Writing for the web training 
Our full day web writing course is suitable for you if you write or edit content for your organisation's website (intranet or Internet, including blogs). We'll show you how to improve your writing so it will work better for an online audience.
Teaching method
We present each topic using examples from the web (almost 100 of them) to illustrate problems and solutions. You'll then do an exercise where you will try to apply what you have just learned.
Notes and other materials
You'll get a 120-page book of notes and access to templates and writing tools online.
Timetable
Workshop starts at 9.00 am and finishes at around 5.00 pm.
| Time | Length | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 8.30 am | 30 mins | Arrival tea and coffee and sign-in |
| 9.00 am | 10 mins | Introductions |
| 9.15 am | 15 mins | Testing web content We'll ask you to do a task using some content we've found online. You get an experience of content from a user's perspective, and see how easy it is to do usability testing of your content. |
| 9.30 am | 30 mins | User behaviour Learn how people read online by reviewing usability and eye tracking research. We discuss how this impacts on writing for the web. |
| 10.00am | 30 mins | Useful Recognise low value content, how it ends up online and why you shouldn't publish it. We'll present a process for planning content that will help you produce higher value, better quality content. |
| 10.30 am | 15 mins | Morning tea |
| 10.45 am | 75 mins | Findable Your writing affects seach engine rankings and people's ability to find the right page. We'll discuss how search engines work, how people use them and search engine optimisation for writers. |
| 12.00 pm | 60 mins | Scannable Structure and design content to make it easier to scan-read. We'll discuss sequencing, grouping, headings, paragraphs, lists, tables, images and using links in text. |
| 1.00 pm | 45 mins | Lunch |
| 1.45 pm | 60 mins | Readable Write to make content easier to read. We'll cover choice of words, sentence length, use of active/passive voice, nominalised verbs and personal pronouns. We'll discuss the evidence that shows the benefits writing in a plainer style. |
| 2.45 pm | 15 mins | Afternoon tea |
| 3.00 pm | 45 mins | Concise Write concisely by avoiding unnecessary content and unnecessary words. We'll show you how to include all the detail needed, but cut back on words. |
| 3.45 pm | 60 mins | Accessible Make content accessible by understanding key parts of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0. We'll focus on reading level, writing clear links and providing text alternatives for images. |
Facilitator
Dey Alexander began work on her first website in 1994. She has specialised in usability and accessibility since 2000. Dey has facilitated hundreds of usability tests and has seen first-hand the problems that poor content creates. She will share her experiences and research findings to give you a good sense of what does and does not work for online content.
Workshop dates
Public workshops run in partnership with Vision Australia
Melbourne (Swanston Grand Mercure): November 9
Canberra (Novotel): September 7
Brisbane: no more workshops scheduled for 2010
Sydney (Mercure): September 21
Perth (Mercure): September 14
Adelaide (Mercure Grosvenor): October 5
$605 (incl GST) per person, includes lunch. Discounts for early birds and groups.
To register
Contact: Vision Australia
Phone: 1300 367 055
Email: webaccess@visionaustralia.org
In-house workshops
We run in-house workshops for groups anywhere in Australia.
Contact us for information or a proposal detailing requirements, costs and availability.
Testimonials
'5 stars - very informative, direct and structured'
Julie Bray, Queensland Health
'Useful, practical advice that has immediate application'
Simon Langsford, SA Museum
'Very informative, well presented, good examples'
Emma Curtis-Bramwell, La Trobe University
'Friendly, fun environment. Great examples, excellent notes. A great workshop. Lots to implement!'
Annie O'Neill, Ballistic Publishing
'This workshop had a practical focus with lots of useful strategies I can apply back at work'
Lisa Richardson, Pearson Education
'Great research to back up examples. Good examples used throughout course. Great reference material to go back to'
Selina Smyth, PIRSA/Safework SA
'Engaging and very relevant. Dey is a fantastic facilitator. It's obvious that everyone enjoyed the day and will put learnings into practice'
Erin Kurth, Melbourne Water
'Coming from a fairly basic web writing background, I now feel confident and more importantly, excited about tackling a work project rewriting some of my team intranet pages'
Anna Ringelstein, National Australia Bank
'I highly recommend anyone who looks after web content to attend this workshop. It actually gives you skills you can use every day. Plus the presenter had a great sense of humour, which made the day much more fun!'
Sally Bolton, Australian Electoral Commission
'The presenter was clearly qualified to run this course. The course was very easy to follow and had real practical and relevant examples'
Nathalia Lapierre, Westpac