Web Writing - First Edition

Reviewed by Miriam Gershow, Senior Instructor II, University of Oregon on 8/29/23

Comprehensiveness rating: 3 see less

This book does not claim to be comprehensive. Instead it is a brief guide (three chapters) of the rhetorical situation(s) of the internet with a specific focus on analyzing content creation in social media in its last chapter.

Content Accuracy rating: 5

Content is accurate. Much of the text is focused on developing a rhetorical framework for understanding writing on the internet.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 5

Content is up to date, which is important when writing about the internet. The covid-19 pandemic is referenced, and Facebook and TikTok are compared in a discussion of where to find a young audience. This made the overall text seem quite up to date.

Clarity rating: 5

The book is written in accessible prose. Ideas such as rhetoric and audience are defined. Key terms and concepts are reviewed. The prose and content - covering issues such as notetaking and best practices for uploading of electronic files - made it seem appropriate for a lower-level writing course, though Pfannenstiel references it as an upper-level writing course text.

Consistency rating: 5

Each chapter is framed with a Chapter Checklist, Key Concepts, Reflection, Chapter Review, and Further Reading.

Modularity rating: 3

Two of the three chapters, Introduction to Web Writing and Web Writing for the Rhetorical Situation, seemed great for integrating into a lower-level WR course that had a focus on web writing (social media, blog posts, etc). The third, Content Strategy and Content Management, seemed keyed to the specific Web Writing course Pfannenstiel teaches. The majority of that chapter focuses on an ostensible research assignment in that course.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 3

As noted, the first two chapters are well organized and broadly applicable. The focus of the third chapter was less broadly applicable, so did not necessarily logically follow for someone teaching a different course.

Interface rating: 5

The interface was error free.

Grammatical Errors rating: 5

No grammatical errors.

Cultural Relevance rating: 5

The text is not culturally insensitive and, in fact, asks readers to think about the culture and audience of online spaces in a deft way.