Diploma in Accessible Content coming in March 2012

WCAG 2.0 stamp of approval: Beast BlogWe're almost ready!

What every organization needs, if they're producing official information, is content that complies with WCAG 2.0. Even when a web site is brilliantly accessible behind the scenes, it can fail if the content fails.

WCAG 2.0 compliance is for many organizations a huge and pressing problem. When governments commit to complying with the current accessibility guidelines, every publicly funded organization is also committed.

At Contented, we are here to help! Almost cooked now is a training programme of 10 short courses, all relating to creating accessible content.

Do you want to know the moment this Diploma is ready for you? (Not long now!)

Outline: Diploma in Accessible Content

Programme: Professional development diploma; includes 10 short courses.
Study time required: For a Diploma, each learner has 3 months to complete 10 short courses and tests. Each course takes about an hour.
Course structure: A typical course includes at least 5 exercises, many working examples and an online test.
Group licence: Each group must start and complete the Diploma within 12 months. Managers can track progress online and access performance reports.

Courses in the Diploma in Accessible Content
1. Know your online audience: they're uncomfortable, stressed, searching, and in a hurry.
2. Brilliant headlines on the Web: write headlines that instantly work with people and search engines.
3. Powerful summaries for web pages: 5 types of summaries that get the message across.
4. Hyperlinks that make perfect sense: what to write instead of Click Here.
5. Using images and graphs in web content appropriately, and making them accessible.
6. Plain structure: check readability, structure documents and write concisely.
7. Plain writing: use clear words and sentences; avoid grammar mistakes.
8. Formatting web content with editing tools: avoid errors that affect search results, readability and accessibility.
9. WCAG 2.0 overview: what content authors need to know and do in order to comply with WCAG 2.0. Summary of principles and guidelines.
10. Accessible DOCs and PDFs: how content authors can create accessible DOCs, convert them to accessible PDFs, and manage legacy PDFs.

Another way to train staff writers: Enterprise Subscription to Contented

You may notice the Diploma in Accessible Content overlaps with the Diploma in Web Content. That's inevitable, because the basics of good web writing all contribute to accessible content. For best value, consider an all-inclusive enterprise subscription to all Contented courses. WCAG 2.0-compliant content is then a valuable part of a general drive to improve the quality of information in your entire organization.

Subscription numbers: You decide how many staff the subscription will cover. (Savings increase with scale.)
Subscription period: Your organization subscribes for a minimum period of one year.
Programme (18 courses): Enrolled staff can do any or all of the Contented courses during the 12 months of the subscription. That includes 10 courses in the Diploma in Accessible Content plus eight others listed below. Staff can also access new courses as they are added.
11. Editing web content: a simple, systematic and powerful system for editing content.
12. Strategic blogging: great tips on blogging with purpose and impact.
13. Writing for search engines: what content authors can do to make content findable.
14. Keywords everywhere: How to choose and use keywords in web content and elsewhere.
15. Painless grammar: key grammar guidelines and simple ways to avoid common mistakes.
16. Modern punctuation: general principles and international guidelines for correct punctuation.
17. Write the right report: plan, research, write and edit reports, alone or collaboratively.
18. Twitter for business: strategic micro-blogging, on Twitter or on the intranet.

Contact us for more information and a quote!

Image of WCAG 2.0 stamp of approval (c) Mike Cherim

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