From the course: Learning to Write for the Web

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Readers are wary of dated content

Readers are wary of dated content

From the course: Learning to Write for the Web

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Readers are wary of dated content

- Content expires. Even articles you wrote six months ago can be rendered pointless by small changes. For instance, if you run a travel site, there's no point raving about the natural beauty of a national park, if it's just been hit by wildfires. In the case where something major has happened, that requires you to make a change to the content, it's often okay to keep the original information on the page, but to add a prominent notice at the top of the page, describing what the change is, when it happened and if necessary, providing links to the updated information. Sometimes though, it's dangerous to keep out of date content around. For instance, assembly instructions for a product, after it's been through a safety recall. Driving directions when a road layout changes. Or tourist tips for the capital city of a country that's just undergone a violent coup. So, what should you do? The best plan is to set an expiration date for each article, at the time you write it. Doing this while the…

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