We're professional writers with a special interest in creating interactive content for Web Browsers. Interaction brings plain text to life; and with our methods, a free Web Browser can take on tasks you might otherwise have to buy software for.

Most people think of a Web Browser as a tool to look things up on the Web. It is, but it's also more. We think of it as a new publishing platform, akin to a dynamic book. And it's free, installed on almost every PC, and waiting to be used.

The interactive content can come, not only from the Web, but also from your hard drive or local intranet. And in Web Browser format, the results will work uniformly across a mix of Operating Systems.

The interactive techniques we've devised can be used wholly offline as soon as the pages are downloaded into your Browser. This results in highly interactive pages that don't tie up networks or dial-up connections (unlike server-side CGI scripts, for example).

 
We're interested in commissions for work on projects using these ideas. Specifically, there are likely to be applications in all the following areas:

 
Training manuals and lecture notes are frequently dull and flat. We can rewrite them as interactive Browser content, turning passive readers into involved, active users. Content that involves users is more easily learnt, better remembered, and more interesting.

 
Always consider the Browser format as a medium for new material such as articles, reports, presentations, or tutorials. Browser-based pages have significant advantages:

• In Browser format, content works across a wide range of Operating Systems
• Almost all users have a Web Browser installed and are familiar with using it
• Unlike presentation software, Browsers are free – no licensing problems

 
All the interactive techniques we demonstrate can be used in HTML help file format. This enables the entire content to be combined into a single file. The HTML help file format is a versatile way of distributing articles, reports, presentations, tutorials, and interactive books (as well as its intended use for software help files, of course).

 
We can design fully-documented JavaScript library code to your needs, so you can build interactivity into your own flat text material. Naturally, we can devise interactive Lessons to teach your staff to use our JavaScript library code.

We can show you how to optimise documented code by scripting the automatic removal of comments and other overhead. This means the detailed documentation stays where it belongs: in the source. And yet the working code stays slim and fast, while you reserve well-documented code for editing and upgrading.

 
We can help with writing effective, interactive copy for Websites, and advise on the design of logical navigation structures and low maintenance pages.

 
We can give talks to staff on all aspects of writing techniques for Web documents, supplemented with interactive material showing the techniques in action.

 
If you have a project you want our help with, our approach is multi-layered:

For meetings, we're based in the South-East of England. Of course, almost all detailed work would be handled by email, the Web, telephone, or conventional post.

Where you're unsure of how to proceed, we can do a feasibility study. You can evaluate this in a password-protected area of our Web space, for your private use.

We can create prototypes for new material. Again, we'd normally keep you in constant touch with progress with a password-protected area of our Web space, unique to you.

We can take on the whole task from vague beginnings to polished result. Again, a private Website area can be used for feedback and review throughout the work.

 
We created three demonstrations for this Website. Focusing on the usually dull field of Web-based training, we show how to make Lessons interesting, effective and fun to do:

	A ten-minute interactive run-through, explaining the mix of writing and JavaScript techniques we're developing
	Interactive Introduction and two sample Lessons that will teach newcomers a useful set of HTML skills
	Interactive Introduction and 20 Lessons on the MS-DOS Batch Language for Windows 95/98/ME users. This Course teaches a good standard of Batch skills to complete newcomers.

If you're interested in using us or our ideas in the first instance by email with the subject line: Allenware.com website.