Presented by Deborah Prewitt

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Presented by Deborah Prewitt
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Before You Write

• What do your visitors want?
• They want as much information as possible as
  quickly as possible
• Think like your audience!

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Why F.A.C.E.?

• F Fresh content on a regular basis
• A Active and interactive content
• C Concise, compelling content
• E Evoke a response or call to action

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Fresh

• New content every month, at the very minimum
• If you have new information every week, thats
  even better!
• Poly front page new content at least weekly, if
  not daily

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Fresh
Spotlight area
News area
Events area
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Fresh

• How can you display new content on your Web site?
• News or Announcements page
• Whats New box on front page

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Fresh
Highlighted box with whats new
Direct links to new content
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Active

• Interactive pages visitors participate
• Links give visitors opportunity to learn more
  about what interests them
• Photos give content a personal feel

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Active
Actual students having fun!
Links within the text
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Active

• Active does not mean
• pages with tons of links
• 15 different font and box colors

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Active

• Active does not mean
• 15 different images on one page
• CLUTTERED!!!

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Concise

• Writing for the Web is different!
• Reading from computer screens is 25 slower than
  reading from paper
• 16 of Web visitors read every word on a page

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Concise

• Web readersare scanners!

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Concise

• Descriptive headlines and subheads
• Headlines break up text, make it scannable
• Headlines/subheads less than 8 words
• Short paragraphs digestible chunks
• Paragraphs 50-75 words
• Bulleted lists

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Concise

• Write in inverted pyramid style
• SHOW, dont tell
• ASU is the best university in the world is not
  acceptable!

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Concise
Descriptive headlines SHOW, dont tell
Concise, scannable paragraphs
Bulleted lists
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Evocative

• Give visitors a call to action
• learn more, sign up for the program, etc.
• Pseudo-marketing marketing without reader
  knowing its marketing
• SHOW, dont tell

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Evocative
Student photos these show the first two points
Show them why they need this degree move them
to enroll
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Questions?

• Ask me anything!

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Resources

• http//dictionary.reference.com/
• Online dictionary, thesaurus, encyclopedia
• http//www.bu.edu/com/writingprgm/ap_styleguide1.p
  df
• Associated Press style guidelines
• http//www.dartmouth.edu/webteach/articles/text.h
  tml
• Excellent article Writing for the Web

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Resources

• http//www.useit.com/papers/webwriting/
• Popular article by Jakob Nielsen on writing for
  the Web
• http//www.gerrymcgovern.com
• 10 Rules of Writing for the Web
• http//www.webpagesthatsuck.com
• Just because!

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