Web Content & Editorial - Royal United Hospital Bath NHS Trust

3.0 Audience appropriate ContentWhen writing for the web it is important to remember your target audience.One should never try to address different audiences in one document or webpage. Although this means writing three different pieces, it is ultimately easierto write when a specific audience is addressed; it ensures better content; and,it avoids confusing and patronising different groups of readers.Take as an example, a medical procedure:• Writing for RUH clinicians (intranet) allows one to describe proceduresin detail and to use terminology and graphics that will be understood byother RUH clinicians and staff.• General Practitioners want to know that we do perform the procedure,what the referral criteria are, the success rates and how to refer to theservice.• Patients want to know what to expect, what will be done and how long itwill take to recover; without any jargon and in plain English.4.0 Good Practice when writing for the WebContent of documents and webpages should be checked against the followingguidance prior to being forwarded to the Web Team for publication to theTrust web sites.4.1. Content must be audience appropriate(See section 3: Audience appropriate content)4.2. When writing content for web pages (as opposed to documents), it isimportant to note that people rarely read text from a screen word byword, preferring instead to scan pages, picking out individual wordsand sentences. Before you start authoring a new web page, pleasetake a look at our guidance on how to write for the web (this link is onlyaccessible to RUH staff).4.3. When they first occur, abbreviations and acronyms are written in fulland followed by the abbreviation or acronym in brackets.4.4. Do not underline text. Underlining is often an indication of a hyperlinkand should therefore be avoided in ‘flat’ text.4.5. Do not use CAPITAL LETTERS. It is shouting on paper/screen and notacceptable. Instead use bold or different size font to emphasise apoint.Document name: Web Content and Editorial Policy Ref: 321Issue date: October 2012Status: ApprovedAuthors: Louette Eagles and Pete Suters Page 10 of 27