So you think you have a dynamite lay-out for your Blog or web-page(s)? Pretty happy with the headers, headlines, target stories? Images . . . are your images up to par? Doing what you need them to do?
I bring up these questions because I have come across a study of what people actually;
- Look at 1st on your page.
- Read on your page.
- What areas readers really focus on when looking for information.
- Images, the difference between what men and women focus on.
- Images, what kind of images are wasted on the page, are effective on the page.
- White space, as in any other type of design . . . the negative accentuates the positive . . . are you listening-Landscape Designers?
I’m also bring this up because I had several discussions with folks who wanted to Blog and were very hesitant to jump in. I promised any info I ran across that I thought would help . . . I would pass along.
The article;
Eyetracking points the way to effective news article design . . .
Applies to any type of web writing. I think it really hits home with those of us who are writing a Blog to:
- Provide information about our chosen profession.
- To promote what we do for a living.
- Credibility . . . I don’t know, this is a sticky one.
- To expand our professional presence on the web.
- Putting yourself out there to open up other avenues of/for finding work.
- Use this opportunity to give back to our professions.
- It’s fun, a unique opportunity to communicate with others of a like-mind . . . globally.
- Plus many more reasons I can’t even think of.
The article is from the Online Journalism Review, with great examples and explanation. and is associated with USC. I find this a great read, and a great resource for web writers like me with absolutely no training, formal or otherwise.
The Whispering Crane Institute 
Be careful of writing advise. Newspapers and magazines quite often bore us to tears. That is what we are doing here reading the blogs. No one shuts you off at 500 or 1000 words.No push for you to fill the same amout of space with each article.No dumbing down to an audience you percieve yourself to be smarter than. One blog can be almost all pictures the next text. I go to university sites and science journals online to read and search out blogs that are of interest. Professionals never give us enough credit and lump our interest and experience into the average joe middle or worse. So beware what you heed in writing advise. If you don’t believe me read some advise to newspaper writers… gloria
I believe that they had a rousing discussion of this Jakob Nielsen piece awhile back. http://www.useit.com/alertbox/weblogs.html
I don’t always agree with everything Nielsen says, but much of it makes sense. One thing I do agree with him about: Content is king. No amount of good design and usability can turn a sows ear into a silk purse.