The ability to summarize is an important skill for people who write content for Web sites. In this activity you will critique the writing in a couple of Web sites.

1. Begin by reading through the entire Writing section of Creating Good Web Sites (an online companion to a Web design course): http://www.leafdigital.com/class/lessons/writing/
   
   
2. Now read the article "Writing for the Web" on the Web site A List Apart: http://www.alistapart.com/stories/zeldman2.html
   
   
3. Choose two corporate and/or informational Web sites to evaluate, such as the following:
   • Internal Revenue Service: http://www.irs.gov
   • The Food Network: http://www.foodtv.com
   • PBS: http://www.pbs.org
   • The Discovery Channel: http://www.discovery.com
   • White House: http://www.whitehouse.gov
   • How Stuff Works: http://www.howstuffworks.com
   • Apple Computer: http://www.apple.com
   • Versace: http://www.versace.com
   • Disney: http://disney.go.com/park/homepage/today/flash/index.html
   • Volkswagen: http://www.vw.com
   • Frito-Lay: http://www.fritolay.com
   • Target Stores: http://www.target.com
   • IKEA USA: http://www.ikea-usa.com
   • Carnival Cruise Lines: http://www.carnival.com/
     
     Use two from this list, or choose one or two other sites on your own. Spend some time exploring the sites you choose; you may need to follow several links to get to pages with significant text.
     
     
4. Write a critique of each site's text, evaluating its effectiveness in terms of the following elements of Web writing discussed in the two articles you just read (in steps 1 and 2):
   • Brevity, "chunking," use of lists
   • Navigational text ("guide copy") and support for skimming
   • Use of abstracts or pull quotes
   • Quality and consistency of the writing
   • Use of hyperlinks and effectiveness of naming
   • Lightness and wit
     
     
5. If you find one or both sites lacking in any of these areas, try writing more effective text for one or more pages or sections of the site.