Understanding and Learning
Drexler: How to understand; http://eicker.at/2a – and learn about everything; http://eicker.at/2c (via @Optimistontour)
Writing for the Web: 20 tips from Reiss; http://j.mp/8Zws6P (via @mseibert), 20+ papers from Nielsen; http://j.mp/denaAR
http://Microsyntax.org wants to clean up and extend the commonly used abbreviations on Twitter; http://tr.im/moth
Reiss: “The truth is, most online readers don’t care much about how web writers tackle grammar, spelling, and punctuation as long as they get the information they need. That said, good grammar does build trust in your organization. Proper spelling does, too – so proofread your text and ask a professional copywriter to look it over if at all possible.”
Reiss’ 20 tips:
1. Kill your darlings
2. Apply George Orwell’s rules
3: Build shared references
4. Write front-loaded paragraphs
5. Accept that people read differently on the Web
6. Respect levels of detail
7. Don’t make things too granular
8. Define your goal
9. Minimize instructions
10. Eliminate ‘happy talk’
11. Be objective
12. Be personal
13. Be concise
14. Avoid secret language
15. Make stuff scanable, skimable, usable
16. Write communicative subheads
17. Write accurate labels
18. Go back and edit your work
19. Remember to write the ‘invisible’ text
20. Don’t let anyone talk you into increasing keyword density for SEO
Nielsen: “Research on how users read on the Web and how authors should write their Web pages.”