1. Copyright 2014 by Arthur Fricke Writing for the Web (aka: Portfolio Advice) Engl 3365

2. The Goal I want the “portfolio” project to hopefully be practically useful, not a time-suck nightmare  if something about how you are doing your portfolio (formatting, reflection, attaching files, etc) seems like pointless busywork, then ASK ME for some help & advice  your portfolio does not have to be perfect, just effective  the portfolio grade very well might not move your final grade much, so BE PRAGMATIC I hope the “portfolio” project encourages folks to consider saving things to use later for creative career strategies  your “wordpress.com” account is free and permanent, so you can always do the minimum for the “portfolio” assignment now and then make more practical use of your portfolio later  portfolios are GREAT for switching careers – they are easy to share and can PROVE you have great “transportable” skills

3. Why practice web writing? Web tools are common and important for professional workplace writing  it’s a CHEAP medium for sharing information  it’s a POWERFUL medium for sharing information  E-MAIL supplanted PAPER MEMOS as a primary form of internal organizational communication  BLOGS and other WEBWARE are supplanting PAPER REPORTS as a primary form of external organizational communication in many different fields

4. What are some web writing tips? Basic principles are the same for traditional report writing excellence  make audience & goal of the site / document very clear  use text / wording that’s easy for audience to use  use descriptive links / section headings  include standard sections / web tools  aim for CLARITY  aim for EASY SKIMMING

5. audience & goal BE CLEAR CLEARLY state who should use the site and what they should get out of it  critical for web documents, since distribution = anyone  use “FAQ”, site description, or an intro post or “click here first” section to VERY CLEARLY and EXPLICITLY state who the site is written/designed for and what the site does for them

6. text & wording BE USEFUL and BE CORRECT Use wording that matches the medium  this means SHORT, SIMPLE, and CLEAR statements !!!!  NOBODY wants to read long complicated sentences on the web Use text that is EASY for your audience to read clearly  DO NOT use funky fonts, backgrounds, etc just because you can  DO use “snipped” info, frequent headings, short ¶s  make certain it is EASY to skim the site QUICKLY DO NOT make grammar, spelling, or typo mistakes  correctness is a KEY measure of a web document’s believability and legitimacy  typos will KILL your credibility

7. links & headings BE DESCRIPTIVE Use CLEAR & HELPFUL file names  DO NOT attach files like “grtwoot4362.doc”  DO use descriptive “TRUCKING REPORT word file” links Use DESCRIPTIVE page and section headings  use clear page & section headings to say very clearly what each area of a website contains and does  help the audience navigate QUICKLY by using headings that are very descriptive Use “internal links” to speed navigation  MINimum of two ways to find any info  MAXimum of three levels from all info

8. web tools BE HELPFUL More “internal link” examples  hyperlink “table of contents” links at the top of long pages  category links, tabs, or other tools to help people move from one area to another  search boxes to find info in large sites Standard sections  a “FAQ” section is useful for really big websites  an “about this site” or “click here” for small websites DO NOT use fancy tools just because you can  consider your main audience’s preferences & limitations, and RESPECT your main users’ needs!

9. simplicity requires THOUGHT and WORK Simplicity requires careful ANALYSIS & PLANNING  must consider things from the audience’s point of view  this is like organizing a report outline based on audience needs and preferences For example, “easy for Art to grade fast” would mean:  making a blog post for each assignment  using the exact assignment title for each blog post title  organizing posts chronologically  making an exact assignment title category for each post IF “Art Fricke” is not the audience and “easy to grade fast” is not a goal, then:  the site will be organized COMPLETELY differently!

10. weblog portfolio grading general grading strategy I’ll evaluate each portfolio in six focused categories:  defining a clear audience & goal  having useful content (matches audience & goal)  following assignment directions  writing effectively (style)  editing effectively (correctness)  organizing & designing effectively (easy navigation) I’ll give each category a letter grade, and then I’ll average them together to calculate an overall grade

11. portfolio grading defining a clear audience & goal This is what can make it practically useful!  you can choose ANY AUDIENCE and ANY GOAL  for example:future employer / to showcase writing skills Art Fricke / to be easy to grade your mom / to show what you do at TTU future students / to help them choose wisely Requirements:  audience and goal must be VERY CLEAR  audience and goal must match blog content  audience and goal must match blog design & organization

12. portfolio grading providing useful content This is how a portfolio makes sense!  the audience must be interested in what you talk about  for example:employer / how well do you communicate? me / how can the course be better? mom / what did you like or not like? future students / how can you ace the work? Requirement:  talk about things that CLEARLY match the audience and goal you define for your portfolio

13. portfolio grading following directions This is a BASIC professional skill!  would you hire someone who couldn’t follow directions?  would you like to work with people who CAN FIGURE OUT exactly what you need, how to organize it, and what format is best for you? Requirements:  portfolio must be COMPLETE (for example, include EVERYONE’s progress memos)  portfolio must FOLLOW ASSIGNMENT DIRECTIONS (for example, reflections must average ~400 words)  Portfolio must FOLLOW PROJECT DIRECTIONS (for example, include info from someone in your job field)

14. portfolio grading writing effectively Layout must match genre  people read websites quickly and often skim pages  use very short paragraphs & consider using section headings  evaluate font styles, sizes, and colors very carefully Style must match audience and goal  do you know ANYONE who likes websites with long, complicated, and unclear sentences?  use SHORT, SIMPLE, and CLEAR SENTENCES !!!!  use a tone that matches audience and goal (very formal, formal, semi-formal, informal, sarcastic?)  use PLAIN LANGUAGE !!!! (“formal” DOES NOT mean “sounds complicated and business-y”) Requirements:  follow the writing style I’ve asked you to practice all semester  use effective document-level and paragraph-level organization

15. portfolio grading editing effectively Genre research shows:  people evaluate web credibility in a “threshold” manner  typos, formatting, & grammar are KEY credibility markers  a few minor problems are okay, but “a few +1” is NOT Requirements (for “A” in category) :  must have NO obvious wording typos  must have NO spelling typos  must have VERY FEW formatting inconsistencies (UNLESS you clearly explain them in a convincing way)  must have RELATIVELY FEW grammar problems (less than ~two per ~400 words)

16. portfolio grading organizing & designing effectively Blog DESIGN should appeal to audience  flowers, fireworks, & puppies theme not good for an employer  boring corporate blue theme not good for your mom Blog ORGANIZATION should match audience  make it easy for audience to find info  use categories, sticky posts, pages, descriptive titles, external links, and other elements for easy blog navigation Requirement:  make the blog appealing and easy for the audience to use

17. using wordpress welcome to professional reality You will need to learn new technologies  imagine using a PC for the first time on your first real workday at your first real engineering job  imagine learning to use “the inter-net”, “windows” software, or how to make and send “electronic mail” for the first time on the job  you’ll be CONSTANTLY challenged to learn new software, hardware, and procedures no matter what your career field is You can do this easily and effectively by:  working ahead to prevent deadline crises  utilizing opportunities for help and advice  NOT requiring personal tutorials on everything you’ll need to learn  NOT dragging other people into last-minute nightmares So, for this project:  learn to use the “wordpress.com” service effectively and efficiently  DO NOT procrastinate until it is too late to get help

18. 1993, first day in your real professional career first time using a word processor on a PC first time ever seeing a “Windows 3.1” screen first 30 draft pages of the proposal is due in seven days -- GOOD LUCK !!!