Press Release Assignment
Start with this press release. Now, revise it so that it is general-user-friendly:
- Create the press release in strict XHTMl, using division ids, appropriate tags for definitions, acronyms, abbreviations, etc. Do not bother with a style sheet.
- Rewrite and shorten content so that it addresses the reader and uses a readable style. When giving instructions, use the imperative mood.
- Break up paragraphs with informative headings (see LGW ch 10 and summary below)
- Front load information, and put the most important information above the fold
- Put complex information in ordered, unordered, and definition lists that are grammatically parallel in structure.
- Put contact information in an email link that clearly shows who is being contacted and why
Save your document as press_release.html, send it up to the your prowritescu.com web site, and link it to your index page. Bring your coded document to class next Thursday so we can talk about good writing practices. You will then edit the assignment and hand it in (by publishing it again) by the following class.
How can I write good headings?
- Start by outlining your content with headings
- Use only two levels of headings below the page title
- Use short questions users might have about content (the paragraph below the heading should answer them)
- Keep questions short
- Make them conversational in tone
- Make them the sort of questions users might ask
- Write from the reader's (first person) point of view
- Avoid noun phrases. Use imperative verb phrases
- Make headlines parallel in structure
- Incorporate key-words: what do people search for?
Show me best practices for online press releases
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