Keep It Simple
When writing your feature you will want to write in as basic terms as possible. Write as though you are writing for someone that knows nothing on the subject. You will want to do this because in all likelihood that is who will be doing the reading. No one knows about you and the things you do, like you do, and if you are writing on flowers you can just bet that the person interested enough in the subject to read it doesn't know anything about it. If they did, they wouldn't be reading it anyway. Why should they if they already know it. What I mean is, if your visitor is an expert on watering flowers and that's what your feature is about then they would have no reason to read it. It's the person that knows nothing about watering flowers that will sit long enough to read it.
That brings me to the next idea. Keeping it simple also means keeping it short. This is one of the major differences between writing in hard copy, such as a book or magazine, and writing on the Web. The Internet is a fast paced place. People don't have time to sit around and read. They are more likely to read about what you have to write about if your paragraphs and pages are short and broken down into simple easy to read sections. This way your reader will get what you are trying to say without having to do a lot of reading.
Write using simple words. If your words are too complex then your reader will loose interest and may never come back. Of course if you're writing about JavaScript then you must assume that your reader has a basis in HTML and may then use terms that are subject appropriate.
Whenever you have the need to use a word that you feel your reader may not fully understand it is always beneficial to define the word for them. You can do this right in the paragraph itself or you can put a note to look elsewhere for definitions and place them separate maybe at the bottom of the page or on another page. There is a third way to do definitions. It requires JavaScript and is a little complex so I won't go over it here but I will tell you that it is a clickable work in your text that when clicked on produces a pop-up window with the definition of the word in it.
Edit, Edit, Edit
There's nothing worse to a reader than trying to read something with a lot of typos or bad grammar. Nothing! That's why you MUST proofread EVERYTHING you write. Then do it again. If you don't have a spell checker on that editor of yours then it's time to get a new editor. Also having a grammar checker wouldn't hurt.
After you are done writing your feature and before you upload it read it over again. If possible have someone else read it. This way if there is something you missed they will probably catch it. If your writing has a lot of errors than people will be turned off to reading it and may not be inclined to read any more of your stuff later either. They certainly won't tell their friends to come look at your page.
Don't forget headings. If you want to catch the readers eye you should start each new section with a catchy heading. Use something that will make them look twice. Instead of "Watering Flowers" say something like "Watering the Wild and Willy Way". Then break it down into smaller parts all with their own little sub-sections. This also creates the impression of shorter sections instead of one long drawn out article.
Only use abbreviations and symbols when appropriate. If you use to many, people may think you are a silly person and not take you too seriously. Of course it is alright to use some because after all this is the Internet and it has become part of the Internet language, right?
In the end though we all make mistakes. So remember, if you make a mistake and don't catch it in time you can always go back and change it later. LOL
