Sonoma Technology Revised District Website and Trained Staff on Technical Writing

In 2015, the Bay Area Air Quality Management District undertook a major redesign of its website (<a href="http://www.baaqmd.gov/" target="_blank">www.baaqmd.gov</a href>) to simplify and expand public access to air quality information. As part of this effort, Sonoma Technology technical editors revised and edited most of the website content, reducing the number of web pages on the site from over 400 to fewer than 200. To ensure content consistency during this project and in the future, Sonoma Technology developed editorial guidelines on organizing and writing web content for the agency's newly revised website and provided training to agency staff. Using examples related to air quality science and communication, the three-hour training sessions gave practical advice on how to aim material at the website's readers, structure it to be more readable, and use Writing in Plain Language tips for clarity. As they update their website, agency authors now have a common starting point that helps ensure greater consistency and readability.