1) Tom Peters on Short Writing

Back when I worked for Metaphor Studio in Cincinnati I did a lot of web site work for Tom Peters (uber-guru and author of In Search of Excellence). Back then I had never read any of his books, but since I was exposed to his content every day, one big concept stuck in my head: If you want to reach executives and other busy people, write in a way that can be quickly scanned and processed using descriptive sub-headings and short bullet points when possible. This writing strategy definitely makes me pay more attention to "Top 20 Whatever" articles they come across on my RSS feeds because I can quickly estimate how long it will take me to scan the article and get the basic points.

2) Tom Johnson on Blog Usability

One of the best "Top 20 Whatever" articles I've read recently is Tom Johnson's Twenty Usability Tips for Your Blog. These tips apply for personal and corporate blogs. Here's his list (without in-depth descriptions for the ultra-time strapped):

1. Pick a topic for your blog.
   
2. Encourage comments.
   
3. Make it easy to subscribe.
   
4. Include an About page.
   
5. Present your ideas visually.
   
6. Keep posts short and to the point.
   
7. Use subheadings for long posts.
   
8. Link abundantly.
   
9. Make headlines descriptive.
   
10. Archive by topic.
    
11. Include a list of related posts beneath each post.
    
12. Allow users to contact you offline.
    
13. Present your real viewpoint.
    
14. Write for your future employer.
    
15. Include a Top Posts section.
    
16. Provide an index.
    
17. Get your own URL and match it to your blog’s title.
    
18. Include a Recent Posts section in your sidebar.
    
19. Reward commenters for commenting.
    
20. Post often.

Thanks to Georgina Hibberd for posting about Tom Johnson on the University of Sydney's templatedata blog.