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Successful Communication
Tool Kit -
Literacy and You
Communication Canada
May 2003
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5.1 Internet Sites
Internet sites are used as sources of general public information. Due to the specific innate characteristics of the Internet, Web sites are not consulted in a linear manner (read from start to finish), like a printed document. The linear approach to communications must yield to the fragmentation of information, the sheet of paper to a monitor, the static nature to dynamism and interaction.
A document designed for the Internet can thus be distinguished by certain characteristics:
- Suitability for on-screen consultation (which limits the length of pages
to be written);
- Multimedia content (text and images – static or dynamic – as
well as sound and video);
- Ability to be read in a non-linear way (requiring that each part of the
site be independent, while maintaining a link with the other parts).
These distinctive characteristics require the communicator to modify the traditional practices of formulating, organizing and presenting information in order to adapt more specifically to individuals with low literacy skills.
Note: Section 2: Successful Written Communication, offers tips for plain language that can be applied to written media and can also be used for Internet sites.
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