Warm, Warmer, Hot!

by John Wooden, Director of Usability Services

Review of Hot Text: Web Writing that Works. Jonathan Price and Lisa Price. Indianapolis, 2002. New Riders. [ISBN: 0-73357-1151-8. 507 pages. $40.00 (softcover)].

Jonathan and Lisa Price’s Hot Text is a fun, engaging, thoroughly informative guide to writing for the web, making it an ideal textbook for teachers, students, and professionals. Like Nick Usborne’s Net Words , Hot Text explains and illustrates how and why writing for the web is different from writing off-line. The Prices’ approach to the subject is broader than Usborne’s, however. Whereas Net Words focuses on writing for e-commerce sites, Hot Text discusses writing for the web in general, though with specific guidance for those practicing different types of writing (such as developing online help).

The book is divided into five sections (which are listed along the top of every page, like a web site breadcrumb):

1. Net Spirit: Of all the sections, this one is the most amorphous, but perhaps this is to be expected of such a large, amorphous subject. It ranges widely, from the importance of getting to know your audience, to writing honestly and with an attitude, to thinking in terms of XML and “objects” (rather than “documents”), to understanding everything the computer screen does to your words (they look fuzzy, they are unstable, they are three dimensional).
2. Human Style: For many readers, this section will be the most valuable (it is also the longest). It describes and illustrates what works and what does not in online writing. After each guideline, the authors describe the “audience fit” — in other words, how pertinent the guideline is if site visitors want to “have fun,” “learn,” “act,” “be aware,” or “get close to people” (such as in a discussion group).
3. Genres – Genres are important because they are all about conventions and audience expectations. In literature, some writers can experiment with genres to achieve different effects, but in a business or learning environment, it is best not to fool around with audience expectations. The Prices describe and illustrate best practices in 10 online genres: help and FAQs, privacy policies, email responses to customers, marketing copy, news releases, news articles, email newsletters, weblogs, webzines, and resumes.
4. Become a Pro: A relatively short section, this provides advice on working professionally as a web writer and editor, both on staff and freelance.
5. Backup: An extensive list of related web sites books, and articles, together with an index.

Despite its textbook length, Hot Text makes fast, enjoyable reading. And the Prices invite you to submit comments and questions online, providing a URL at the end of every chapter.