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麻豆社 Academy
Why does writing matter?
Writing matters because learning matters. Good writing is clear. It delights. It leaves us wanting more. If we want people to learn, we have to write well.
Your writing is every bit as important as your video or audio.
This guide is for anyone who writes for the 麻豆社 Academy online. It's designed to equip you with the skills you need to write to the standards required by the 麻豆社.
How do I get started?
The first sentence of an article
Get straight to the point. People are impatient when they read on the web. Ask yourself what makes this content unique? Why do people need to read it? Sum it up in one sentence. Make that your first sentence.
Body text
- put your most important information at the top - make sure your first sentence captures your reader's attention
- if your page includes video or audio, introduce each contributor very briefly
- summarise the learning points, preferably in bullets
- include a strong pull quote
- break up the text with subheadings and bullets
- use active, rather than passive, sentences
- don't just repeat what people have said in the video or audio
Other parts of the article
- Download the PDF to learn what to include in other parts of an iSite article page such as the teaser text, excerpts and meta descriptions.
What's our tone of voice?
We use a tone of voice in our writing just as much as we do when we're speaking. Everything we publish on the Academy website should be in the Academy's tone of voice, which is friendly, conversational and authoritative.
What style do we use?
The style of a website or publication is the way it uses capital letters and hyphens; how it describes countries and places; whether it use the 12-hour or 24-hour clock...
Is style different from grammar?
Yes. In general grammar, spelling and punctuation are either correct or incorrect. The same rules apply in every publication. Style is about an organisation's particular way of writing. The Daily Telegraph has its own house style. The Guardian has a different one.
What style do we use at the 麻豆社 Academy?
We use the same style as 麻豆社 News. You can find the 麻豆社 News style guide on the 麻豆社 Academy website and in Step 8 of this guide.
What are the most important style points?
麻豆社 staff can take the course Writing in Style for the 麻豆社 Academy to learn the style basics.
How long should words be?
The shorter the better - In general short words are better than long words. Your goal is to be understood. Use simple words to say exactly what you mean.
How long should sentences be?
The shorter the better - Break up complex sentences into several short ones. Short sentences are clearer. But don't make all of them short. Variety is important too.
How long should paragraphs be?
One or two sentences is enough - The goal in writing for the web is to make text easy to scan. Avoid big blocks of text. Break up your paragraphs. Use bullet points and subheadings.
How long should articles be?
Articles should be - People have a shorter attention span online than they do in print. Break up long pieces into a series of related articles.
Does SEO matter?
It鈥檚 no use having great content if people can't find it. Good writing for the web involves making your content findable through search. The process of doing this is known as search engine optimisation (SEO).
Two steps of basic SEO
- Two steps of basic SEO
- Put those keywords or phrases in the places where search engines will pick them up, such as the title and the description.
Take the course: SEO for the 麻豆社 Academy
麻豆社 staff can take a 20-minute course that will help you identify keywords and choose between competing ones. It also explains exactly where to place them when creating content within iSite, uploading images to iBroadcast or making courses in Gomo.
How do I put in links?
Links are the roadmap of the web. As well as being helpful for a user, they contribute to SEO. The video explains how to create good quality links in iSite.
