Where to apply these ideas When you have to write something that someone else will need to read; not for designing a cool web site
Last modified: 4/10/98
When writing information to be read with a browser
The material covered on this web site is for information and knowledge destined to be read on-screen. It is not a guide for making cool web sites that attract readers. It is a guide for populating an Intranet with documents that help a business be more effective.
If you have to write something for your Intranet to present information to others, this site is for you.
For the Intranet, ignoring limitations of today's Internet
The goal is to develop the techniques and styles that will work into the future. The assumption is that the documents will be read on Intranets or directly from disk where bandwidth and response-time need not be a limiting factor. Our goals is to work out what should be in the new on-screen world. There are many sites that will help you write for today's (and yesterday's) limitations. We want to create the best ways to use our new technology as it goes forward.
Intranets don't always need to be used to a lowest common denominator. More likely, you want to get the best out of your system, and not have tomorrow's reading be held back by the limitations of yesterday. This is different than making a widely-read web site on the Internet for general consumption.
Of course, the material covered here is not just for Intranets, it can apply to informational material on the Internet as well. We just chose to use the word "Intranet" since it implies non-promotional type of material and is where most of the writing we are talking about will eventually end up.
For information within a site, not the whole thing
The techniques and styles presented here are for the information and knowledge that you share with others. The "documents" you produce will be a part of your Intranet, not the design for the whole thing. If you view the "top" of your Intranet (the corporate internal homepage and some of the places it links to) as the tree, we are talking about the leaves.
For writing, not data
There is a focus on presenting information that is written by an individual to convey ideas and knowledge to others. The focus is not on the format for data reports, transaction processing, on-line commerce, or advertising (in all its forms).
Who is this for?
If you have to write something using words that someone else will need to read, the information on this site should be helpful to you. If you are helping others learn to write for Intranet reading, this site will give you information to pass on.
People who will find this information of interest include:
