WebWord.com > Reports > Book Review: Writing for the Web (12-July-99)

Book Review: Writing for the Web

by John S. Rhodes
14-July-99

I have been meaning to write a review of Crawford Killian's book for several weeks now. Like you, I am very busy. However, it is now time to tell you about this excellent resource about the art and science of web writing.

I'll tell you first that I have a vested interested in Crawford's book. Case Study 1 (pp. 63-68) is a working over of a Moving WebWord article that Bill Skeet and I wrote called Designing for an Audience of One. In the case study, Crawford does an excellent job of cutting out several words of the article. Our original version had 794 words but the revised version uses only 584 words. This is a substantial reduction in word count. The revision is just as powerful as the original version. In fact, the revision is superior since it conveys the same ideas with less verbiage. On the web, this is exceedingly important. With this case study, Crawford shows that cutting down on word count is crucial.

I especially like the web resources that are peppered throughout the book. For example, on page 62 there are about 12 or 13 excellent web writing links, such as:

Jakob Nielsen's "Writing for the Web"
<http://www.useit.com/papers/webwriting/>

Resources on Web Style
<http://www.westegg.com/unmaintained/badpages/>

What is good hypertext writing?
<http://kbs.cs.tu-berlin.de/~jutta/ht/writing.html>

Writing for Web, is an excellent reference book. But, I feel that it would be best used as an introduction to web writing. The book covers everything from the nature of hypertext, to text editing, to defining your audience.

The book is thin so it is easy to digest, although it does manage to cover plenty of ground. It would be great to use for a class dedicated to online writing. I think you could also use the book as one of a few resources in a class about writing for multimedia, CDs, interactive environments, and so forth. I do wish it was a bit longer, but you can't have a book that covers everything in serious depth while still being digestable in a day or two.

There is definitely a usability slant to Crawford's book. I love it for that reason alone. It will help you write content that is user-centered and user-driven. You'll be told how to pay attention to grammar and spelling, of course. But, you'll also dive into more complex topics that are not covered well in other places. For example, you're given the chance to do several exercises. And, as mentioned above, there are several case studies. In short, you get both the information and experience you'll need to write better web pages and documents.

What's the bottom line? The book is packed with excellent examples, it is a breeze to read (and use), and it covers things you simply won't find in other places. Since Crawford conveys how web writing and usability interact, I can't help but love it.

Quick rating (1=horrible, 10=outstanding):

Readability 9
Originality 10
Organization 8
Accuracy 10
Consistency 9
Depth 7
Timeliness 10
Editing 9
Design 8
Overall Value 9

TABLE OF CONTENTS (Condensed)

1. Hype and Hypertext
2. Structuring Your Web Site
3. Organizing Web Site Content
4. Writing Good Web Text
5. Editing Web Text
6. Corporate Web Writing
7. Personal Pages, Resumes, and Self-Marketing
8. Advocacy and Marketing on the Web
9. Frequently Asked Questions
Appendixes
Glossary
Exercises
Case Studies

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