Module 3: WWW Standards

Make a summary of what you believe are the 5 most important ‘rules’ for writing online. Think about any differences between the articles: for example, is the advice in Nielsen’s paper -- written in 1997 – still current?

1 - Use clear writing and easy to understad titles, headings and toolbars. This will help the user become aware of exactly what your webpage is about.

2 - Do not overload the page with too much information, add catchy photos, pictures or videos which can be just as informative about the subject you are trying to get across.

3 - Design the background and text on your page so it is actually audible, use appropriate font type, size and colours so that the user has no trouble reading.

4 - Beware of copyright issues with picutres, names and information. Try to make sure it is all your own work and reference were needed to avoid getting in legal trouble.

5 - Make yourself aware of the target audience and design the page for their needs including levels of literacy try not to use words which are ambiguous or hard to pronounce or read.

The advice in Nielsen's page which was written in 1997 is definatley still relevant today 11 years on. Ofcourse this is not a big time period, however his views on writing for the target audience are still relevant today. He aslo suggest you should be aware the readers needs in terms of literacy levels and not including words or sentences that are to hard to read. "Our study suggests that scannable, concise, and objective writing styles each make a positive difference in Web users' performance and subjective satisfaction. Promotional writing, which is the style most commonly found on the Web today, had much lower scores on virtually all usability measures."

J, Morkes. , J, Nielsen (1997). Concise, SCANNABLE, and Objective: How to Write for the Web. Retrieved April,3,2008 from http://www.useit.com/papers/webwriting/writing.html