Writing for the Wired World with Jeff Wisniewski

EI Program Calendar On-line Course April 28 - June 6, 2008 Six weeks. Member: $149.00 Non-Member: $194.00 Even with all the podcasts, videos, and Flash tutorials in the world, great library Web sites need great written content, and writing for the Web provides unique opportunities and challenges. Learn to tailor your material to the medium by finding out what usability studies reveal about how people actually read on-line and what the implications are for developing microcontent, menus, and layout. Filled with examples, tips, and tricks, this interactive on-line course is a must for library Web site content contributors and Webmasters who want to improve their sites and on-line writing style. This course will cover what research findings show about formatting content, writing style, typography and layout for the Web. Train your eye to spot trouble areas on your site. Practice critiquing and revising sample library Web pages, and get insights into writing for social media. Who Should Participate: This is for anyone who creates content for the library Web sites. Not only Web developers, but staff responsible for library news, descriptions of programs and services, subject guides, on-line information literacy courses, tutorials, etc. will benefit from this program. The Key Benefits For Participants: Participants will be introduced to the body of scientific research about creating effective web content. You will not only train your eye to spot trouble spots in a Web site, but also have hands-on practice with editing and writing exercises to hone your skills. Develop new skills and take away tips and best practices to improve your own sites. Key Topics to be Explored: How users scan Web pages looking for information How to use headlines, lists and tables to structure content effectively How to harness the power of hyperlinks What writing styles work best on-line and how to increase trust in your site Learn how typography, layout, line length and case impact readability and legibility Learn the basics of writing for Web 2.0 social media Do's and don'ts of writing on-line Structure of the Course: Each week, you will receive an e-mail with the lesson for that week, plus practice exercises that will help you work through the week's sources and reinforce your learning. A Web-based bulletin board will enable you and other participants to ask questions of the instructor and to provide on-line feedback about problems incurred. The course will include a teleconference call with you and your fellow participants, hosted by the instructor, to give advice and clarify the learning experience. Jeff Wisniewski Jeff Wisniewski received his MLS from the University of Pittsburgh School of Information Sciences. He is the Web Services Librarian for the University Library System at the University of Pittsburgh, where he maintains the Library System's public Web site, staff intranet, coordinates technical support for Pitt's University-wide ETD program, and project manages new technology initiatives. Developed for the Education Institute by Darlene Fichter’s Northern Lights Internet Solutions, Inc., in Saskatchewan