Wordplay^© Writing for the Web workshop

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Writing for digital media is a distinct skill, and even talented print writers can come unstuck when they try writing for the web.

Some of the reasons for this are:

It's harder to read from a screen, so writers have to be much more economical with the language they use, and think about the way web users 'scan' rather than read
Online content has to be found by web browsers, so it has to be written in a way that allows it to be found
Disabled users have specialist software to help them read, and you have to write in a way that does not confuse the software
Content has to be organised logically and 'usably' online - so to be a good web writer you have to develop both left and right brain skills
Web writers can often need a good understanding of the software that will be used to publish their content

The workshop covers

The principles of good writing
Writing to be found
Writing accessibly
‘Translating’ print writing into web writing
Writing effective e-communications (like eZines and eNewsletters).

How will that benefit you?

The most beautifully designed websites can be made unusable by writing that isn’t working well. Bad writing costs money! Your target audience won’t be able to find you and even if they do, they may not understand what you’re trying to say, get fed up and leave. And that’s the kind of thing that damages brand reputations.

Writing for the web needs different skills to writing for print – so it makes supreme commercial sense to invest in the skills you need to do it effectively.

Who is it for?

Experienced writers will benefit from it. So will marketers, project managers, designers and developers … because it shows that a really good understanding of how content is fundamental to website design and project management.

And what qualifies us to offer this workshop?

Elmwood’s writing team runs specialist writing courses throughout the year. Writing for the Web is run by senior writer, Liz Doig, a former BBC News Online journalist, who has several years experience of web content creation and production.