Letting Go of the Words: Writing Web Content That Works
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Book Overview
"Redish has done her homework and created a thorough overview of the issues in writing for the Web. Ironically, I must recommend that you read her every word so that you can find out why your customers won't read very many words on your website -- and what to do about it."-- Jakob Nielsen, Principal, Nielsen Norman Group"There are at least twelve billion web pages out there. Twelve billion voices talking, but saying mostly nothing. If just 1% of those pages followed Ginny's practical, clear advice, the world would be a better place. Fortunately, you can follow her advice for 100% of your own site's pages, so pick up a copy of Letting Go of the Words and start communicating effectively today."--Lou Rosenfeld, co-author, Information Architecture for the World Wide WebOn the web, whether on the job or at home, we usually want to grab information and use it quickly. We go to the web to get answers to questions or to complete tasks - to gather information, reading only what we need. We are all too busy to read much on the web.This book helps you write successfully for web users. It offers strategy, process, and tactics for creating or revising content for the web. It helps you plan, organize, write, design, and test web content that will make web users come back again and again to your site. Learn how to create usable and useful content for the web from the master - Ginny Redish. Ginny has taught and mentored hundreds of writers, information designers, and content owners in the principles and secrets of creating web information that is easy to scan, easy to read, and easy to use. This practical, informative book will help anyone creating web content do it better.Features* Clearly-explained guidelines with full color illustrations and examples from actual web sites throughout the book. * Written in easy-to-read style with many "befores" and "afters."* Specific guidelines for web-based press releases, legal notices, and other documents.* Tips on making web content accessible for people with special needs.Janice (Ginny) Redish has been helping clients and colleagues communicate clearly for more than 20 years. For the past ten years, her focus has been helping people create usable and useful web sites. She is co-author of two classic books on usability: A Practical Guide to Usability Testing (with Joseph Dumas), and User and Task Analysis for Interface Design (with JoAnn Hackos), and is the recipient of many awards.
Format:Paperback
Language:English
ISBN:0123694868
ISBN13:9780123694867
Release Date:June 2007
Publisher:Morgan Kaufmann Publishers
Length:384 Pages
Weight:1.77 lbs.
Dimensions:0.8" x 7.5" x 9.3"
Customer Reviews
5 ratings
Readable and usable
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 16 years ago
Here's the ultimate compliment: I need to buy at least three copies, one for me and two for clients--who will love it, too! Years ago, a professor of mine told a story about his being informed that his work was so easy and fun to read, it could not possibly be scholarly enough for a particular publication(!) This book might receive a few of those sorts of comments, too. On first glance, people with a fair amount of experience in this field might say it's too basic--but they would be wrong. This book is thorough, in depth, and deals with a wide range of issues--and explains why certain alternatives are better than others, instead of just saying, "here is how things should be." It is a thorough presentation of highly useful and relevant information in a enjoyable, understandable, and audience-aware and audience-friendly way.
Great Primer on Writing for the Web
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 16 years ago
Writing for the Web is not like writing a college term paper -- or even print ads. It takes understanding what your audience is seeking when they come to your website and presenting it in a manner that allows them to find it easily. Letting Go of the Words is a brilliant, easy-to-read book that explains how you can write usable copy for projects of any size. Redish writes about the difference between the three major types of pages and what should be on them (and what shouldn't). 1. Home pages 2. Pathway pages 3. Information pages She also gives useful advice on * Focusing on your essential message * Making your design easy to use * Using lists and tables * Using headings and illustrations effectively * Writing links that get clicked, and perhaps most importantly, * Fitting this all into a process that allows you to set expectations and meet deadlines. Anyone involved with building websites (or writing blogs) can find value in this book. I learned a lot from it, and I think you would, too. I strongly recommend it.
the best book on writing for the web
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 17 years ago
i've read several books and countless articles on how to write well for the web. Ginny Redish nails it perfectly. This is hands-down the best book on writing for the web out there. The book is beautifully laid-out, with easy to grasp, common sense advice - all backed up by solid research data and straightforward examples. If you're a fan of usability, good user-centered design, and easy-to-read helpful books, and you'd like to improve your site's performance with better writing, definitely get this book. I'm already reworking the content on my sites with many of Ginny's suggestions, and I have no doubt my readers will be happy.
A book that will raise the quality of Web sites
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 17 years ago
Ginny Redish's book, Letting Go of the Words, is a book long overdue. Until now, I've never found a book on writing content for the Web that had anything of substance to say. What ever they said, we already knew intuitively. This is not the case with Redish's book. The book is filled from cover to cover with very important ideas and messages for writers. Moreover, the ideas are presented very effectively. In each chapter, Redish presents principles dealing with the topic at hand. She then discusses each principle and deomonstrates the use of each with excellent examples -- both the results when the principle is used and when it is violated. In this format it also makes for a very handy reference document. After I read the book, I bought two more copies to circulate amongst our Web development team. It is a must read for our writers/editors, but all members of the team, I believe, will stand to benefit from it. This book is sure to become a classic in its field. As a result, it will, I believe, have a major effect of raising the quality of Web sites everywhere.
An excellent resource for all online communication
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 17 years ago
My company is a consultancy that creates interactive learning programs for large corporations. I am especially interested in blending the best practices of instructional design/performance support, technical communication, and web site design. For the latter, this book is an indispensible resource! I shared the book with our Content Director, who, at first, was too busy to really pay any attention to it. Once he cracked the cover, he immediately wrote me back and raved! The book compiles so many of the basic concepts that he and I desire our entire writing team to incorporate into their projects. We purchased multiple copies and assigned one chapter to each of our team to present to the team as a whole. These weekly presentations have been refresher for some, but new material for others, and now we are finally all level-set on basic writing/presentation concepts for online delivery. Hooray! Only negative feedback I can give is that I did hear a bit of grumbling that the author broke her own rules in a couple places - using a few headings that were too long, for example, when there is a chapter specifically on writing good headings. I should probably have docked the rating a bit for that stuff, but overall we got so much good from this little book that I feel I must give it full praise!
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