Lecture Template--Writing for the Web

	Remember that linear text is not read the same way hypertext is. Remember that visitors to your web site are more likely to skim and scan than to read carefully.
	Remember that many visitors will be reading from a standard 640x480 pixel monitor screen.
	Don't make your text more than about 50-60 characters across. Don't require your visitor to scroll sideways to read your material. Provide sufficient contrast between the colors of your text and your page background. Be generous with white space. Add color or graphics where appropriate.	Hint: Use a borderless table to control the width of text on a screen
	A lot of your editing of existing material for the web will be a matter of storyboarding the section of the site, creating hierarchies, creating internal (i.e., bookmarked) links.
	Examine the material you are modifying and ask yourself a few questions: What is the purpose of the material? Why will this material be on the web? Who will be accessing this material from the web?
	Then analyze the organizational structure of the material. Note the flow of the text; is it linear or something a reader can dig into at various points? Chunk the material into discrete units. Base your choice of units on content, logic, and audience awareness.
Example: Short Document	If you have a short linear document: Chunk the material into sections. Create a bookmark at the subhead marking each section Return to the top of the file. Create a table of contents and link each item to the appropriate subheading farther down in the file.
Example: Large Handbook	If you have a long linear document, such as an employee handbook, that is composed of a number of chapters or subunits: Turn each chapter into a separate web page file. Create a table of contents page with a list of the chapter titles. Link each chapter title with the appropriate file. Create a navigation bar that will allow the visitor to read the next chapter or return to the previous chapter. Create a printing copy of the handbook in one long file. Make it available from the table of contents page.
Example: Textual Analysis	If you are writing a textual analysis, provide the text you are analyzing. Highlight the parts you want to discuss and create hyperlinks to files that contain your thoughts.
Example: Documented Text	If you are writing a documented text, hyperlink to your footnotes.
	Above all, do not simply take a linear manuscript and covert it to HTML. The resulting page is generally referred to as web wallpaper because it covers the screen. Instead, when you are composing a document to be displayed on the World Wide Web, always remember to take into account the standard monitor size and the web's ability to include hyperlinks, color and graphics to help fulfill the purpose of your document.