Write Great Web Content: Plain Language in Action

Description

If you’re a web content writer, manager, or editor, this course will provide you with what you’ve often said you need: practical guidance on writing plain language web content, examples of effective content, and the opportunity to practice your writing skills. This hands-on online course introduces you to the principles of plain language web writing and the federal plain language community. You’ll learn how to write content that search engines can find and people can use. You’ll get practical instruction on how to write concisely, using concrete wording and active voice. During this course, you will write and revise own web content. You’ll have the chance to share your work with the instructor and other course participants. You’ll receive practical, focused feedback.

Format

This course includes online meetings, readings, homework assignments, and instructor feedback. You will:

• Participate in four 90-minute interactive webinars; one per week for four consecutive weeks

• Complete readings and writing assignments for homework after each webinar

• Receive the instructor’s feedback on your writing

• Interact with other course participants during the webinars (and after)

You must participate in all four webinars and complete all the homework assignments to receive the Plain Language certificate of completion for this course. In addition to the time you’ll devote to each webinar, you should budget about 90 minutes per week for readings and homework assignments.

Why You Should Attend

• You’ll receive expert instruction on writing in plain language
• You’ll learn during convenient online meetings
• You’ll be able to write plain language web content that meets your readers’ needs and speed up the editorial cycle in your agency
• You’ll be able to support your agency in writing plain language content, developing a plain language program, and complying with the plain language law
• You and the other course participants will become part of a web writing community; you’ll get to know each other and provide each other with support and input after the course.

What You'll Learn

• An overview of plain language and the plain writing act of 2010
• How to write task-oriented web content
• How to write content that is appropriate for its intended users: the bite, snack, and meal approach
• How to repurpose print content for the web
• How to write concisely
• How to write web content search engines can find and rank highly
• How to write scannable web content
• How to write meaningful hypertext links

About the Instructor:

Leslie O'Flahavan is a co-founder and partner in E–WRITE. With E–WRITE, Leslie has helped thousands of people learn to write well for online readers. She has delivered customized writing courses for customer service agents, help desk staff, web content contributors, marketers, executives, demographers, county government employees, activists, federal employees, and teachers! 

Leslie helps agencies publish usable web content written by a broad range of contributors and develop web writing style guides to govern content writing. This year, E–WRITE has developed an Editorial Style Guide for the Energy Information Administration and an online web writing course for the Department of Veterans Affairs. 

Leslie is a frequent presenter at web content conferences and has been an Internet Best–In Class award judge for 3 years. She is the co-author of Clear, Correct, Concise E–Mail: A Writing Workbook for Customer Service Agents.

Content Lead: DigitalGov University Team
Page Reviewed/Updated: September 17, 2012