Editorial Content on the Web

By Scott Wallace

This article is the first in a three-part series titled "Online Writing." Here is a synopsis of what's to come:

Part 1: Editorial Content on the Web. An introduction to the brave new world of hypertext.
Part 2: Usability. An overview of research into how people read Web content—information that influences every decision a writer makes.
Part 3: Writing Effective Online Copy. Guidelines for structuring and writing usable Web content.

Parts 2 and 3 will include book recommendations and links to articles, courses, newsletters, e-mail groups, blogs, organizations, and other online resources.

For the technical writer, the handwriting is on the wall—and it's in HTML

As anyone who reads STC publications or trolls the Help Wanted ads knows, the world of technical communication is changing: Paper is giving way to pixels.

As more companies of all types and sizes move more of their operations online, more tech writing positions involve developing content for Web sites, intranets, and extranets—positions that require knowledge and skills many print-trained writers don't have.

Publishing online is not a matter of wrapping print documents in HTML and uploading them to a network.

Web content is different, because people read online content differently than they do print content. Web users have different needs and expectations. Writers creating documents for online publication need to be aware of these differences and to factor them into every aspect of their work.

"Information" Technology: Text Appeal

When they think of the Internet, most people think of the World Wide Web, and when they think of the Web, they think of the stupefying proliferation of technological innovation that's transforming communication and commerce at the root level.

Yet the Internet is not essentially about technology (gasp!). It's about information. The Net is a way to move information more expediently from one point to another. Web design and associated technologies are means of enhancing and presenting information more effectively and making it more accessible to the user.

Content is what visitors see, hear, and can do at a site. Graphics and multimedia can be integral parts of the content (charts, illustrations, demonstrations) or they can be packaging, the ribbons and bows that give a site its eye (and ear) appeal. On most sites, however, the most important information is communicated via text—editorial content.

It's largely through editorial content that site owners acquaint visitors with their products and services or educate them about the subject matter of their sites. Thus while stunning artwork and technological wizardry may dazzle visitors initially, in most cases it's ultimately the editorial content that determines how effective a site is as a business or information tool.

For this is reason, a well-designed site is developed around its editorial content. The structure of the information serves as a template for the structure of the site itself.

Hypertext: A New Way with Words

The major distinction between print and online documents is the inherent interactivity of hypertext. Interactivity opens up vast new realms of possibility by putting users a mouse click away from content residing elsewhere on the same site or on a computer halfway around the globe.

Due to their interactive nature, hypertext documents differ from print documents in fundamental ways, extending from the way the information is organized to the wording of microcontent.

The overriding consideration in both the structure and content of an online document—and in the design of the site itself—is usability. Usability refers to factors that affect visitors' ability to locate information within a document or on a site and to understand what they're reading once they've found it.

The Devil Mountain Views -- Jan/Feb 2002
(ebstc.org/newsletter/front.html)
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