How to Write Cross-Functional eHow Articles

Do you have too much information to disseminate into one article? For articles that must cover extensive amounts of information, use this method to effectively inform your audience.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• eHow website and account
• subject expertise

1. Gather together all information to be used in your article.
2. Use the “chunk” method of writing that first evolved with Internet commercial websites. Begin with the most general information you have to present. Provide that information in the most direct and comprehensive manner possible. This is your first “chunk.”
3. As you describe the general steps to accomplishing your task, think about any steps that might require more description for better reader understanding. Is it suitable to set that information into a separate article? Suitable material for a second article would include information that, if added, would detract from your original content, or make your article too long causing your reader to lose interest.
4. Describe your original step in precise but general terms. Then refer to the complementary article for a more detailed description. See eHow article “How to Get on With the Business of Business” for an example.
5. Publish all your articles at one time. Never refer to an article that has not been published yet.

Tips & Warnings

• Look at commercial websites to see how they are set up. Informational sites are best. Notice links within the text to other web pages. Observe the information flow.
• Be sure that you give information that is useful and relevant in each article. It is inappropriate and abusive to your audience to refer them to other articles without first providing the information promised in your heading.
• Give other authors their due. If your information complements another author’s “How To,” ask for that author’s permission to mention their article. If granted, reference it appropriately.
• Each article must be able to stand on its own. This means that it must provide information that is not only appropriate to the referring article, but is appropriate in other situations.