Effective Writing

If you’re writing for the web, one of the key factors you need to be aware of is how accessible your text is to your user, otherwise known as “accessibility.” Writing should be as straightforward and intuitive as possible for your readers to ensure their continued presence on your website.

One of the worst things people do when linking to a topic is linking the descriptive words to a site without giving the actual html address. People like to know where they’re going, so do them a favor and tell them! 

Instead of: I like Johnny Depp.

Give: I like Johnny Depp (http://www.johnnydepp.com).

But if the url is useless, like http://www.geocities.com/marge/imagesjd2.html,  link the website to a descriptive title, such as:

I like Johnny Depp (Johnny Depp Fan Site on Geocities.com).

This may not seem like a huge difference, but it is. Your users waste time trying to guess where they’re going, so make it easy on them. For more informaiton on accessibility and writing for the web, check out Jakob Nielsen’s usability website.

Improve your writing and editing skills and help other people in the process: write for Wikipedia. Wikipedia is user edited, meaning anyone under the sun can edit or change an article. While this results in some vandalism, Wikipedia is by nature self-correcting. It is an excellent place for both experienced and aspiring writers all over the world to do some community service and hone their craft.

Free information is integral to our progress as people, but there’s no reason it has to be bad. If you’re there and see a mistake, simply edit it and move on. And though you’re encouraged to sign up, you can also submit anonymously http://www.wikipedia.com/

Do the world a favor and edit once in awhile. It doesn’t cost you anything but a small piece of time. And it could win you something-check out Wikinews’ writing contest at the Wiki News Site.