Rating: 
Summary: Super useful!
Review: A couple of decades ago I spent a year being rough-handled by two punitive and pedantic professors of freshman English composition. The was experience was painful enough that, although I have written a lot in the intervening years, I had not picked up a "how to write" book until this one.I had been having some trouble getting a web site I was doing to read "just right", and this book came up as a possible source of help. It was - and in many respects. It gave me not just ideas for the site I had problems with, but also things that I'll take to other sites I wrote and still maintain. It's great to see a professorial ego that permits the author to provide so many links to other people's stuff! And it's also useful to see a recommendation about how to cite a web site in scholarly writing. I filled my copy with marginal notes, highlighting, underlining, and sticky notes, and turned down about a third of the pages for future reference. It's that good.
Rating:
Summary: Super useful!
Review: A couple of decades ago I spent a year being rough-handled by two punitive and pedantic professors of freshman English composition. The was experience was painful enough that, although I have written a lot in the intervening years, I had not picked up a "how to write" book until this one. I had been having some trouble getting a web site I was doing to read "just right", and this book came up as a possible source of help. It was - and in many respects. It gave me not just ideas for the site I had problems with, but also things that I'll take to other sites I wrote and still maintain. It's great to see a professorial ego that permits the author to provide so many links to other people's stuff! And it's also useful to see a recommendation about how to cite a web site in scholarly writing. I filled my copy with marginal notes, highlighting, underlining, and sticky notes, and turned down about a third of the pages for future reference. It's that good.
Rating:
Summary: Great resource - Read it before you start your web page
Review: Crawford Killian's book is packed with tips on how to structure information for a web page - how to format, how to edit for clarity and brevity - how to use navigation cues and hold reader interest. The section on grammar reviews the basics from a web perspective. He also covers persuasion, editing and marketing your writing, and offers lots of links to illustrate good writing.
Rating: 
Summary: Too late for this to be helpful
Review: If you can cram yourself into a time machine and magically go back to 1994, then this book will be a big help. If you're with the rest of us here in 2001, then find another source of help. The badly outdated information about the nature of the Web is only topped by the author's annoying choices of "catchwords" to use throughout the book. "Chunks," for example, apparently means blocks of text containing fewer than 100 words (it's also the author's recommended maximum page length). Not so bad by itself, but when used repeatedly, and with variation (chunk it, chunking), the practice gets a bit annoying. In the preface, the author reveals a bias to print media, which is unnecessary if you read the introduction. I'd suggest taking tips from someone who's worked regularly on the Web and finds it an engaging medium--instead of someone with a limited understanding of the Web's potential who works on it only as a sideline.
Rating: 
Summary: OK for beginners. Experienced writers: look elsewhere.
Review: If you're new to Web writing, or to writing generally, you may find Crawford Killian's Writing for the Web useful. Beginners will appreciate the discussion of the major differences between how readers process information online versus in print. And novice writers will benefit from the book's middle section, which focuses on essentials of good writing ("Opt for Strong Verbs over Weak Ones"; "Avoid Cliches"; "Use Simple Sentences"; "Subject-verb disagreements"; etc.). This discussion of writing and editing fundamentals represents more than a third of the book's 137 pages. As useful as these general writing tips are, they're nothing new to anyone who has read Strunk and White's The Elements of Style or William Zinnser's On Writing Well. Similarly, I think I've learned much more about Web writing by reading non-Web-specific copywriting books. What I was looking for--and didn't get more than a surface treatment of--is a discussion about organizing information on the Web, taking full advantage of the power of hypertext to provide information, and learning more about ways to grab people's attention online. If you want to write your first Web site and have limited writing experience, this book is a good place to start. You'll get a good overview of the many decisions a Web writer faces, and you'll also pick up a number of good writing tips. But if you're looking to move beyond the basics and develop a dynamically written, marketing-savvy site, look elsewhere for more detailed information.
Rating:
Summary: OK for beginners. Experienced writers: look elsewhere.
Review: If you're new to Web writing, or to writing generally, you may find Crawford Killian's Writing for the Web useful. Beginners will appreciate the discussion of the major differences between how readers process information online versus in print. And novice writers will benefit from the book's middle section, which focuses on essentials of good writing ("Opt for Strong Verbs over Weak Ones"; "Avoid Cliches"; "Use Simple Sentences"; "Subject-verb disagreements"; etc.). This discussion of writing and editing fundamentals represents more than a third of the book's 137 pages. As useful as these general writing tips are, they're nothing new to anyone who has read Strunk and White's The Elements of Style or William Zinnser's On Writing Well. Similarly, I think I've learned much more about Web writing by reading non-Web-specific copywriting books. What I was looking for--and didn't get more than a surface treatment of--is a discussion about organizing information on the Web, taking full advantage of the power of hypertext to provide information, and learning more about ways to grab people's attention online. If you want to write your first Web site and have limited writing experience, this book is a good place to start. You'll get a good overview of the many decisions a Web writer faces, and you'll also pick up a number of good writing tips. But if you're looking to move beyond the basics and develop a dynamically written, marketing-savvy site, look elsewhere for more detailed information.
