Story 7: Be Succinct!

People read 75 percent faster when they read paper, than when they read computer screens.  What does this mean?  It means internet users HATE reading word for word off of their computer monitors.  What should web-writers do to adjust to these results?  WRITE 50% LESS TEXT!

In his article Be Succinct! (Writing for the Web), Jakob Nielson reminds web-writers that internet users not only read slow online but HATE to scroll.  He says this is just one more reason to keep pages short.  Nielson says that in time reading online will not be as much of a problem, but for now he makes some key suggestions for web-writers in this article:

• Avoid grey space and write for scannablity
• Write half as much text as you would write in a hard copy
• Use hypertext, bold face words and all caps for emphasis
• Write articles with more than one heading
• Use headlines that tell the reader exactly what the article is about

Nielson not only recommends writing for the web with 50 percent less text, but also makes suggestions for web-writers on how to tell the whole story without writing as much.  The key to avoiding a half-told story while also being succinct Nielson says, is HYPERTEXT.

Hypertext is a link that will direct a reader to another page with additional information.  Using hypertext will allow a web-writer to write for scannability, while also allowing the user to read more if he or she chooses.  These links will also enhance the writer’s credibility as it shows the user where the writer is getting his information for the story.

At the end of his article, Nielson provides his own hyperlinks that will provide additional articles on reading and writing online.