Web based writing
- 1. Web BasedWriting is not an alien domain of communication; it is an integral part of the Communication phenomenon. It has to be very considerate for the reader as there is no enforcement on the user to stay on the page. The 5 Ws form the basic assumption of Web Based Writing and makes the content writer active. The tools mentioned above are: Who What Where When Why The option to ‘opt out’ is always with the visitor and we cannot do anything about this. As we discussed the Difference between Web Based Writing and Writing for Printing, a discussion on the Purpose of Web Based Writing becomes a need of the hour. Content writing is an art, still has a professionally oriented purpose to it. The writer has the herculean task of writing for those whom he has never met or even talked to. There is a rare possibility that the content writer meets the real-possible visitors of the website or blog. Hence the Making of a Persona, to draw accurate contour of expression, is obligatory for good Web Writer. The objectives are not much different what we do through communication but there are specific descriptions of a couple of objectives. See Details: Purpose/Objectives of Web BasedWriting: Persuade: The content has to convince the Reader/Visitor/User through the content. Convincing can be done by quoting making sentences that are captivating and have the power to match with the expectations of the user. As we are talking of Writing for the Web, it becomes slightly different from the printed persuasive tools. In Print, one has the facility to create ‘Physically Evident’ tools or pieces. The purpose of persuading is directly implemented by handing over the ‘persuasive literature’ to the subject/reader. Nevertheless, Persuasion remains the primary factor in communication and speaks rightly in WbWriting. Inform: Web Based Writing must not neglect this responsibility of ‘Giving Right Information’ at the ‘Right Time’ to the ‘Right Person.’ People are to be informed and there is one major thing that sets this purpose apart from others, i.e. Informational Content Writing must be in ,Real Time’, as we have read it in the Nature of Web Based Writing that readers have the choices to pick from. Your website can remain in the ‘bookmarks’ only when the content is there.
- 2. "Write to Inform; not to impress!" Entertainment: It means ‘going by the likes and dislikes’ of the possible readers. The writer keeps the Persona in mind and develops such content that is capable of generating interest in the reader/user. To appreciate the interests and hobbies of your client and arranging the content as per the likes-priorities is what Entertainment is. This purpose of the content must be taken care of. Change Behaviour: Elaboration Likelihood Model of Advertising and Psychology speaks what works here. The Content is the King and the kingdom of Users can be kept in rule throught captivating-impressive content only. Following Direct and Peripheral routes of efforts to change the perception, attitudes and behaviour of the user/readers is an objective. The Change in behaviour takes place when the reader has gone through the Persuade, Inform and Entertainment steps. Enforce Compliance: Try to rememeber the UI- User Interface of any good E- Commerce/Online Shopping website. How do they keep you engaged and try to follow the route of bringing a change in your attitudes and behaviour about shopping. This is an objective which must be realised if the Content has brought the user to the behaviour re- think stage. Here comes the "Order Now", "Shop/Join Now", "Become a Memebr", "Submit" like options that are called 'Enforce Compliance' for the User. Vanity: NO to Vanity- The Content Writer must keep one thing in mind that Vanity is an enemy and must not be valued beyond control. The Reader is the Supreme receiver of the content and while writing for the web, one must keep an eye on the Persona of the possible user/reader. Hence, the purpose is what we understanding as the objective of the Content. It is communication and the purpose is to communicate. Question: What Makes #WbWriting so difficult? Answer: The Reader, User, Audience or People who read the content! ©EklavyaParv: Learning Content “Think of Web BasedWriting as a Conversation.” Your writing should be Audience Centered. Journalism has a concept of reporting the news content: The Inverted Pyramid.
