Do you have any other points you’d add to this chart? Let me know and I’ll credit your ideas on this blog if you want.

Download PDF (72 Kb): Usability Differences Between Web and Print Media

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1. The content strategy determines the function of the etext (how it will be used, read, etc).

2. The function of the text determines how the etext should be designed.

3. The eText design impacts the how the etext can be experienced. (along with other factors such as physical environment, type of screen, etc)

4. The user experience impacts the publisher/user loop and helps determine how content is developed and maintained.

Copyright 2007-2009 Garth A. Buchholz | DigitalPractices All Rights Reserved

For free reprint permission, contact Garth@DigitalPractices.com

2. Don’t just “repurpose” documents; write “Webitorial” content. One of the worst things you can do is to simply “PDF” everything. “Repurposing” or means when you repackage a document created for print and simply attach it to a Web site in Word, Acrobat, Excel or other such popular formats. While sometimes this is necessary, it’s the laziest, most ineffective way to put content on the Internet. Instead of editorial writing, write “Webitorial” by re-thinking how the content can be rewritten, laid out and designed in context with its specific online environment.  Read The Challenges of Repurposing and point #6 in this Jakob Nielsen article.    

3. Online content is not just about words. In Latin, content basically means a wrapper that contains something else. It’s images, hyperlinks, applications, streaming media, etc. When you write for the Internet, think “presentation” and “interaction.” Factor in the other content objects that may be part of it. Analyze the environment where the content will be found. If you were writing for a television ad, for example, you wouldn’t simply write text without knowing what audio and visuals will be part of it.   

4. Words are graphical images, too.  The layout of a Web page impacts its readability. People often notice the font style, the color of the text, the size of the text and how the text appears as a visual block or grouping before they actually extract its meaning. Layout and design are critical in a visual medium like the Web, so learn about typography, too.

5. Chunk it out, chunk it down. Even if you’re writing an actual content object such as a Word document or a PDF, content on the Internet has to be easily scannable. Partly because of the Internet and broadcast media, people have far less patience and tolerance for large blocks of narrative text. When you create new Webitorial copy, make sure it’s “chunked out” (broken into smaller blocks of text separated by a break) or, if you’re editing something for the Internet, chunk it down. Another technique is to use bulleted or numbered lists wherever possible rather than embedding this information within a block of text. Remember – if no one reads it, what value will it have? 

6. Write strong meta-text (navigation titles, headlines, subheads, cutlines, labels, etc).  Writing headlines, subheads, cutlines (captions), labels and other “meta-text” (also called metacontent or microcontent) is often the most effective way to make your textual content readable on the Internet. Internet readers have a “search-and-retrieve” mentality – they prefer to scan for the information or keywords or links they need, while bypassing the rest.  Good headlines and content labels also help the reader to cognitively understand the organization and navigation of the content. 

7. Don’t reinvent the wheel – just link to it. How much of your copy could be trimmed down if you simply linked to other Web pages that offered the same information? Here’s my 100/25 rule of content originality on the Web: If the Web were like 12 people having a meeting in a boardroom:  One person would be saying something original; two people would be commenting on it; and nine people would simply be referencing what the first three had been saying. 100% of the content is created by 25% of the people. Readers like to interact on the Web, so give them links as non-linear “rabbit trails” they can follow. 

8. Use the traditional newspaper structure for “inverted pyramid” writing.  In most cases, good Internet writing is like newspaper-style writing because, like newspapers, it’s a fast read, involves a lot of content and has to catch the reader’s attention. Make sure your five W’s (who, what, when, where, why, and also how) are close to the top of the text. Details of lesser importance should follow, from general to specific – that’s why the pyramid is wide at the top and narrow at the bottom.  The idea is this: If the reader only reads the headline, they should have a good idea of what the article is about. If they read only the first few lines, they should have a very good idea of the main points in the article.

9. Make the writing compelling, personal and energetic. Active voice writing is always the best. Use consistent style and conventions. Use “you” when appropriate to personalize the text. Take a stand. Give your writing attitude. People like to read writing that feels truthful, creative, positive and individual. Avoid “marketese” or corporate jargon, but do write promotionally, as long as it’s truthful (if you sound bored about what you’re writing about, the reader will be bored, too.)  You can use “plain writing” style without sounding plain. And most importantly, keep it tight, unpretentious and free of unnecessary verbiage.

