The bad news is, I’m not finished hacking my website back together. The good news is that when I am finished, not only will the site be upgraded to XHTML and wordpress 1.5, but it will also have a visual redesign. In the mean time, here are some more links:

• What is Line Height? In case you were wondering, here is a great explanation
• How to style a definition list I still think navigation should be an unordered list, but this is an interesting approach.
• Usability testing without a budget See? Even you can prevent confused users.
• Wordpress Theme Browser Since deciding to upgrade to version 1.5, this site has helped quite a bit.
• CSS Organization Tip This is a great idea. I look forward to more tips from Doug Bowman.

Comments

Talk to your audience. The rule to remember here is, don’t let that third person come between you and your trainee.

Most web pages today have incorporated a casual (not sloppy!) conversational style. Internet users expect a different style than their textbooks; less didactic and more conversational

So, make the effort to write in second person (“you’ll want to keep a dairy of your coaching meetings”) or the first person (“I’ve always kept a dairy of my coaching meetings.”) Second person is more direct about what you want your trainee to do, because you directly tell them.

First person is informal, but it’s really all about you, isn’t it? The first person lays out your personal reactions and actions, requiring your trainee to make the inference that they should do it. I use second person in most of my writing, except when training deans or faculty, who might resent beeing told what to do.

Third person writing (“a dairy of your coaching meetings should be kept”) makes your text sit back from the reader. And, coupled with the life-sucking passive voice, your words are deadly dull. This is more the teacher than the Dutch Uncle talking to them.

Your writing style should be more like this

(graphic of two people sitting across each other at a table)

not this

(someone at a roster, high above the person, lecturing).

Here’s a writing sample from our sexual harassment course.

Comments