
Web Writing - First Edition
Amber Nicole Pfannenstiel, Millersville University
Copyright Year: 2023
Publisher: The Pennsylvania Alliance for Design of Open Textbooks (PA-ADOPT)
Language: English
Formats Available
Conditions of Use
Attribution-ShareAlike
CC BY-SA
Reviews





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. read more
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 is accurate. Much of the text is focused on developing a rhetorical framework for understanding writing on the internet.
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.
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.
Each chapter is framed with a Chapter Checklist, Key Concepts, Reflection, Chapter Review, and Further Reading.
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.
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.
The interface was error free.
No grammatical errors.
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.
Table of Contents
- Chapter One: Introduction to Web Writing
- Chapter Two: Web Writing with the Rhetorical Situation
- Chapter Three: Content Strategy and Content Management
Ancillary Material
About the Book
Web Writing (2023) by Dr. A Nicole Pfannenstiel is designed to provide a practical, rhetorical approach to web writing and content strategy analysis for students completing advanced writing courses. The eTextbook uses the rhetorical situation and key concepts to help readers/students understand how to write within specific web spaces for specific audiences drawing on appropriate discourse community conventions. It includes a chapter devoted to the rhetorical situation and key concepts to help students analyze and build their understanding of existing communication. It also includes a chapter outlining approaches to content strategy analysis, using the rhetorical situation and key concepts to understand the rich public data provided through social media accounts to support learners understanding effective web writing. The content analysis overview helps students build skills for analyzing writing, for collecting and analyzing qualitative and quantitative social media data, and for drawing conclusions about content strategy best practices.
About the Contributors
Author
Dr. A. Nicole Pfannenstiel is a digital rhetoric scholar who studies web writing, social media, Open Educational Resources (OER) and learning. Her work focuses on learning through and with technology, blending connected learning theory, games theories, and digital rhetoric and composition to support learning and writing.