- 3. Web Based Writing needs the same rule while creating the content for the virtual world. In the inverted pyramid or the triangle shape-upside down figure, we have three segments. The first one is the Heading Sentence or Phrase, followed by (II) supportive information and then in the last we have (III) other details. It corresponds with the declining interest on a reader, who reads selectively and does not have inclination to read word by word. We experience it when we read newspapers and magazines, print or even online. We have already discussed the difference between the virtual and the print media of reading. The purpose or the fundamentals of Web Based Writing have also been discussed. Now we move on to underline the main Characteristics of Web Content. We shall deliberate to answer the question: What brings Effectiveness and Brilliance in the Content on the Web? ©EklavyaParv: Learning Content A Checklist of the components of good content is to be prepared and implemented with utmost concern. People, who read online, are like the movie fans and need to find the content entertaining and interesting, not boring. There can be no compromise about the quality of the content and this is what asks for an impressive Writing Style. Remember, the ‘user’ can always go to the Right Hand side Top Corner – X! CLOSE the Web Page we call this option! There are choices and our aim should be to make our web site or web log (Blog) the First! Basic Principles of Writing: A-B-C: Accuracy, Brevity and Clarity Accuracy in Grammar, Sentence Composition, Syntax, etc Brevity in number of words used, redundancy to be avoided Clarity in Thought and Expression The ‘Obligatory Elements’ of Web BasedWriting are as follows: Structure: Make Headings and Sub-Headings Count. Write Short Sentences and Small Paragraphs. Prefer Bullet Points, Links rather than explanatory paragraphs.
- 4. Relevant: The content writer should make it sure that the content will be of significance for the reader and it will generate a satisfaction of accomplishment in the mind of the visitor. It should make the reader feel that the search was for this content only. Content need to seem specific to the Persona we imagined while preparing it. Useful: It seems hard to define but still it needs a mention. We can check this feature by doing a comparative study of the content available with your competitors. Practical advices make it useful, rather than being a moral sermon. It should be phrased in a way that it makes the user ‘Take Action’. Accurate: The Rules of the Land are to be followed while writing web content. This is a way to make the readers feel that you follow standards in writing. Ensure that the content is trusted by the user. Still, the user may pick something that seems true and may damage your reputation. Hence, we must have the expertise to write on that specific subject, cross-check the data, make sure that spellings-grammar are checked and there are no ‘typos’. Credible: Your content will be credible if you have the facts. If you are not sure, don’t move ahead with the writing on a certain topic. The content writer cannot mention ‘T & C Apply’ and shun the accountability. If you are not sure, go and talk to the experts; be humble and enhance your learning. Making your content Trustworthy and Believable is your responsibility. Findable: The content reader has to be made comfortable in finding the content. There are various ways to reach the content, first is that they come to your website and get the content. But it looks less possible in this age of million website. You need to improve the findability of your content. Help them find it by using the Searchable and Preferred Terms in the content. Labels should help them understand what the content talks about. The users may not use the navigation to go to the content on the website. Links within your website should bring the users to related content. It makes the access easy and proficient. Current (Real Time Updating): “At the time of going to the press, Brazil were at…” How does it sound to a football lover, who was awake all night? In the morning, the newspaper is still baking the stale information to him! This is what we can’t afford in Web Based Writing. We live in Real-Time World. Even the web portals of the newspapers update information every minute. The least a reader/user wants is that the content is not updated and has expired. The content has to be reviewed at regular intervals, though update needed only when it is required. For the news content, update it every minute, but the same for the ‘Exam Results’ is not welcomed. However, a train time table needs real time updates. Consistent: If there is more than one content writer for the website/blog, it should be checked that they are in sync with the style of writing. The words, acronyms, syntax, abbreviations are to be in harmony with both the individuals. The style, with which the content category started, should be maintained. Scannable: Hope you remember the ‘F’ shaped scanning pattern of the online readers. Arrange the content in that pattern. To facilitate comfortable scanning of the content make a Headline with eight to ten words or even less. The Sub-headings are nice things to support the heading.
