Topics: Content: Writing
How to write good. Urp. Writing to communicate. Writing and editing for the web. Copy as user interface. (20 articles)
Greatest Copy Shot Ever Written
by Nick Padmore
Issue 248November 06, 2007
Anyone can be a copywriter, but the best copywriters actually think about what they’re writing.
Reviving Anorexic Web Writing
by Amber Simmons
Issue 242July 31, 2007
We’ve starved all the life out of web writing. The kind of writing we encourage is lifeless, insipid, and calorie-free. If we want to get back on track—to allow writers to write wonderful user experiences—we have to change our expectations and our rules.
Better Writing Through Design
by Bronwyn Jones
Issue 242July 31, 2007
It’s one thing to write copy that fits on a website. It’s quite another to write copy that fits in with a website. You wouldn’t try to force an incongruous visual element into a carefully considered design. Same goes for written content.
Who Needs Headlines?
by Shaun Crowley
Issue 238May 29, 2007
A good headline will seduce site visitors. It should grab their attention and convince them the information on the page is worth investigating.
Your About Page Is a Robot
by Erin Kissane
Issue 222August 22, 2006
“An About page should provide context and necessary facts, but should also give the reader compelling reasons to do what you want them to do.”
Gentle Reader, Stay Awhile; I Will Be Faithful
by Amber Simmons
Issue 221August 08, 2006
“In order to earn my reader’s trust, in order to convince him to “stay awhile,” I must be faithful.”
Calling All Designers: Learn to Write!
by Derek Powazek
Issue 216May 09, 2006
”...when it comes to experience on the web, there’s no better way to create it than to write, and write well.”
Attack of the Zombie Copy
by Erin Kissane
Issue 206October 24, 2005
”...the zombification progresses so gradually that you don’t realize it’s happening until your ‘About Us’ page begins to smell bad and tries to bite your face.”
A List Apart 4.0
by Jeffrey Zeldman
Issue 201August 22, 2005
From the crown of its cranium to the tips of its Ruby-slippered toes, A List Apart 4.0 is both old and new.
Helping Your Visitors: a State of Mind
by Nick Usborne
Issue 171February 20, 2004
Even the simplest website is harder to figure out than a catalog or magazine. We all know how to “use” a catalog: start at the front cover and keep turning the pages. But with every new site we visit, we have to “learn” how it works, how its “pages” turn, how to find what we’re looking for. Text that takes visitors’ needs into account can help guide them through the maze.
A Fairy, a Low-Fat Bagel, and a Sack of Hammers
by Nick Usborne
Issue 162November 07, 2003
Never underestimate the importance of words on the web.
10 Tips on Writing the Living Web
by Mark Bernstein
Issue 149August 16, 2002
Your information architecture is as smooth, clear, and inviting as a lake. Your design rocks. Your code works. But what keeps readers coming back is compelling writing that’s continually fresh and new. Updating daily content can challenge the most dedicated scribe or site owner. Mark Bernstein’s ten tips will help you keep the good words (and readers) coming.
How to Write a Better Weblog
by Dennis A. Mahoney
Issue 138February 22, 2002
Great writing can’t be taught, but bad writing can be avoided. Mahoney shares tips to enhance the writing on your personal site, blog, journal, etc.
Typography Matters
by Erin Kissane
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.
Evolving Client Content
by Steven Garrity
Issue 120August 31, 2001
Content management systems are only as good as the content they manage. Garrity explores the care and feeding of low-budget clients who need high-quality content.
Beyond Usability and Design: The Narrative Web
by Mark Bernstein
Issue 106April 20, 2001
Crafting a narrative web: To succeed profoundly, Bernstein says, websites must go beyond usability and design, deeply engaging readers by turning their journeys through the site into rich, memorable, narrative experiences.
The Art of Topless Dancing and Information Design
by Denice Warren
Issue 93December 20, 2000
Creating a web site makes for all sorts of strange working relationships. What does an information designer have to do to get a little cooperation?
A Case for Web Storytelling
by Curt Cloninger
Issue 92December 10, 2000
In our attention to style and technology, we often overlook a vital element in the web design mix: narrative voice.
Why Are You Here?
by Scott Jason Cohen
Issue 72July 14, 2000
Whether we’re designing experimental sites or keeping an online diary, we go to the web in search of meaning. Will we find it? Or will we build it ourselves?
Language: The Ultimate User Interface
by Julia Hayden
Issue 59April 14, 2000
Words. Language. Meaning. They’re a nutritious part of your complete website. So why do so many webmakers treat language like an afterthought? Julia Hayden explores ways to make words work.
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