Congratulations! Give yourself a pat on the back. You just did what a lot of folks don't take time to do: you learned how to communicate more effectively. 

Before you leave this site, please take a moment to see if you can make use of any of the following resources.

Show what you know! (Putting it all together)

Ready to apply your new skills to the only "test" that counts (real life)? If so:

1. Write (or rewrite) actual copy for your own Web site, your own blog, your own school project or online presentation, etc. using what you know.
2. Apply this rubric to your writing. (A rubric is a handy checklist you go through to help make sure you've remembered to include all the stuff this course covers.) Shoot for an "Excellent" rating in at least four categories. (You can do it!)
3. Optional: Post your writing here to get feedback from others.

Additional practice

Note: The VoiceThread examples will appear in a separate window so you won't lose your place here.

Interested in flexing your writing muscles in a risk-free environment? Check out the writing examples on VoiceThread to see if you can spot what the writers have done right--and where they've goofed. 

Personalized feedback 

If you've spent a few minutes on this course, you're familiar with what you should do to write effectively.  But the proof of the pudding is in the actual Web copy you write and publish. To get personalized feedback on your writing in the form of comments from real, live readers, feel free to post your work on the Writing for the Web Community Forum.

Printable "cheat sheets"

You're not always at a computer when you're writing. Download and print out one or all of the following PDF "cheat sheets"  to make sure you're prepared the next time the muse strikes. Or, if you prefer, cut-and-paste from the HTML versions. (Hint:  These checklists make terrific checklists for Web copy you've already written, too.)

• The Four Rules of Writing for the Web (html) (pdf)
• The Five Steps of Writing (html) (pdf)
• The Top Ten Tips for Presenting Web Copy Effectively (html) (pdf)
• The Writing for the Web Self-Assessment Rubric (html) (pdf) 

 Podcast version

To get the most out of this course, you really do want to work through the videos and exercises. But if you're short on time--or just want a refresher--you can download the audio versions of:

• Introduction (podcast)
• Part 1 - New Medium, New Rules (podcast)
• Part 2 - Five Steps of Writing (podcast) 
• Part 3 - Presenting Your Web Copy Effectively (podcast)

To find out more...

This short e-course was built on the "80/20" rule:  80% of the time, you can fix bad writing by following just 20% of the rules (the most important ones).  If you've taken the time to work through this course, you're familiar with the all-important 20%.   But if you'd like to investigate this topic at greater length, you could do worse than visit the following sites:

• Jakob Nielsen is the undisputed king of Web usability, and that includes Web readability. His site, useit.com, offers tips not just on writing for the Web and presenting text, but on the best ways to build features like site navigation and interactivity into your Web site.  useit.com is a must-read for anyone who develops or maintains Web sites.
• The Institute for Dynamic Educational Advancement, or IDEA, expands on some of the ideas presented in this e-course and is of special interest to educators writing for the Web.
• For an in-depth, interactive discussion of how to write well, check out Purdue University's Online Writing Lab (which also describes how to create an outline).

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