10. Know your Internet community. In print, you have to know your readers, and in broadcast, you have to know your audience. On the Internet, it’s also crucial to know your “community” of readers. Are you creating content for a portal? An Intranet site? An opt-in email newsletter? A Web log (blog)? What are their interests? Education? Age range? Biases? And what is their user experience on the Internet site you are writing for? How will they use the information, and how will the other information in that environment be used? When you write for the Internet, you write for a community…one reader at a time.   

Copyright 2006-2009 Garth A. Buchholz | DigitalPractices All Rights Reserved

For free reprint permission, contact Garth@DigitalPractices.com

If professional communicators want I.T. professionals to give them a little more respect, and quit calling their work “fluff”, they need to start adhering to some clear standards and technical rigor. Yes, communications is also a “technical” craft, even though it’s more often included under the heading of “arts” rather than “science”, and as someone who has been a communications professional, I know what kind of discipline, experience and skills it requires.

When I put on my “Web” hat, though, I have to say that I am disappointed at how many communications professionals are making excuses about why they don’t understand the Web, or how they don’t have the skills to develop content for the Web. Maybe some of our older colleagues (50+ years old) who worked in communications before the Internet era can say they haven’t developed the skill set to do Web communications, but it seems that many of our younger communicators (even those in their 30s) should be highly skilled in Web communications by now…yet they are not.

At the risk of offending many of my colleagues in the Communications field, here is an urgent call for the reform of our practices:

• Don’t be intimidated by those in information technology roles who hold highly specialized technical skills - the principles for developing good Web content are the same no matter what technology is used. Learn about what IT people do. Learn the jargon. Keep up on new developments in technology, even if it’s only at a superficial level. 
• Don’t relinquish control of communications work to people who are not communications professionals – whether you know it or not, there are standards and techniques for what you do, and if your colleagues or clients aren’t aware of them, document them and then follow them faithfully. If your communications practice doesn’t demonstrate rigor and discipline, you will never gain the respect of I.T. professionals or senior managers.
• Learn information design. Learn information design.  Communications has become more than just writing, speaking and presenting – it’s also about business, design and technology, all channels for communications. Learn about information design for the Web so that you have a more holistic understanding of everything that impacts Web communications.
• Don’t write for Web the way you write for print. Above all, learn the differences between print and electronic communications, and demonstrate superior skills in creating communications for both media. There is simply no excuse – no excuse – for not having the skills to write for online media. The Web is not a recent phenomenon anymore, it’s a cultural pillar, a leading arrow for change in the way we live our lives and communicate with each other. When it comes to the Web, don’t be a broken link. 

What inspired you to write your latest book, Corporate Conversations?

There is a fair amount of literature available on employee communications for communication professionals. But there’s very little geared toward non-professionals who want to figure out the why’s and how’s of internal communication. I wanted to produce a guide that business managers and leaders could use.

In terms of content development, do you think the corporate intranet is still treated as the poor cousin to the Internet site in many organizations? Are communications staff doing enough to make their intranet a tool for internal communications?

In most organizations, yes, the intranet doesn’t get anywhere near the resources the external Web site gets. The external site is seen as a profit center while the intranet is viewed as just another repository of information for employees. That’s not true in all organizations, though. If you look at IBM, for example, former CEO Lou Gerstner identified the intranet as the future of how employees would conduct business. Since then, it has become THE most trusted source of information, more than supervisors and peers combined. It has been the source of innovation, it is being used to proactively identify information employees can use to do their jobs, and it is driving business initiatives. But, as would be the case anywhere, it took senior management support to make that happen.

Communication staffs are doing what they can with the resources they have. Where I think they could do more is in making the business case to management for investment more in the intranet.

Over the last few years, have you found that communications staff becoming better online writers? Or are Web staff becoming better communicators?

Neither, in most cases. Online writing continues to be terrible, and IT people still don’t understand communication models. Of course, they shouldn’t have to. Expecting IT to become communicators is like expecting printers to become magazine writers.

In your experience what are the “seven deadly sins” that content developers commit on the Web?