- 5. Sentence can be limited to 15-20 words each. And do remember that a sentence is the manifestation of a complete thought. Hence ONE Thought-ONE Sentence! Remember that each paragraph, explains one idea and can have 50-70 words. Interesting: Going by the objective of communication, as well as web based writing, we should remember that we communicate by our tone of Voice too. Make a Conversation. Try to avoid the use of Jargon words or fluffy words that catch the eye but assassinate the mind. Simple: Our readers read the content instantly and that is what calls for being simple. Simplicity does not mean being unimpressive. It means we engage the user in reading with comprehension. The worse that you can do is to imagine that the reader is as educated or literate as you are. Match their knowledge and experience as well. You have to write to their level. A website with school students as target cannot write with the political think-tank vocabulary. Use examples or an analogy to make it understandable and simple. We need to get the message across and create fulfillment to the purpose of visit. Be direct, say exactly what you mean. Write to Inform, not to Impress. Don’t Panic; Keep the user relaxed. Voice: It is not the voice or the sound we measure in decibels. It is the Grammatical VOICE- Active and Passive. While writing for the web, when we need short sentence, Active Voice is most preferred. We need to keep in mind the Tenses also. Compare: We are learning Web Based Writing. We shall learn Web Based Writing. The First one sound more good as it connects, is more honest to the activity being done. Writing in the Active tense speaks for your brand and this voice should be according to the frequency of thinking in the organisation. Going by the principles, thinking of the USER/READER, and maintaining the focus definitely brings goodness in the website/blog. It is also suggestedthat we make a "Content Calendar" and update/refresh the content at regular/pre-decided intervals. Topics: How Users Read Over the Web? & Difference b/w Reading in Print and Reading Online Jakob Nielson, in 1997, responded: “They don’t. People rarely read web pages word-by- word; instead they scan the page, picking out individual words and sentences." His research suggested:
- 6. Only 16% readers start reading from the beginning of the article, otherwise the majority, around 79% first scan, than read. Reading from the computer, laptop or tablet screenis 25% slower than reading from the paper. Nielson, the user experience designer, found out that the ‘first’ thing that is noticed is that people scan in the F shaped pattern. They Actually Scan! They Readthe Head Line-Bit of Summary- then go to the bottom (Left Aligned Top to Bottom) of the page to see if there is something interesting of interest -after this they might go across from left to right, around the centre of the page. People who read print, feels like enjoying a feast, they try to make the best of everything in hand and are passionate for the work taken to read; while the online readers like to snack out pieces of information from the screen and are sometimes lazy and impatient. There is a buffet of food and they want to taste everything. ©EklavyaParv: Learning Content Difference between- How People read in Print and How People Read Online They are completely different mediums-they are completely different physical things. A Printed document could be a book; it could be a magazine, newspaper. The reader can carry it along in a journey, restaurant, and lawn or in a café. The most common way to read a printed work is from front to back. While reading from papers, readers are in a more relaxed mood and posture. They don’t need to rely on a power source (Saved from the embarrassment of ‘Battery Gone!’) Eyes are less fatigued while we read from papers as it has no backlight. Feeling of Pride-Possession is always there, as you are a reader, rather than a user. And there are no access issues practically as the reader owns the book/text. More on Online Reading of USERS The Electronic devices are a luxury or a possession that one has to earn. Depending on the device-could be attached to a computer-might have the luxury of having a laptop, tab etc. Have to rely on power source and the dependency in crucial to facilitate online reading. Eyes get More fatigued as there is backlight Accessibility Issues can be there as everyone doesn’t have access to Internet all the time and limitations might be there with the possession of devices too. The literacy/education levels of the online users are varied and cannot be predicted, while the paper readers can be generally adjudged by their choice of reading material. Slow Internet, Devices, someone might have a disability, there may a physical barrier to access web/devices, therefore the designers or makers have to customise accordingly.
- 7. One important difference between Online and Print Content is the 'Real-Time Authenticity'. The Newspapers often have a phrase saying 'At the time of going to the press...' and this speaks of the limitation of the print media. However, the same newspaper will definitely update the 'online version' of the same story, the moment some update is received. 'Real Time Content' is the prominent attribute of Online Media, while print has its limitations about this. The Web Based Content can not afford to be 'stale'; it can not have deterioration from the 'current' time. P.S. Some Random Points: Question: Who Your Reader Are? Response: Ask Yourself! They are the USERS of the website and to have a basic understanding do talk to the people who directly deal with them as you make content not for yourself, not even for the company- but for the USERS. Demography, Age, Gender, Family Types, Education/Literacy Level, and Job-Business information is needed to be known or to be assumed ‘accurately’. Their literacy-education level could be different to yours. ©EklavyaParv: Learning Content There might be access issues: Access to the Internet (Facility and Speed too) and someone might have a potential disability, as if there is a barrier in accessing the information on the web. The worst thing that we can do is to write the content that we think our users will understandand like it because WE understandit.