The approach
Speak directly to your users. You are the authoritative voice that is guiding them through the information they seek. Some content is clearly academic and requires more scholarly language, but generally speaking your tone should be casual without being chatty. Write in a way that is open, friendly and conversational, but professional.
A few points to consider when writing:
- Know Your Goals
- Think Like Your User
- Be Clear & Concise
- Chunk it (Help your user scan the text by breaking it up into chunks)
- The Right Tone
- Be Positive
- Jargon Free (Use familiar words)
- Link Wisely
- Punctuation
- Action Steps
- Proofread
- Keep it Current
A detailed description of content creation can be found at the following address: http://www.mdc.edu/webservices/styleguide/writing.aspx