open
Sites that I love,
Don't fence me in."