Letting Go of the Words: Writing Web Content That Works

by Janice G. Redish

Book Overview

"Redish has done her homework and created a thorough overview of the issues in writing for the Web. Ironically, I must recommend that you read her every word so that you can find out why your customers won't read very many words on your website -- and what to do about it."-- Jakob Nielsen, Principal, Nielsen Norman Group"There are at least twelve billion web pages out there. Twelve billion voices talking, but saying mostly nothing. If just 1% of those...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0123694868
• ISBN13: 9780123694867
• Release Date: June 2007
• Publisher: Morgan Kaufmann Publishers
• Length: 384 Pages
• Weight: 1.76 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 7.5" x 9.3"

Customer Reviews

Readable and usable

Here's the ultimate compliment: I need to buy at least three copies, one for me and two for clients--who will love it, too! Years ago, a professor of mine told a story about his being informed that his work was so easy and fun to read, it could not possibly be scholarly enough for a particular publication(!) This book might receive a few of those sorts of comments, too. On first glance, people with a fair amount of experience in this field might say it's too basic--but they would be wrong. This book is thorough, in depth, and deals with a wide range of issues--and explains why certain alternatives are better than others, instead of just saying, "here is how things should be." It is a thorough presentation of highly useful and relevant information in a enjoyable, understandable, and audience-aware and audience-friendly way.

Great Primer on Writing for the Web

Writing for the Web is not like writing a college term paper -- or even print ads. It takes understanding what your audience is seeking when they come to your website and presenting it in a manner that allows them to find it easily. Letting Go of the Words is a brilliant, easy-to-read book that explains how you can write usable copy for projects of any size. Redish writes about the difference between the three major types of pages and what should be on them (and what shouldn't). 1. Home pages 2. Pathway pages 3. Information pages She also gives useful advice on * Focusing on your essential message * Making your design easy to use * Using lists and tables * Using headings and illustrations effectively * Writing links that get clicked, and perhaps most importantly, * Fitting this all into a process that allows you to set expectations and meet deadlines. Anyone involved with building websites (or writing blogs) can find value in this book. I learned a lot from it, and I think you would, too. I strongly recommend it.

the best book on writing for the web

i've read several books and countless articles on how to write well for the web. Ginny Redish nails it perfectly. This is hands-down the best book on writing for the web out there. The book is beautifully laid-out, with easy to grasp, common sense advice - all backed up by solid research data and straightforward examples. If you're a fan of usability, good user-centered design, and easy-to-read helpful books, and you'd like to improve your site's performance with better writing, definitely get this book. I'm already reworking the content on my sites with many of Ginny's suggestions, and I have no doubt my readers will be happy.

A book that will raise the quality of Web sites

Ginny Redish's book, Letting Go of the Words, is a book long overdue. Until now, I've never found a book on writing content for the Web that had anything of substance to say. What ever they said, we already knew intuitively. This is not the case with Redish's book. The book is filled from cover to cover with very important ideas and messages for writers. Moreover, the ideas are presented very effectively. In each chapter, Redish presents principles dealing with the topic at hand. She then discusses each principle and deomonstrates the use of each with excellent examples -- both the results when the principle is used and when it is violated. In this format it also makes for a very handy reference document. After I read the book, I bought two more copies to circulate amongst our Web development team. It is a must read for our writers/editors, but all members of the team, I believe, will stand to benefit from it. This book is sure to become a classic in its field. As a result, it will, I believe, have a major effect of raising the quality of Web sites everywhere.

An excellent resource for all online communication

My company is a consultancy that creates interactive learning programs for large corporations. I am especially interested in blending the best practices of instructional design/performance support, technical communication, and web site design. For the latter, this book is an indispensible resource! I shared the book with our Content Director, who, at first, was too busy to really pay any attention to it. Once he cracked the cover, he immediately wrote me back and raved! The book compiles so many of the basic concepts that he and I desire our entire writing team to incorporate into their projects. We purchased multiple copies and assigned one chapter to each of our team to present to the team as a whole. These weekly presentations have been refresher for some, but new material for others, and now we are finally all level-set on basic writing/presentation concepts for online delivery. Hooray! Only negative feedback I can give is that I did hear a bit of grumbling that the author broke her own rules in a couple places - using a few headings that were too long, for example, when there is a chapter specifically on writing good headings. I should probably have docked the rating a bit for that stuff, but overall we got so much good from this little book that I feel I must give it full praise!