,
Subject Index
A
Accessibility
allowing adjustment to type size,
148,
257
and on-page layering,
124
blind users scan with their ears,
102,
320
for color-blind people,
156
importance of heading tags,
237
not use Click here, More,
320
starting headings with a key word,
247
where to find requirements,
19
Action, putting in verbs,
194-
195
Ads, not making content look like,
296
Alignment, patterns and,
129-
131
All capitals, not writing in,
150-
151
Answers to questions, presenting as tables,
228-
229
Archived paper documents, summarizing,
119-
121
Articles
layering from brief description to full,
114
Audiences
considering broad web,
198-
199
gathering information about,
13-
14
listing characteristics for,
14-
19
experience, expertise,
15-
16
key phrases or quotes,
15
social and cultural environments,
18
steps to understanding,
12-
27
audiences’ questions, tasks, and stories,
19
gathering information about audiences,
13-
14
listing characteristics for audiences,
14-
19
listing major audiences,
12-
13
persona’s goals and tasks,
24-
25
using information to create personas,
19-
24
writing scenarios for sites,
24-
27
successful writers focus on,
12
when they are not comfortable with PDF files,
88-
89
B
Back button, keeping people from needing,
65-
66
Background of the screen
good contrast between text and,
152-
155
keeping clear so text is readable,
152
Big picture, focusing on,
338-
339
Blinking text or pictures, why to avoid,
296-
299
Bottoms, false, avoiding,
140-
141
Browsers, Acrobat Reader works differently from,
90
Bullets,
211-
212
establishing personality to use for,
214-
215
matching to one’s site’s personality,
212-
216
C
Capitals, not writing in all,
150-
151
Case studies
applying several guidelines to one paragraph,
199-
200
breaking down walls of words,
107
legal and clear privacy policies,
269-
271
opening layers on same web page,
121
question headings and site visitors,
243-
244
revising entire web article,
200-
203
revising home page of portal,
46-
50
revising poorly designed web page,
156-
161
starting with context,
193-
194
summarizing archived paper documents,
119-
121
untangling convoluted sentences,
188-
190
using users’ questions to plan web pages,
96
what people do on pathway pages,
55
Charts, graphs, and maps,
284-
287
Charts and graphs, writing key message titles for,
286-
287
Checklists
for creating a consistent design,
135
process for cutting down to essential messages,
98
process for selecting web content,
95
Cluttered appearance,
129
Colleagues
asking them to read and comment,
335-
337
working with them to get uniform style and tone,
337
Color-blind users, color usage and,
156
Colors
choosing appropriately,
155-
156
as related to site’s personality,
31,
33
for reviewer questions,
342
Columns or rows, formatting of,
231-
232
Community, joining web,
Complex instructions, presenting as steps,
222
Comprehension, reading,
145-
146
Constraints, web content and,
122
Content, -
building web site up from,
51
division of. See Division of content
keeping active space in,
137-
140
presenting/writing for users who skim, -
process for selecting,
95
using illustrations to support,
292-
293
using large enough type for,
148
Contrast between text and background,
152-
155
Convoluted sentences, untangling,
188-
190
Cultural environments, social and,
18
Cultural meaning of colors,
155
Cutting down to essential messages,
98-
102
D
Dark background, light text on,
154-
155
Dark text, light background and,
152-
154
Darwin Information Typing Architecture (DITA),
78
Default type, setting,
147
Descriptive links, longer,
316-
317
Design
avoiding false bottoms,
140-
141
background and text contrast,
152-
155
patterns and alignment,
129-
131
revising poorly designed web pages,
156-
161
technology and writing,
using space effectively,
137-
140
working with templates,
137
Design process, user-centered,
Diagrams. See Illustrations
Dimensions and ratios,
281-
283
DITA. See Darwin Information Typing Architecture (DITA)
Division of content
by questions people ask,
79-
80
by type of information,
77-
78
Document titles and headings that turn into links,
310-
311
Documents
information on paper,
279
summarizing archived paper,
119-
121
Downloading software,
88-
89
Draft to final web pages, getting from,
329-
348
getting feedback from colleagues,
335-
337
putting ego in drawer,
337
reviewing and editing own work,
330-
335
reviews and web site visitors,
339-
343
think of writing as revising drafts,
330
working with writing specialist or editor,
338-
339
Drafts
getting feedback from others,
335
writing and revising,
330
Dumbing down, writing informally is not,
171-
172
F
FDA. See Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
Final web pages, getting from draft to,
329-
348
Fonts and types families,
144
Food and Drug Administration (FDA),
119
Forms
filling and not filling out,
44
