Writing for New Media/Web

The basic factor behind web writing is the knowledge of how users consume the web content. A web user seldom reads the entire content displayed on a web page. Instead they scan through the pages. They try to find out the information they needed by picking up one or two sentences. Usually the users don’t scroll down through a page for a long time. So the information given on a web page should be short and to the point. Information given on a web page should be factual without any overly hyped language. A user can always search for an alternative resource on internet. Web writing involves certain criteria to make it interesting and effective.

1. Crisp content

The text should be crisp. If the web page is displaying too many words, then it’s hard for the audience to read the content. Scanning is the method of going through the content without reading the entire matter. So certain elements like bold letters, headlines, highlighted text, and table of contents, graphical representations, and bullet lists should be included in the web page content.

2. Well organized structure

The web users always prefer to get a summary of the content in the beginning. So inverted pyramid style is favorable for web writing. The content should be clear and well organized. The graphical elements used in the web content should complement the information in the content.

3. Credible information

Accuracy, fairness and lesser number of grammatical errors increase the credibility of the content. External references and updated data should be added to make the content believable. Usability of a website also influences the users’ faith on the website.

4. Usage of Hypertext

Using hypertext allows the user to navigate from one page to another on a website. It also helps to add hyperlinks that connect the web page to other websites. Hypertext make the browsing easier for the users. Writing for web