Writing for the web - Writing for the Web

A year or two ago, I would have said that “writing for the Web” was a topic only for journalists and geeks. But as the Web becomes a more and more common presence in our professional lives, and as the teaching profession changes to keep up with that and many other demands, writing for the Web is something educators need to know about too.

What’s changed? More and more schools have websites that teachers can use to communicate with parents. School systems are requiring teachers to post their portfolios online, not just for licensure but so that parents can see their credentials. Teachers are creating Web content to use with colleagues and students, even creating and teaching online courses. As teachers are asked to do more and more professional writing generally — as part of the licensure process, professional development and courses, and National Board Certification — more and more of that writing will find its way onto the web.

Writing for the web is not entirely unique. It’s much like any other kind of writing, in that you have to tailor your content, format, and style to your audience. But the web does place special demands and restrictions on writers and readers, and whether you’re writing directly for web publication or adapting existing text for the web, it’s important to understand the medium you’re working in.

In this series of articles, I’ll explain how people tend to read on the Web and how you can tailor your writing to meet their needs and expectations. I’ll also look at some ways you can easily format your writing to make it more readable on the web.

I’ll start by looking at the conventional wisdom about writing for the web — and to a certain extent disagreeing with it, which is why I’m taking the trouble to write these articles in the first place.