04 Feb 10 Jour3340 Writing For The Web

How Readers Read & Writing for the Web
February 4, 2010
JOUR 3340 – Online Journalism

PoynterEyetracking Study
How readers read newspapers & websites
Helps us understand how we write, how we use images, how we use multimedia
http://eyetrack.poynter.org/eyetrack07asne.html

“Eyetracking: Poynter’s Study
“This has everything to do with journalism. How people consume information, how they comprehend information it is a huge piece of the puzzle. If you can’t provide information in ways they can understand it and access it, then you’re wasting your time as a journalist. And we can’t afford to waste time.”
Keith Woods, Dean, Poynter Institute of Journalism

Why it matters
“We have learned as an industry we are backward in research and that we are not seizing the new technologies and discoveries of recent years. … As an industry we must improve and expand, or we dwindle and die.”
Nelson Poynter
Nov. 2, 1946

Key Observations
More story text read online, than print
And most read all the text
Jumps were read
Two types of readers
Methodical – Mainly ‘print’ readers
Read top to bottom
Re-read some material
Use drop down boxes, nav bars, searches
Read a higher percentage of text

Key Observations
Scanners – Mainly online readers
‘Scan’ headlines and text, never reading any one story specifically
Read parts of stories, look at photos
Look at story lists to choose stories
The response (Page 31)
Media has to move to alternative storytelling
More interactive elements
Q&A, a timeline, a fact box or a list – drew a higher amount of visual attention, compared to regular text in print.
On average, we saw 15 percent more attention to what we call alternative story forms than to regular text in print. This number rose to 30 percent in broadsheet format.

Key Observations
Graphics Elements
Big is better: Headlines & Photos
Large, color photos (p. 45)
Mug shots get lost
Online readers use the navigational elements

Writing Style – ‘Chunking’
Information broken into ‘chunks’ of information.
Web users prefer to print out long documents or save them on their hard drives.
Long stories on the web are hard to read. The more a reader needs to scroll, the less likely they are to read the story.
Source: Webstyle Guide: http://webstyleguide.com/site/chunk.html

Style tips from Poynter
Make it tight and bright
Explain
“Banish gray” – long blocks of text
Link, link, link
http://www.poynter.org/content/content_view.asp?id=35378

Writing Style – ‘Chunking’
Organizing information into relevant ‘chunks’ helps keep the reader interested. Facilitates adding links to enhance interactivity. Be careful: Don’t divide content into too many parts or readers will lose interest.
Chunking is a method to create consistency of web style, and helps readers understand the content flow on your site.
Source: Webstyle Guide: http://webstyleguide.com/site/chunk.html

Writing Style
Headlines – Compelling –
On the web, headlines sell the story
Six to 10 words
Strong verbs
Most important items first
Question headlines workable
Blurbs
Summaries of story, often on home page and linked to full length story
Briefs
A complete story in just a few sentences.
Scannable
Remember readers don’t have time. They want to get the information they want and move on to the next story.

Writing Style
Conversational style
Cross between broadcast writing and print
Lively verbs, colorful adjectives and distinct nouns.
Active voice always!
Short paragraphs
Be aware of references to your sources
Consider using full name on second reference because you don’t know how story may link

Additional Style Tips
Consider one idea per paragraph – even if it’s just one sentence.
Write in easily understood sentences.
Include links as part of your copy
E.g. Bill Gates [link to his bio] created Microsoft [link to microsoft.com] at a time when PCs were just beginning to become commonplace.
Think Globally. Avoid regional/local terms that may be misunderstood by the broader audience.
Develop a voice, a style, a flow.

Web Story Structure
Get to the point
Story must be told in 50 words ... Then your reader MIGHT read the rest
REMEMBER: only about 100-150 lines per screen… and less if a reader is looking at story on a PDA.
Make everything you write relevant.
Constantly ask yourself:
Why should the reader care about this?
What elements of interactivity can be used to engage the reader to make the content more compelling?

04 Feb 10 Jour3340 Writing For The Web

by Neil Foote on Feb 18, 2010

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04 Feb 10 Jour3340 Writing For The Web — Presentation Transcript