Jakob Nielson's guide to writing for the web...

Jakob Nielson's guide to writing for the web holds some interesting facts and statistics which are worth bearing in mind when writing on the web. Some main points made during this weeks class (week two) were:

1. Break up articles! Write HALF of what you would write in a newspaper. (Interestingly, this is because usual users of online information say they feel unpleasant when reading the text. Also, its boring reading a screen for half an hour.)
2. Use the inverted pyramid (as above) keep it as short as possible, readers want to read it fast and move on.
3. Don't be cocky. It is hard to convey over a screen. Readers may digest this badly. We want friends online, not enemies.
4. Chunk out the page. Split up the info and use hypertext links! VERY important. No-one wants to reads a 10,000 word essay on one long page. Keep the page short and sweet.
5. Scrolling. Again, as above, don't make the page as long as the bible.
6. Use images to break up the page, but check the resolution as a slow loading image is off-putting.
7. Color is important. Use high contrast, e.g. black text on white background (positive) negative contrast (which is off putting for the reader) is white text on a black background. Make it readable.

So...for homework we have to come up with a topic which is factual and practical (e.g. how to play the symbol professionally) using all of the above, and including what Steve taught us in the class about search engine optimization.

Search Engine Optimization (Google ranking)

Basically, Google rankings are when you type in a keyword or phrase into Google and the results are ranked. You will recieve most hits from readers if your site is in the Google top 10. To aim for this, is it based upon:

• How much the keyword the user typed in is used in the article. (repetition)
• The websites amount of hits.
• Having a good reputation. If many sites links to yours, this is a starting point for getting a positive reputation.
• Use plain text. 'Search engine spiders' which link to your content and effectively higher your ranking, are blind to images and video. Including multimedia is fine, but ensure to supplement the multimedia files with a textual description.