information on fields on online,
279
positioning on home pages,
41-
43
Full articles, layering from brief descriptions to,
114
Full screens and high resolution,
42
G
Gender-neutral writing,
176-
177
Good reviews, setting up,
340-
341
Grab and go writing, -
Graphics, decorative,
305
Grouping of content. See Division of content
Groups. See Audiences; User groups
L
Language
avoiding archaic legal,
266-
268
Large documents, breaking up,
69-
80
break web content into topics and subtopics,
73-
80
think topic, not book,
70-
73
Launch, process that moves from plan to,
135-
136
Layering
from brief description to full article,
114
from main article to other information on web pages,
114-
116
opening on same web page,
121
from part of page to short explanation,
116-
118
Layout. See Design
Legal information
avoiding archaic legal language,
266-
268
avoiding technical language,
265
clear writing techniques for,
268-
269
making information legible,
263
printing legal information,
264
using site visitors’ words in headings,
264-
265
Levels of headings, using no more than two,
256
Light background and dark text,
152-
154
Light text on dark background,
154-
155
Links
coordinating multiple,
322-
323
for new program and product names,
308-
310
short descriptions to go with,
317-
318
visited vs. unvisited,
326-
328
List items, numbering,
224-
225
Lists
guidelines for writing,
205
sentence structure in (parallelism),
223
Loranger, Hoa, , , ,
44,
66
N
Navigation column and same-page links,
259-
260
New program and product names,
308-
310
Noun and noun phrase headings, using,
250-
254
Numbered lists, using for instructions,
216-
218
Numbers, using tables and comparing,
226-
227
O
Old research on paper,
145
One paragraph, applying several guidelines to,
199-
200
One-sentence paragraphs,
191
Online forms, information on paper documents and fields on,
279
Organization of content. See Division of content
Organizations
talking about it by name,
180
Outlining content with headings,
239
P
Pages
layering from part of,
116-
118
putting Search near top of,
43
Page titles, matching links and,
312-
313
Pages, home. See Home pages
Pages, pathway. See Pathway pages
Paper to web, link headings as one moves from,
260
Paragraphs
applying several guidelines to,
199-
200
lists and tables vs.,
192
Partial drafts, sharing,
336
Passive and active space,
138
Pathway pages,
53-
68
internal site pages functioning as,
66-
68
learnings from case study,
57
paragraphs and marketing on,
61-
63
short descriptions for links on,
59-
61
smoothness of path versus number of clicks,
63-
66
Patterns and alignment,
129-
131
PDF. See Portable document format (PDF)
People’s questions, good web writing answers,
Personality of site, setting tone and,
31-
35
Photos evoking mood wanted,
288-
289
Pictures
emotional responses and,
287-
290
to illustrate concept or process,
280-
284
as link between print and web,
279-
280
Plan to launch, process that moves from,
135-
136
Portable document format (PDF) files
for audiences not comfortable with,
88-
89
and downloading software,
88-
89
optimized for printed page,
90
reasons for not using,
86,
89-
90
Portal, revising home page of,
46-
50
Printing
how much people will,
84-
85
Print and web, picture link between,
279-
280
Printing legal information,
264
Processes
that move from plan to launch,
135-
136
Pronouns
Pull technology, web as,
112
Push, marketing specializes in,
112
Pyramid style, inverted,
102-
106
U
Underlining and links,
151-
152
Unvisited and visited links,
326-
328
Usability testing
of current content, -,
14
to gauge photo selections,
296
to test default type,
146
User-centered design process,
Users,
11-
28.
See also Audiences
considering when writing content,
12,
240-
247
and control of online experiences,
148,
302
determining needs of,
94-
97
dividing web content based on,
75-
77
keeping pathways smooth for,
65-
66
Users’ questions, using to plan web page,
96
W
Wandering text or pictures,
296-
299
Waving text or pictures,
296-
299
We for writing about organizations,
178-
181
Web article, revising entire,
200-
203
Web audience. See Audiences
Web community, joining,
Web pages
amount people want in visits,
81-
83
connectedness of information,
81-
83
deciding how much to put on one,
80-
85
getting from draft to final,
329-
348
layering from main article,
114-
116
opening layers on same,
121
revising poorly designed,
156-
161
tables in. See Tables
using users’ questions to plan,
96
Web sites.
See also Sites
people, content and, -
plan consistent design across,
134-
135
Web users. See Audiences; Users
Word choice, common words,
198-
199
Writing,
12
articles and use of
I,
178
as a conversation, -
design, technology and,
grab and go, -
headings as starting point for,
236-
237
inverted pyramid style,
102-
106
as way to answer users’ questions,
Writing specialist, working with,
338-
339