The Web Content Style Guide: The Essential Reference for Online Writers, Editors and Managers

If you're looking for a cybertized version of the Chicago Manual of Style, this isn't it. But if you need to migrate your writing and editing skills to the Web, there's no better place to start than the Web Content Style Guide. I frequently lecture on content development, usability, and information architecture. This book is always on my list of recommended reading.In addition to great writing guidelines and advice, there's also valuable information about the related issues of usability, navigation, and design. This is particularly important since many writers ignore these subjects thinking they are too technical or outside their area of responsibility (think again!). Keep the WCSG close at hand and your work can't help but improve.

This publication is split in three with relatively small, yet informative sections one and two entitled "Writing For The Web" and "Designing For The Web" respectively. Area three, "An A to Z of Web Content Style" is what makes this book immensely valuable. This is knowledge I would love to have everyone in my company become familiar with.Throughout the publication, the content is presented in a very straight-forward, non-technical way. It makes for an easy, enjoyable read.Much of the content is common sense, keep sentences short, use descriptive headings, reading on a monitor is more difficult than on paper, so keep articles short etc. However, so few people are aware of the special writing requirements of the web, that there is a need for this information to be imparted.One might comment that a style guide is a style guide whether it be a company house style guide, a newspaper style guide or one for the web. Yet, this book addresses issues truly related only to the web - accessibility and the use of W3C standards being good examples.I found it somewhat annoying that there are frequent occurrences of one term in the book being presented, only to find that the content redirects you to another term for the definition. "Breadcrumb Trail" leading to "Classification Path Navigation" being one example.Definitions are thorough with graphics presented to simplify explanation, where required.All in all, this is an excellent guide, which would be a valuable companion for anyone writing for the web. Quality has become ever more critical in differentiating a successful website and the need for a professional approach to content is growing.You are what you write - get it right!

for years I was an enthusiastic users of the economist style guide - it is very crisp. It doesn't tell you how to write - just sets out some issues about commonly mispelled and misused words, helps you avoid cliche and pomposity. It quietly makes you a better writer.The web though was different. It pulled you into all kinds of cod-cool flourishes and pointless-demotic. Now McGovern, who also has a useful email column, has filled the void and helped set us straight, providing for the web what the economist did for print. He points out that the style and quality of our writing is as important on the web as it is in print, because whatever you are told, people come to the web and whatever they think they do, they read. The way you write is different, and McGovern makes some useful pointers about how to do it, but he also points out how to screw it up, with all the usual web stuff - odd and changing colours, excessive flash - achingly slow intros - and tells you how to avoid it.It isn't as if he wants all sites to look like the front cover of the wall street journal - just acres of windy prose - but he knows how to make a site readable - and that's what we want.I think it worth every tax-deductible penny - and I'm tight.

This book is an essential guide in helping people plan an effective web-publishing presence through a simple A-Z format. The reader can use this book as a good source of reference. On a personal note, the book has encouraged me to rethink my portals' attractiveness to my target audience.I strongly believe that this book is the best of its kind around. A must read from novice to expert.

The first chapter alone is worth the price of the book. Great ideas on writing for either traditional or web viewers. Easy to read and insightful.