Writing for the Internet: New Approaches to Producing Concise and Compelling Texts - Montesquieu Instituut

Target Group

The seminar is intended for public officials at all levels who have an interest in online communication or who need to produce texts for the internet.

Description

The internet has brought about many changes to daily life, both professionally and privately. It is changing the way public administrators communicate and organise information online. The internet allows us to reach broader audiences and make content accessible to citizens and businesses. Consequently, writers of texts to be published on the internet need to keep their messages short and simple, and use language effectively. In addition, the manner in which information is organised is pivotal to how readers access and use online resources.

The seminar introduces participants to issues including:

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  The organisation of information online and the structure of websites;
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  Which text formats to use for various online platforms and tools;
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  Which creative strategies and techniques are recommended for writing and revising texts;
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  Safe and effective use of multimedia and social media.

Learning Methodology

Good practice examples of communication and websites will be highlighted, including case studies from UN programmes (e.g. UNESCO, FAO and UNU). The techniques presented will enable participants to produce more concise and reader-friendly content, with an additional focus on broad dissemination via a range of social media channels. Participants will have the opportunity to put new insights into practice right away. The seminar comprises group discussions as well as workshop exercises.

Objectives

After the seminar participants will be able to:

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  Identify and describe the different segments of their online audiences;
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  Understand the key characteristics of web accessibility and user-friendly design;
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  Revise a writing sample to make it more appropriate for the web (e.g. articles, blogs);
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  Produce short pieces of writing that employ the principles of effective web writing;
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  Commission and produce original multimedia and data visualisations to highlight, explain and promote a range of complex texts;
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  Employ safely and effectively a range of social media;
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  Produce content as part of a team.

Please note there are only a limited number of seats available

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