Pyramid rule

Your new site has a modern, up-to-date design. Bulletproof layout. Crystal-clear code that can easily hold 50,000 unique characters. It remains only to write clear and precise texts.

This rule will help you. Despite the fact that it is simple, it is very effective.

Steve Krug and Jacob Nielsen teach us: if the user does not quickly understand whether he needs information, he will leave. The text will be read very fluently, literally one or two sentences.
')
How to make the text for the site? What to put forward, and what to save for later? When I first asked this question, my father, a former TASS journalist, spoke about the rule of the pyramid. His, in his time, taught by colleagues from the BBC (BBC BBC, not ve-we-es, if that).

Rule itself

At the beginning of the article, put the shortest basic information about what is where and when. It should be stated as briefly and clearly as possible.

The further to the end of the text, the information becomes more detailed, more descriptive. If there are subjective opinions - they should also be left for later.

So, when moving from the beginning to the end of the text, the nature of the information changes:
- from objective to subjective,
- from brief to detailed,
- from clear to diverse.

Correct text example # 1

In the night club "HabraHabraHabr" on January 25, 2009, a party "16 bit" was held. The main guest of the party: DJ Bit2Bit.

The party was dedicated to exceeding the threshold of 10,000 visitors per day on the country's leading collective blog. There were much more people willing to get into the club than he could accommodate.

Residents of the club also performed:
- MC Invite,
- DJ Karma100,
- DJ Eeee.

Warm up the audience started DJ Eeee. Already in childhood time - at 12 in the night the public danced everywhere. The distinguished guest DJ Bit2Bit envied the local atmosphere:

- Guys, if this is just warming up, how will they dance in prime time?

And now her favorite MC Invites came to the public. He congratulated the collective blog with a foreign country, was glad for all registered, and at the same time wished all those who suffer to receive their coveted invite:

- Just do not confuse the invite with me, - weighed the MC Invite pun, - my heart is already given away forever, no one can get me!

All the girls standing nearby took the hint and started building Invita eyes.

When DJ Karma100 got up to the turntables, the fun broke out again. As if I got to Kazantip in the middle of winter ...

Correct text example # 2

The US military announced the development of a completely new type of weapons. If this weapon does appear, it can change the traditional tactics of warfare.

A new weapon must be able to protect the area of ​​troops or some military facilities from the penetration of various shells. The space at a certain radius is constantly scanned by laser beams. Powerful computers instantly receive information about any moving objects, recognize their type, calculate the trajectory of motion, and decide on the neutralization method.

No further information the Pentagon has disclosed. It is not known what power is needed in the computer, where the research is being conducted, at what stage the developments are now, what methods of neutralization are possible, how much funding has been allocated. However, the fact of the start of development already indicates that the United States is actively developing the latest technologies in the military field.

Russian scientists reacted skeptically to these statements. Most experts do not believe in the perspective of this weapon, and there are grounds for that ...

Example # 1 of the wrong text (everything that is written here is not true and a joke)

Glitter rhinestones, glitter in the eyes. Glamorous girls and a positive atmosphere. Light and sound of the highest quality. All this is a great party that brings together the best minds. Yes, yes, you did not disobey, indeed, the best minds danced this evening, danced for a long time, and danced so wonderfully as the children of the oligarchs didn’t dance.

What was it? - you ask? I will answer - it was beautiful and amazing. This will never, ever happen again ...

Example # 2 of the wrong text (everything that is written here is not true and a joke)

The American military machine does not know what to do. While the world is experiencing a severe crisis, and US workers urgently need financial assistance, the Pentagon has come up with another way to spend taxpayers' money on another scam.

Barack Obama believes that the US military is subject to him? How wrong he is! This military forces have long subordinated him to himself ...

Historicism of the rules of the pyramid

As I already wrote, my father worked in TASS - in a telegraph agency. From the teletype there was a long tape. An automated typewriter (the concept of "Printer" was not yet there) continuously produced new articles. The teletype attendant had to quickly read and solve everything:
- what to send urgently to the press, as the most important news,
- what to post in the sections "Sport", "Economy", "Hostess on a note" or others,
- what to disregard.

Naturally, the duty officer was tired, and could miss the necessary information. The rule of the pyramid was invented specifically for the fact that on duty teletype could quickly navigate what text they are offered. The conditions were as follows:

- The first paragraph consists of two sentences, a maximum of three, very short, which would immediately give an idea of ​​what, where, when and in which category it belongs.
- The second paragraph explains the first, it gives the main details of the article.
- Further, more and more detail, more subjectively.

Right or inverted pyramid?

A couple of times I had to hear different versions of how the pyramid is “space-oriented”.

One version is that the pyramid is turned upside down, stands on the tip: at the top (the widest part) the most important information, the lower, the more minor things are published there.

The second time: the pyramid is normal, expanding to the base. Upstairs everything is very short and concise, the bottom is more and more detailed.

Both versions have the right to exist. The main thing: from the beginning to the end of the nature of the text is changing.

Pyramid Rule and Search Engine Optimization

Most experts agree that today you need to buy more external links for search engine promotion, first of all, you need high-quality content. The rule of the pyramid will help you to make the texts more clear, clear, structured.

According to the articles compiled by the pyramid rule, it is easier to determine the general theme of the site. That is, it leads to higher quality content.

Pyramid rule and philology

Dovlatov wrote about what Brodsky taught him (non-word quotation):

“If you want the text to sound convincing, use more verbs and nouns. If you want it to sound illusory, use adjectives, participles, diminutive word formations. ”

According to the pyramid rule, the beginning should consist of nouns and verbs alone. When a user views your page among many, the impression from the first paragraphs will be formed as a convincing and effective text. You get the edge.

Jacob Nielsen also for the inverted pyramid

TimTowdy gave a link to the article by Jacob Nielsen on the use of the inverted pyramid rule. There is also an explanation for this rule, and why Jacob himself does not use it. Article written 13 years ago.

Article rights

In this article, I outlined my vision for the rule of writing texts for websites. It differs from the rule of the inverted pyramid, adopted in journalism. Not much, but different. When republishing an article, please refer to my personal page .