2. Week Three Contents
• Length exercise and lead re-cap
• Headings and titles
• Writing devices for online
• Active versus passive sentences
• Bullet lists
• Direct language
• Choosing fonts and sizes
• Avoid idioms
• Acronyms
• SEO
3. Length writing exercise
• Start with one idea for your upcoming blog
assignment and write as much as you can on the
idea.
• Now trim the content you have written to five
important sentences.
• Now trim those five important sentences to one
sentence that you believe most accurately
describes your overall idea.
4. Headings/Titles
“The purpose of a headline is to get potential
readers to read the first line of your content.”
– David Ogilvy, Ogilvy on Advertising
7. Writing devices for online
• Write using active verbs
• When to use I, you and we
• Keep sentences simple
• Avoid using verbs such as “get” and “do”
• Use specific concrete nouns
8. Active versus passive sentences
• Active sentence: The subject doing the verb’s action.
• For example: The man (subject) is eating the
hamburger (object).
• Passive sentence: The subject being acted upon by the
verb.
• For example: The hamburgers (subject) are being eaten
(verb).
9. Active versus passive sentences
• Their house is being built by Sandra.
• This furniture was made in Vietnam.
• I will be taken to the airport by someone at
2pm.
• Once a month I am paid by the bank.
• English must be spoken in class.
• The window was broken.
10. Bullet Lists
• Bullet lists are great for long lists of items and
instructions.
• Bullet lists make information easier for your
readers to scan and take in quickly.
• Use numbered lists for instructions that are
sequential.
• Capitalising is fine
• Use full stops if your bullet list forms a
complete sentence.
11. Direct Language
• In the region of, approximately, concerning
• Of the order of, regarding, respecting
• Take action
• Take action on
• Following, subsequently
• Assistance
• Objective
• Whole of
• In addition
• Made an approach to
• Placed under arrest
• Arrived on the scene
• Inquire
• In consequence of
• Prior to, ahead of
• Commerce, initiate
• Prove beneficial
• Constructed
• However
• Purchase
• Described as
• Give rise to
• Centre around
• Less expensive
• Hails from
• Give consideration to
• Expensive
• Medical practitioner
• Beverage
13. Choosing fonts and sizes
• Use the same font and vary the sizes
• Choose fonts that are simple to read online
• Keep it consistent across header, sub-header and text
paragraphs
• If you pair fonts, use complementary choices
14. • Concordant fonts: fonts of the same family
• Contrasting fonts: size, colour and style
• Number of fonts: use just two for most articles
• Resources:http://webdesign.tutsplus.com/artic
les/typography-articles/a-beginners-guide-to-
pairing-fonts/
15. Avoid idioms
• It’s a piece of cake.
• There’s nothing to it.
• It’s as easy as pie.
• It’s a no-brainer.
• It’s like taking candy from a baby.
• No sweat.
16. Acronyms
• Acronyms should nearly always be explained
in the first instance with the acronym in
brackets on every new page.
• There are some acronyms, however, that is
better known by their abbreviation and would
not be useful to convert.
• IBM, QANTAS, JPEG, NASA
18. SEO
• Google Panda and Google Penguin
• Strong content is key
• Keywords
• Key phrases
• Links – outbound and inbound
• Categories
• Tags
• Resources - http://www.hubspot.com/