Getting Your Message Across 4: Writing for the Web: using content effectively

Course has already taken place

Max Places:
15

Description
PRE-REQUISITES/REQUIREMENTS:
Participants will be asked to review two or three websites before
attending this course.

AIM AND CONTENT:
How we present ourselves on the web is essential for attracting new
students and communicating effectively to all potential audiences. This
course will provide practical examples of university (and other) content
to give you simple but effective techniques to improve your web writing
skills and manage a professional and successful website. The focus will
be on content rather than technical skill and will be of interest to
staff who write content for, manage or edit websites. The course will
include a number of hands-on activities, as well as short introductions
to key areas and supporting materials: readability, layout and
structure, writing with the reader in mind, improving the consistency of
online information, accessibility issues, and, more briefly, search
engine ranking and use of social media.

INTENDED OUTCOMES + BENEFITS
As a result of the course participants will:
•Have a greater understanding of what makes a good website and effective
online text;
•Have a greater understanding about how people read websites and how
this determines the way we need to write;
•Have developed their skills in writing readable content for the web;
•Have a clearer understanding of accessibility standards and metadata.
•Be better able to target content to specific audiences.

LEARNING & TEACHING METHODS:
The course will include a number of hands-on activities, as well as
short introductions to key areas and supporting materials: readability,
layout and structure, writing with the reader in mind, recognising
effective publishing processes to reduce production time and improve the
consistency of online information, accessibility issues, search engine
ranking (briefly), use of social media.

TUTORS: Eleanor Holroyd, Richard Ashby and Tanya O’Rourke, University
Communications.

RELATED COURSES:
* Getting your message across 1 - Engaging with the media: an
introduction (including radio interviews)
* Getting your message across 2 - Television Interview Skills
* Getting your message across 3 - Writing for a general audience

BOOKING: Please complete pages 7 + 8 of the application form at
http://www.sddu.leeds.ac.uk/uploaded/MediaSkillsFlyer.docx, detailing
why you wish to attend the course.