Writing for the Web: Creating Compelling Web Content Using Words, Pictures, and Sound

Whether via posts on Facebook or entries on their own blogs, just about everybody seems to be writing for the Web now. It may be that most of the writing we do is destined for the Web. I recall in his latter years, Kurt Vonnegut scoffed that the Internet had disproved the old claim that a million monkeys pounding on keyboards would eventually produce a work of genius. He claimed, professional curmudgeon that he was, that writings on the Net are all garbage. That's nonsense, of course, but writing--or more correctly, the presentation of thoughts and information--can always be improved. Lynda Felder's book is a worthy effort to support that objective. The first thing I like about it is the design of the printed copy. It just feels good in my hands, falls open easily, and is visually welcoming. Some of the content feels basic to me, but that is no criticism. Literally every day, I encounter online writing that could be significantly improved by observance of this material. I have just been reading a thread for newbie/wannabe authors on Goodreads in which people seem unaware of how to access the kind of guidance Lynda Felder provides. Perhaps some of this could have been organized differently, and I felt that some transitions were a little jarring. But I learned a thing or two from it (and I've been writing professionally for a long time). My daughter, who is closer to what is probably the target audience, has also read it. Her view is that it's a nice blend of textbook and something she would read for pleasure, i.e., it's both informative and entertaining. Hard to top that!

I think this book will be very usefull for web writers, for bloggers, and for everyone in order to improve their writing skills even in traditional platforms.

There are a lot of technical books about the tools for constructing electronic information. This is not one of them. Lynda Felder's Writing for the Web provides invaluable information about effectively communicating information to an intended audience over the internet using a variety of media. I found the book to be a wonderful resource that manages to be straightforward but not dull, and amusing but not cute. Especially helpful and fun are the freewriting exercises, which are sure to pique the imagination of all writers, web-based or otherwise. The quotes used throughout the book are well-chosen and insightful, and the author's friendly tone makes even the more arid topics (think outlines and sentence structure) pleasantly digestible.

This book is well organized and even entertaining with great usable content. I do not normally read a book like this from cover to cover, but this was an exception. I would recommend this book to anyone who has a desire to improve their web writing!

Not as per expectations

I was forced to purchase this book for one of my classes. I chose to purchase the kindle version because it was cheapest, and I couldn't bear to spend more on this book than necessary. In the picture I included, you can see a sample of the book about writing succinctly. It would be great if the author took their own advice. Maybe there are some good points in this book, but I haven't found one yet.

Purchased the ebook. Very helpful in understanding how to alter writing for web consumption. If you are an academic like me trying to translate research for the general public, you need this book!

This book which is a little dated now, has an American flavour but a broad appeal to the beginning web writer. Plenty of starter exercises are provided and good advice, but I did find some generalisations and a desire to make everything more basic than perhaps is required. This reminded me of 'Don't Make Me Think,' a book about designing websites. Keeping vocabulary appropriate to the site and reader is one point. Making bulleted lists instead of vague lines of text is another. Each chapter ends with an admonition to sit and write, practising what that chapter has told you. For those already writing web content, this won't be necessary. Mainly I would suggest learning better English (or which ever language you use) would benefit many writers today, as many firms don't want to employ editors any more. I don't expect seasoned writers will need much from this read, but a flick through can be useful to remind anyone of particular points. I borrowed this book from the DBS Library. This is an unbiased review.

A first class guide on how to write with greater impact and engage clients' attention. Simple messages, clearly expressed - as you should expect from the topic in question.

This book it thorough, concise and delivered with practicality for anyone exploring writing opportunities on the Web. A must-keep and handy resource for both beginners and seasoned writers.

Great quality

I don't think this book was useful at all. There is definitely better resources online!