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We are all Tech Writers Now: Three Steps to Clear Writing for the net Take some tips from technical writing that may make your opinions clear and persuasive in the brand new reading environment of the net.    Print media puts the reader in the passenger's seat. Imagine if you don't want a character to die? Imagine if you don't like the direction the story has taken? Traditional reading is linear--you start at chapter one and you go to the end, without detours in between.    Instruction manuals have always been different. Who reads instruction manuals from beginning to end? Instead you dip into it, try something, and when that doesn't seem to work, flip a few pages backward or forward and try again.    Now the internet has turned into a huge manual where the reader can move around at will--technology has stolen authorial control. You will need to expect your readers to jump around. To be successful, anything you write for the web has to follow exactly the same three rules that technical writers use:    Write in Chunks    Readers choose. Understand that your audience is not expecting a story--they have specific goals. Points have to be self-contained and clearly marked to greatly help them find what they're searching for and move ahead. Respect your reader's time--don't make them eat the sundae when all they need is the cherry.    Follow a Structure    You can structure your articles by category, rank, location--but there has to be a structure. By organizing your information you're giving your reader an instrument that lets them find what they're searching for and skip what they don't need. If you can't look for a structure that works, it is advisable to define your points more clearly.    Connect write for us technology can't force your reader to follow the path you've set for them, but you can give them usage of information that supports your message. You shouldn't be afraid to link, both to resources outside your document also to pages inside it. Your role would be to help them achieve their goals; point them towards resources that help them do that.    Like technical writing, the web is approximately helping people find information. Adopt some of the principals of technical writing in your own work to make it get results.

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