Assume the reader knows nothing about FAO

Try and put yourself in the position of someone who has no background knowledge of FAO or the work that you do. Therefore:

• write out all acronyms the first time they appear on the page;
• provide context to any statements you make;
• try and avoid internal FAO jargon or excessive development-speak which could alienate a reader;
• read your text out-loud to check if it is not too lengthy; and
• re-read your text several days later and edit if necessary.

Assume this page is the first page a user encounters

Always assume that any page of your Web site might be the first page a user reads. Users will rarely begin reading a Web site from the home page and continue reading in a linear way as they would with a book. The majority will be referred to your pages from a search engine or from an external link and they will often not arrive via the home page. Therefore:

• provide context to any statements you make;
• spell out acronyms the first time they appear;
• link to further resource material to provide context to the subject; and
• keep it brief - no more than 400 words per page.

Writing for the Web is not as simple as copying and pasting text from documents designed to be read in hard copy. People read and use text on the screen in a very different way from printed text.

To understand why Web writing is different from writing for print, consider the following:

• Reading from a computer screen is tiring for the eyes, even on LCD screens;
• People are slower at reading from the screen: they read at 190-260 words per minute on-screen, off-screen it is 250-350 words per minute;
• Being online is an active process not a passive activity like reading a book. People tend to jump around more, read things out of order or context, and zero in quickly on desired bits of content rather than analyse material carefully and sequentially. Interactivity is a key component of the experience, even if that only amounts to navigation and clicking links; and
• Online users are generally more impatient. People do not want to spend time figuring out what you are trying to tell them by wading through paragraphs of text.

Avoid a rambling first paragraph

There is a tendency at FAO to begin a Web page with a large rambling introductory text, which is largely unrelated to the topic on the page. An example could be a page entitled "What is the SPFS?" which begins, "In 1996, the Director-General of FAO met with heads of state to discuss poverty issues, etc." What should be written instead is, "The SPFS was created in 1996 to improve food security in poor countries." In your first paragraph remember the golden rule of writing - what, when, why and where. If you can answer at least two of these questions in the first sentence of your paragraph, you are doing your audience a huge favour.

Stick to the point - do not digress

If your Web page is entitled "Animal-borne diseases and FAO" stick to talking about how FAO works in the animal-borne disease sector, do not begin a long treatise on river blindness in West Africa. Keep referring back to the title.