The Importance of Writing

Websites have to juggle many things to make their sites successful. Technology is one which we of course cannot avoid - blogs, videos, slide shows, animations, interactive sites, and the list goes on.

How good your website looks - colour, layout, where your items are positioned and overall design also makes a difference.

But, I have seen very few people address writing.

A techy web designer from Particletree advocates the power of writing. He is trying to learn a new skill, and in the process found for us a good list of places to go.

This is what he says about writing, which he also calls communication, quoting from another blog Writing clear and simple:

The words you use, either written or spoken, can have powerful effects on your audience‚—if you use them carefully and skillfully. Whether your goal is to inform, to persuade, to call for action, or to entertain, your words and your stories can be powerful. They can be powerful, because language is software for the mind.

Here are some of the links he gives to help with writing skills:

• Elements of Style
  

• Poynter.org
  

• The New York Times - Grammar and Usage

• The Economist Style Guide
  

• Guide to Grammar and Style
  

• Guide to Grammar & Writing
  

Writing for the web is also a special skill. After honing some good preliminary writing rules and skills, it is still important to gear your writing for the web rather than for print. People read differently on the web.

I have written a blog and an article about this which you can preview here.