I have to limit it to seven? Well, okay. Here goes:

1. There’s nothing on the home page that tells a visitor what the company is or what it does.
2. There’s no contact information, or it’s hard to find. I’m constantly amazed at the number of Web sites that don’t include a mailing address, for example.
3. They publish long tracts of scrolling text with few or no subheads.
4. They write content that is meant to be read instead of scanned. For most reference documentation on the Web, people scan and will not put up with text that requires them to sit and read.
5. They use graphics as though the document is print. Clip art and irrelevant photos that don’t enhance understand or scannability just get in the way.
6. They write lousy headlines.
7. They write lousy links that don’t articulate specifically what readers will find when they click the link.

What are some of the newest challenges in online communications, e.g. wireless content, corporate blogging, etc?

RSS is one of the biggest challenges. This is the most important online technology since the introduction of the hyptertext transfer protocol and yet few communicators are even aware of it. Applying is represents one challenge, but another one that is less understood is the fact that people who use RSS feeds read their feeds in a news reader. The last thing they want to do is click back and forth to Web sites. RSS readers will disintermediate much of the Web, and content producers will need to figure out how to make sure they can get their messages across when readers are reading their content somewhere other than their Web sites.

Corporate blogging is certainly another challenge from a number of angles, from the need to develop employee policies to figuring out how to employ them strategically and effectively. More broadly, recognizing the growth of social software and the demands from audiences to be more engaged is going to represent a challenge to organizations accustomed to using their communication channels primarily for one-way, top-down communication.

Are you working any new book projects? If so, can you share anything with us about them?

I have a few proposals out, but nothing that’s been accepted yet. I am updating my manual for IABC, “Writing for the Wired World.” The proposals have to do with the new face of the engaged customer, business blogging, and business podcasting.

You’ve said that Web designers should think of the Web as a publication and think of themselves as editors. What about those who are trained to think more in terms of application development and database-driven content rather than the front end?

I think there’s obviously a strong role for application development on the Web. However, I feel that overseeing everything should be a publishing approach. Someone needs to ask the question about whether we need this application in the first place, whether anyone is interested in reading this piece of content.

How can organizations develop a Web publishing strategy, and who should champion it? Traditionally this was within the purview of the IT folks, but should it now be led by a Web manager, a communications manager, a business manager or an IT manager?

Developing a web publishing strategy is really about figuring out what content you have that can drive value for your website. It’s about focusing on content as an asset, not a commodity.
I think there’s a big trend away from IT having responsibility for the Web. The intranet is coming under the responsibility of communications, and the public Web site tends to go to marketing.

How can teams of people from different backgrounds learn to work effectively and collaboratively on a Web team?

Web teams are no different than other teams, except that then tend to be a bit rudderless. I think there’s a relatively simple way here: put someone in charge. Nobody is really in charge of a great many Web sites I come across, and that results in all sorts of delays and compromises. Somebody needs to be able to make decisions that stick.

You wrote an interesting article called Words Come Before Looks in Web Design. In spite of the old maxim that “content is king”, an interesting study done at Stanford University in 2002 found that the “look and feel” of a Web site was the prime factor participants used to assess the credibility of sites. Do you think people are drawn more to content or to functionality, e.g. Google?

I think that graphical design is important but good functionality is far more important. Why is Google worth 25 billion? Because it has a nice logo or because it has a great search? Examine the homepage of eBay. It looks like it was designed for a kindergarten audience, but it is very simple, very straightforward: “Find, Buy, Pay”. First and foremost, Web sites need to be useful.

What’s the best strategy for creating metadata? Should you have a Web editor assigned as a metadata specialist to summarize content for search engines and browsing, or should there be a more distributed approach whereby you train Web publishers and SMEs how to create effective metadata?

Depending on the size of the organization it could be a combination. I do think that writers should be trained in creating quality metadata for their own content, but there will also be required an editorial oversight.

Let’s play futurist for a minute. How do you think content will change/evolve as we draw towards the end of the first decade of this century? How will content management improvements in technology change the art/science of information design? Any predictions on what kind of networked environment we’ll be living in?

I think the Web will get smaller. There’s been an awful splurge of content on the Web over the last 10 years, and most of it is useless content. I think by the end of the decade we’ll see less content of higher quality. The future is about back to the basics: learn to write compellingly, clearly and concisely.