Rating: 
Summary: Erudite and Entertaining
Review: Want to learn how to write for the Web? Read this book. Hot Text shows how to grab your audience's attention and never let it go. Based on extensive research, the book is a fun yet in-depth how-to guide for effective writing on the Web.Every place you use text on the Web is thoroughly explored. From headlines to links to menu design you'll learn how to make your text stand out from the crowd. In addition to conventional writing wisdom like using the active voice and one idea per paragraph the authors urge readers to adopt an object-based approach to writing for the Web. Object-based text invites reuse. With each object answering one question, personalization and repurposing become easier. Your writing will also improve. Having an object model is like a DTD for your prose. Extraneous fluff falls away naturally. Writing for the Web is different. Computers are cold, so warm up your text to "push through" the screen. Develop an attitude. Write in a genre. Go gonzo. Pull a Rageboy. Be outrageous. Oh, and make sure you spellcheck that last post on your blog. The authors are both professional writers and it shows. Sentences flow seamlessly from one idea to the next. Hot Text is so good it could be used as a textbook for "Writing for the Web" classes.
So cut out that marketing blather. Halve your text, then halve it again. Cut out those adverbs and adjectives. Re-invert that pyramid. Get to the point. Write tight. Write right. Go gonzo! There are other Web writing books, but none as erudite or entertaining. It was a real pleasure to read such a well-written book. Highly recommended.
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