Authors: E: Erin Kissane
Erin Kissane is a writer and editorial strategist as well as a contributing editor to A List Apart. She writes about writing at Incisive.nu. A longer bio is available at Happy Cog.
Articles By This Author
Content Templates to the Rescue
Issue 287July 7, 2009
As an industry, we’ve learned to plan our sites to achieve business goals and meet human needs while shipping on time and delivering compelling user experiences. Alas, despite all the sweat we pour into strategy sessions and GANTT charts, we still have to coax content out of our subject matter experts and get it onto every page of the site. This is where the strongest hearts grow frail, and even seasoned developers reach for Advil or something stronger. But help, in the form of content templates, is on the way. Seize the power.
Writing Content that Works for a Living
Issue 271November 4, 2008
Most web copy is still being written by people who aren't writers and don't have time. The good news? Anyone who touches copy can make a difference by insisting that every chunk of text on the site do something concrete.
Your About Page Is a Robot
Issue 222August 22, 2006
Everyone has one. No one likes to talk about it. No, not that. It's your About page, and it needs a little love. ALA's Erin Kissane guides you through a beautiful journey of self-discovery.
Attack of the Zombie Copy
Issue 206October 24, 2005
You’ve seen them around the web, these zombie sentences. They’re not hard to recognize: syntax slack and drooling, clauses empty of everything but a terrible hunger for human brains. Here’s how to fight back.
The Way It’s Supposed to Work
Issue 192January 18, 2005
Groundbreaking accessibility information. Project management and information architecture theory from old-school experts. Plug-and-play solutions to universal design and development problems. Experimental CSS/DOM hacks that use non-semantic elements to do funky design tricks. One of these things is not like the others...which is why we’re introducing a tiny new feature to the magazine.
Typography Matters
Issue 124October 19, 2001
It’s a style thing. It’s a usability thing. It’s a tricky thing for large content sites and a step up for independents. It’s typographically correct punctuation on the web, and ALA’s Erin Kissane makes the case for it.
