Good writing. Good writing for the Web.

Good writing.Good writing for the web.

The writing partof writing.

1. ClarityIs your argument clearly stated in a concise, logical order?

2. SimplicityUse simple words, avoid cliches, and don’t say it the way everyone expects.

The writing partSimple words don’t mean simplistic thinking.

The news from France is bad.WINSTON CHURCHILL

2. Simplicity

The writing part

The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.

FRANKLIN D. ROOSEVELT

2. Simplicity

The writing part

Trust yourself. You know more than you think you do.

DR. BENJAMIN SPOCK

2. Simplicity

The writing part

I’m the master of low expectations.

GEORGE W. BUSH

2. Simplicity

True independence – meaning the willingness to challenge a forceful CEO when something is wrong or foolish – is an enormously valuable trait in a director. It is also rare. The place to look for it is among high-grade people whose interests are in line with those of rank-and-file shareholders – and are in line in a very big way.

We’ve made that search at Berkshire. We now have eleven directors and each of them, combined with members of their families, owns more than $4 million of Berkshire stock. Moreover, all have held major stakes in Berkshire for many years. In the case of six of the eleven, family ownership amounts to at least hundreds of millions and dates back at least three decades. All eleven directors purchased their holdings in the market just as you did; we’ve never passed out options or restricted shares. Charlie and I love such honest-to-God ownership. After all, who ever washes a rental car?

In addition, director fees at Berkshire are nominal (as my son, Howard, periodically reminds me). Thus, the upside from Berkshire for all eleven is proportionately the same as the upside for any Berkshire shareholder. And it always will be.

The primary job of our directors is to select my successor, either upon my death or disability, or when I begin to lose my marbles. (David Ogilvy had it right when he said: “Develop your eccentricities when young. That way, when you get older, people won’t think you are going gaga.” Charlie’s family and mine feel that we overreacted to David’s advice.)

3. BrevityZinsser says you can cut anything by half without losing its meaning.

4. HumanityTouch an emotion, be authentic, speak to those universal human needs.

Let’s look at examplesLet’s see if we can figure out which of Zinsser’s four rules these violate or observe.

Writing for the webis different.

Writing for the webis the same.

Good writing is good writing.

“Web writing is thinking on a screen.”

The writing part of writing.

1. Clarity

Is your argument clearly stated in a concise, logical order?

2. Simplicity

Use simple words, avoid cliches, and don’t say it the way everyone expects.

3. Brevity

Zinsser says you can cut anything by half without losing its meaning.

4. Humanity

Touch an emotion, be authentic, speak to those universal human needs.

Writing for the webis different.

What makes it different?1. People read 25% slower on a screen vs. paper

Write 50% shorter than if on paper

Use subheads for quick scanning

Use links to call out key ideas

Minimize scrolling (1.5 screens max.)

What makes it different?2. The rules of the road are vague.

Write clear, descriptive links

Feel free to follow conventions

What makes it different?3. It’s completely non-linear.

Write each page as a self-contained topic

What makes it different?4. You’re writing copy and navigation same time.

Avoid webby words (like “click here”)

Don’t write too many links

Make links clear and consistent

What makes it different?5. You’re writing to an international audience

Keep idioms and cliches to a minimum

That goes for business-speak, too.

Writing for search engines

Let’s try an experiment.

How to be found1. Use keywords and concepts

> “Volkswagen” 15 times

> “Biodiesel” 43 times

> “Biodiesel and VW” in page title

How to be found1. Use keywords and concepts

Words that appear more often increase search engine relevancy scores

Put keywords in the first paragraph

Use alternatives to the keywords to match with the different search terms you might imagine (see https://adwords.google.com/select/KeywordTool)

How to be found2. Write logical file names and link copy

> Use most relevant search terms for links and file names

> Bad file name: art42.html

> Good file name: ikea-tv-spot.html

> Bad link copy: our portfolio

> Good link copy: logo design portfolio

How to be found3. Write clear page titles

> Give each page a unique, clear name

> Don’t do cute title formatting

>> K N O W W H A T I M E A N < <

How to be found4. Write focussed copy

> Stick to one topic per page

> Get key info and keywords near top

> Put meat in the upper left corner

Good writing. Good writing for the Web.

Design

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