Rating: 
Summary: Enlightening and Useful
Review: Although my copy from the first printing of this book had a lot of typos--which I know she fixed--I found this book to be enlightening and helpful. This book not only covers tips for writing in online media, but advice on other aspects of online writing that a typical writer might not think of or even know exist. Rachel's writing is approachable--I highly recommend this book to those who are thinking of venturing forth into this writing frotier (and it is still that after "all these years") and especially for those whose jobs depend on these kinds of skills.
Rating:
Summary: Return on investment
Review: Buy this book. With so much free information available now via the web, I expect a book author to inspire and entertain as well as inform. A writer owes a reader a duty of care, to create the greatest possible change in the shortest possible time with the highest possible level of fun. Rachel delivers. Energetic, sassy, mischievous, she explains why content is just as important to your website as to a book, periodical or brochure. Then she trains you to write text that is useful, appealing and available, tailored to its audience, matched to its medium. The section on optimising web sites for search engines alone is worth the purchase price. What would a book that increased your site's hits, your sales or contracts, your transaction value and your industry profile by 10% be worth to you? Don't settle for less expert advice -- get what you deserve.
Rating:
Summary: Witty, Practical, Educational
Review: I'm about half-way through the book and love it! It's filled with practical advice that those responsible for Web content or design can put to use immediately. After a few hours, I have a checklist of changes I need to make to the site I manage. I also appreciate the author's witty style, which makes the book enjoyable as well as educational.
Rating: 
Summary: Thoroughly enjoyable & useful for online and ezine writers
Review: I've been writing for the Web and ezines since 1996, and thoroughly enjoyed and learned from this book. Rachel's personality and gentle humor shines through; and, although her helpful tips are often things I already knew, they're still awfully good reminders. No this is not an encyclopedic guide to e-copywriting or online journalism persay. It is, however, a very good baseline guide for communications professionals (and hobbiests) who may be good writers in print and now have to take that skill online. It's also a great friendly reminder guide for those of us who've been doing this so long we've forgotten some of the rules... :-) My favorite part of this book are all the examples and screenshots. Yes, some of the stuff Rachel points out is obvious. But if it's so obvious, why do so many, many Web sites and email newsletters *still* make these dumb mistakes? Avoid the dumb mistakes. Enjoy the author's warm voice and jokes. Check out the useful samples. Buy the book.
Rating:
Summary: Thoroughly enjoyable & useful for online and ezine writers
Review: I've been writing for the Web and ezines since 1996, and thoroughly enjoyed and learned from this book. Rachel's personality and gentle humor shines through; and, although her helpful tips are often things I already knew, they're still awfully good reminders. No this is not an encyclopedic guide to e-copywriting or online journalism persay. It is, however, a very good baseline guide for communications professionals (and hobbiests) who may be good writers in print and now have to take that skill online. It's also a great friendly reminder guide for those of us who've been doing this so long we've forgotten some of the rules... :-) My favorite part of this book are all the examples and screenshots. Yes, some of the stuff Rachel points out is obvious. But if it's so obvious, why do so many, many Web sites and email newsletters *still* make these dumb mistakes? Avoid the dumb mistakes. Enjoy the author's warm voice and jokes. Check out the useful samples. Buy the book.
Rating: 
Summary: Good book for newbies
Review: If you're just starting out in the field of writing for the web, this is a good place to start. However, if you're looking for specific SEO (search engine optimization) writing, this book ain't it. It covers the SEO topic pretty well for people uninitiated into the field. I love the layout and design of the book though. It's easy to read and follows a good, coherent line of thought. In conclusion, I would recommend the book to people new to SEO and copywriting but not to those who are looking to hone their skills.
Rating: 
Summary: This book is NOT about content writing for the web
Review: The book's title and editorial review are terribly misleading. This book is not about writing copy or online content, contrary to how it sounds. Nonetheless, the book is clearly written, and might even prove helpful to the right audience. The right audience would be anyone "brand spanking new" to the ways of the web, with little to no knowledge of page design and usability. Yes, page design and usability--like I said, this book is not about writing content. I was hoping for a "best practices" guide with some examples of good and bad text. There are 30 to 40 pages of text devoted to this topic. Another 40 to 50 pages are devoted to usability concerns--please note that these have been adpated directly from some well-known usability authors like Jakob Nielsen and Steven Krug, known to be at opposite ends of the usability spectrum! Another 50 to 60 pages were devoted to search engine placement. Again, nothing earth shattering. If you've been exposed to the web, and have some basic knowledge about the innerworkings of engines, the tips won't add any value. Anohter 20 to 30 pages on misc. topics like what businesses might do well on the web. About 50 pages of pure fluff--I guess a sub-200-page book wasn't acceptable? At the end of the book are some useful checeklists. All-in-all, the content of the book is good for newcomers to the web, but I'm thoroughly disappointed that the text matches neither the title nor the description.
Rating:
Summary: Web Word Wizardry Works Wonders on the Web
Review: This book helped shape my view of how to write online, and it's done wonders for the web site I manage. The site has boasted about a 50% increase in customers, and I feel a large part of that can be traced back to principles learned in this book. Of special importance is the weight McAlpine places on being International-sensitive, because though it goes without saying, the Web is accessible to the entire world economy. And there are people who speak English in nearly every country in that world economy. So, of course, everyone is taking advantage of this fact, right? Don't count on it. Read this book, and enlighten yourself.
Rating:
Summary: Web Word Wizardry Works Wonders on the Web
Review: This book helped shape my view of how to write online, and it's done wonders for the web site I manage. The site has boasted about a 50% increase in customers, and I feel a large part of that can be traced back to principles learned in this book. Of special importance is the weight McAlpine places on being International-sensitive, because though it goes without saying, the Web is accessible to the entire world economy. And there are people who speak English in nearly every country in that world economy. So, of course, everyone is taking advantage of this fact, right? Don't count on it. Read this book, and enlighten yourself.
Rating:
Summary: Great book! Must have for Web page designers.
Review: This is a great book! I goes into my core collection of Web design books. The author not only explains how to write for the Web, but also shows how the words relate to the HTML, and the Web. You can't go wrong by ordering this book. I wish the author would write more books like this one!
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