BlogWorld & New Media Expo 2010

“How To” articles have been a staple of blogging for years, and are the bread-and-butter for such sites as wikihow.com, simplehelp.net, ehow.com, and monsterguide.net. How-to information is what is known as “evergreen content” that continues to be useful to readers long after it has faded from the front pages of your site. This seminar will review step-by-step procedural writing and the art of explaining tasks to other people. Some of the information to be covered includes:

IDENTIFYING YOUR TARGET AUDIENCE

• Beginners versus advanced readers
• International audiences
• Determining the technical level of your readers
• Using people to test your results

THE KEYS TO ORGANIZING YOUR HOW-TO ARTICLE

• Defining the desired outcome
• Identifying the necessary components
• Determining the proper order of events
• Discussing alternatives and potential problems

PROCEDURAL STYLE TIPS AND TRICKS

• The importance of repetition and consistency
• Appropriate sentence structure
• Avoiding unnecessary jargon and explaining terms
• Using unambiguous language
• The use of graphics to clarify steps and results