Rating:
Summary: A decent middle-weight summary
Review: My heart sank when I saw the huge margins and the "what is hypertext?" explanation on page 1. I thought "oh no, lightweight nonsense ahead". Thankfully I was (mostly) wrong. This is a reasonable overview of the subject. If you're looking for more chunky material I can only suggest www.useit.com and old Jakob's words of wisdom. BTW, "Writing for the Web" has the WORST cover ever - it's a joke, right?
Rating: 
Summary: Packed With Excellent Writing Instruction!
Review: The "Geek" edition of "Writing for the Web" by Crawford Kilian was written for Web developers who are more adept to programming than sitting at the keyboard of a computer and cranking out written Web page content. This book will help them to write better content that will effectively communicate the purpose of their Websites, to inform their readers, and to achieve desired results. To become more effective communicators online we must adopt certain writing guidelines that will appeal to readers, that will inform them, and then persuade them to act upon what they have been exposed to. Crawford Kilian assists Web developers to do just this. His thoughtful instruction will help Web developers to craft their content around guidelines that includes minimalization, coherence, clarity, accuracy, and correctness. This requires Web developers to know their audience(s), to generate reader interest and interactivity, writing for international readers, properly organizing content, choosing words carefully, avoiding biased and otherwise problematic terminology, and respecting spelling, grammar, and sentence structure. Topics covered in the book that will contribute to better Web writing includes instruction on organization, choosing the right words, editing existing Web content - with examples, persuading readers to respond, marketing on the Web, understanding copyright matters, and FAQ's about launching Web-writing careers. This concise guide to Web writing is packed with excellent writing instruction that will set new Web developers straight on the art and science of writing with the online community in mind. The focus on written content makes this book a good choice for those persons desiring to start a Web-writing career or wanting to advance their existing writing pursuits. Recommended for new Web developers, small business operators, and for classroom use!
Rating:
Summary: Packed With Excellent Writing Instruction!
Review: The "Geek" edition of "Writing for the Web" by Crawford Kilian was written for Web developers who are more adept to programming than sitting at the keyboard of a computer and cranking out written Web page content. This book will help them to write better content that will effectively communicate the purpose of their Websites, to inform their readers, and to achieve desired results. To become more effective communicators online we must adopt certain writing guidelines that will appeal to readers, that will inform them, and then persuade them to act upon what they have been exposed to. Crawford Kilian assists Web developers to do just this. His thoughtful instruction will help Web developers to craft their content around guidelines that includes minimalization, coherence, clarity, accuracy, and correctness. This requires Web developers to know their audience(s), to generate reader interest and interactivity, writing for international readers, properly organizing content, choosing words carefully, avoiding biased and otherwise problematic terminology, and respecting spelling, grammar, and sentence structure. Topics covered in the book that will contribute to better Web writing includes instruction on organization, choosing the right words, editing existing Web content - with examples, persuading readers to respond, marketing on the Web, understanding copyright matters, and FAQ's about launching Web-writing careers. This concise guide to Web writing is packed with excellent writing instruction that will set new Web developers straight on the art and science of writing with the online community in mind. The focus on written content makes this book a good choice for those persons desiring to start a Web-writing career or wanting to advance their existing writing pursuits. Recommended for new Web developers, small business operators, and for classroom use!
Rating:
Summary: Plenty of buzzwords, but no substance ...
Review: This book reminds me of the internet boom days - lots of fluff, but no substance. Crawford Killian's book covers web site structure, organizing content, writing style, editing, corporate writing, yet there is no mention of any actual web sites he has worked on. Yes, the author mentions his print bias, but if I were interviewing Mr. Killian to work for me as web/technical writer, the first thing I would ask: Name me three URL's (not your home page) you have worked on as a paid professional writer. Not as a contributor, but as somebody who had to take a collection of badly-written material and make a *real* client happy. Simple question, and I think this would reveal Mr. Killian's real audience for this book: people who don't know *anything* about writing, let alone writing for the web. Mr. Killian makes a good case for better writing on the web, but his lack of professional experience and academic perspective make Writing for the Web useful only to the dilettante.
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