Information Dissemination

Information Dissemination

 Yet another parameter of this second box is that the lawyer’s work-product is only written to the judge, and, thereafter, is only served upon opposing counsel and placed in the court files. Hardly, if ever, is there any consideration given to using the written work-product as a way to change community views or to explain the unfairness of the criminal justice process to the public. This parameter will be identified as Information Dissemination.

       Indigent persons are generally not even sent a copy of the lawyer’s work-product after it is filed; this says nothing of indigent persons being allowed input into the work-product. It would not be an overstatement to assert that not one lawyer in a thousand translates the written documents for clients who do not use English as their primary language. Very rough translations are available cost free with computer programs. One example of one of these programs is in Microsoft Office 2007 and WordPerfect X4.

            How to Write a Multipurpose Document

       Are you reading this, or are you scanning for the information you really want? We must realize that we read very differently on the Web than we do printed material.

 "Sure, some word-by-word reading does occur, but it is the exception and only happens when people are really convinced that they need a certain piece of information," says Dr. Jakob Nielsen, the leading expert on Web usability.

  People read 25 percent fewer words per minute on a computer screen, Dr. Nielsen says. Therefore, according to him, it's best to write and design online content with that in mind. He goes on to say that Web writing should aim to be 50 percent shorter and use simpler language than a printed story.

 "This does not mean that a Web site needs to treat a subject superficially. Infinite depth can be provided through hypertext links to secondary and tertiary pages with supplementary information," he adds.

            Problem -- Low resolution, slow downloads

        Part of the reason that people read so slowly on the Web is the low resolution of most computer screens makes reading stressful to the eyes. This problem is slowly vanishing.

   Dr. Nielsen also points out that despite the increase in speed over the Internet, we've yet to arrive at the point at which the Web can fulfill its promise to provide depth through hypertext.

  "As long as page downloads are slower than a second, users will not feel comfortable reading hypertext," he says.

  Links with supplemental information such as related stories, works by the same author or external sources are vital, but there remains some debate about how to incorporate them into the text.

  "I am starting to believe that the best linking strategy is to put the links in the margin with a small amount of supporting text that explains what the user will find at the destination. I have not changed to this style myself yet, but I think I will do so soon," admits Dr. Nielsen.

            Formatting tips

 Dr. Nielsen has several suggestions on how to make content work for the Web as it currently exists. For one thing, he's a big fan of breaking up breaking up blocks of text. Breaking up blocks is vital to making content easy to scan, and helps the user to zero in on exactly what they want to find out. "Plain blocks of text are deadly on a Web page," says Dr. Nielsen.

       He advises splitting pieces into multiple pages, each with a clearly defined topic and using hypertext links to allow users to select those additional components that interest them the most. "As they keep clicking, they may well stay with the article longer than they would if it simply went on and on and on in a single scrolling page," he says.

       Here are some other formatting methods Dr. Nielsen suggests:

            Use bullet lists

       Though it demands succinct writing skills, developing good bullet lists is worth the trouble. After all, they can make scanning easy. Bullet lists can provide an outline of what is contained in the text, serving as links allowing the user to jump to the section they want to read. Bullet lists offer great ways to list supplementary links.

            Spotlighting key words

       As people read on the Web in order to zone in on a specific piece of information, highlighting key words allows the reader to quickly scan text so that they can find what they're looking for.

            Use attention-getting headlines and teasers

       Good headlines are vital to getting users to click on your stories. On a search engine, for example, a headline is probably the only thing they're going to see, so it has to be punchy and clear to get them to click. On your homepage, you've got perhaps a couple of lines more to work with, but compared to a printed piece, which is often viewed as one, integrated piece, it's still very little with which to entice.

"At the same, don't entice too hard; don't over-promise. Disappointed users won't click another time," says Dr. Nielsen.

            An elusive goal

       While many of these suggestions may seem obvious, Dr. Nielsen maintains that few Web sites have cracked the online writing code.

        It's all too common a site these days to see, for example, newspaper Web sites that merely reproduce their printed content on the Web without accounting for drawbacks of online reading. According to Dr. Nielsen, even reformatting may not be enough.

        "The real answer is not to repurpose print content but to write original content for the Web that follows the writing style guide for online content from the beginning and that is conceived as a hypertext," he says.

       True, a few sites are already doing a good job with usability, he says.

        Dr. Nielsen likes the way that the US News & World Report's site works. "They do a good job of adding associative links to the online versions of their printed articles. Thus, you often get more out of reading their stories on the site than in the magazine," he says.

       Still, the majority of sites have been slow to re-think the way they present the written word. Dr. Nielsen makes an interesting observation that could explain one reason there have been so many content lay-offs recently.

      "One of the few areas where Web usability is close to perfect is the ease of leaving. If content does not satisfy users immediately, they just leave."

       Action Motions Y2K9 identifies many other factors that should be taken into consideration.