8 Online

Writing for online reading is a relationship with a goldfish.  You have 9 seconds to make an impression that will attract, hold, and influence.

Audience analysis is, as always, the first and most important step.

The online audience scans pictures, layout, and text to quickly decide what to read and when to move on.  As a writer of online content, your goal is to connect with the reader, not prove how smart you are.  Build your knowledge of who is reading and what they like so you can write for them.

While this is not sales, it doesn’t hurt to remember marketing advice.

“The job of a marketer is to attract attention, capture attention, and maintain attention long enough to communicate a message that is meaningful and memorable with the hope that the message with change the attitudes and/or actions of the audience.”

– Anthony Miyazaki, The Marketing Minute, episode 124 [1]

Visuals, layout, content, and style are deciding factors for people to stay on a site.  Follow these guidelines to build your online presence and reputation.

Visuals

What attracts people visually is incredibly personal and while it is important to make sure your images are appropriate to your content, and purpose, there are no “rules” about which colours and what sizes as these can all be manipulated by the viewer.   Visuals come in a variety of types from photos to line drawing, embedded visuals to explanatory charts or tables.

When thinking about what kind of visuals to use, remember the principle PICS: Personal, Inform, Clarify, Simple (Chapter 3).  Good choices are those of experts or celebrities to illustrate or provide endorsements.  To show improvements or results, use before and after shots.  Illustrate techniques or how-to with numbered step by step photographs.  A picture is worth a thousand words and the wrong picture can be worse than a short story turned novel.

Videos can also be used to enhance your web presence in a blog or post.  While it’s best to use your own original work, sometimes you find the perfect video created by someone else, or you don’t have the time or expertise to create your own.

• Creative Commons or Fair Use
• Relevant & Brief
• Focused
• Accessible

First, make sure it is Creative Commons or Fair Use: do not assume something on YouTube or TikTok is open source and available for your use.  Second, make sure the video stays on your subject.  You want short, relevant material that adds to your information, and not something that takes over.  Third, check the background or setting is clear; uncluttered backgrounds allow viewers to focus on the action or instruction.  Fourth,  review the accessibility of the video: headings and closed caption options, with language options, can make videos more accessible for everyone.   As with everything, ask yourself if it makes your message clearer for the audience.  If not, leave it out.

Other visual aids such as graphics, drawings, charts, tables, and anything you choose to insert follow the same basic rule: does it make your content easier to understand?

Finally, ALWAYS cite your source.  You will be forgiven if you are missing a period or comma in formal IEEE structure (Chapter 3) but to leave a citation and reference out completely puts your reputation and credibility at risk.

Layout

Unless you have studied Art and Design, or have expertise in the graphic arts field, you are probably not an exert at using text and images to create a perfect visual piece.  There are, however, some simple points you can follow that will help you create a pleasing look.

• Flow
• Balance
• Margins
• Space

Think about the various parts of your page as “blocks”.  The text and images within those blocks direct how your eye looks at the full page.  If you have movement in an image, the eye follows that flow.  An arm pointing to the right means your eyes go to the right, and if that leads the viewer off the page or site, then you have just directed your viewer away from your message.   Flow can also be achieved with the size and shape of text blocks.  If you start a page with a long paragraph, it makes it more difficult for the reader to climb that wall and read on.  Aim for short simple paragraphs.  Check the flow of the material on your page and aim to keep the eyes on target.

You use balance and symmetry to create a feeling and draw attention to items.  Balance refers to where items – either text or images – are placed on the page in relation to other items on the page because each piece has a visual weight.  You can be symmetrical – with weight equally distributed side to side and top to bottom, or you can be asymmetrical with an emphasis  in more text or images on one side than another.  This can also be achieved with text blocks or sidebars that run along the sides of your page as well.

The spacing between paragraphs or images is the margin.  Be consistent with your margin width and length to encourage focus on the material.  You can also use the margins to encourage flow.

Your page does not have to be crammed with images and text: space is your friend.  Use the backdrop of your page to encourage attention to your content.  Keep it uncluttered.

These elements work together to create your visual style.  There are many layout examples available online from Pintrest to Canva.  It is important to choose what suits you best and reflects your style.  Spend time to create what works best for you.

Content

How you develop your writing has been covered in Module 1 and those principles apply for every type of writing and communication.  Understand your audience and their needs and wants.  You use that to organize your information.  When writing for online reading, it is even more important to focus on your reader because there are so many options the reader can choose.   Communicate your content and keep your reader with assistance from the set up.

• Consistent Headings
• Short paragraphs

Use your headings to make it easy for your reader to find the information they need.  Short headings or headlines are ideal and be consistent with your style.  Try headlines like a newspaper.  You can also use a step numbering process when providing instructions.  Questions are good clues for the reader to lead them into content sections.  You may also want to try Problem and Solution pairings.   Be consistent with the style of your headings so you don’t unintentionally lose the reader with heading diversity.

Keep your paragraphs short and to the point.   Aim for a paragraph of three to four sentences with one main point per paragraph.  Shorter with clear, specific wording is always better.

Style

Which brings us to your writing style for online.  It is best to use conversational style with common language to be most accessible.  Try to avoid technical terms, unless you know your audience will understand them.  If you do have to use technical language, make sure to explain the word clearly with an analogy that you know the audience will understand.  Avoid ‘talking down’ to your audience.  It’s a fast way to ensure they will click away from your site.  Using sentences of different lengths will also keep an audience interested.

Asking questions is a popular method of keeping the audience engaged.  It can encourage the reader to take on the role of the person asking the questions and guides them to the answer and information you want to deliver.

You job is to create and maintain that connection with the reader.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

Perhaps the single most important part of any online communication: SEO.  This is where you tag and describe the material you have posted.  Take control of your work and do the tagging yourself.  Be clear, simple, and specific.

Resources for further information

Friedman, Jane. (2012). Five keys to writing for an online audience. The Writer un-Boxed.  https://writerunboxed.com/2012/02/24/5-keys-to-writing-for-an-online-audience/

Munday, Rob. (2016). Writing for the Web. Medium. https://medium.com/journalism-tips/writing-for-the-web-36ca36e3b50b

References

[1] Anthony Miyazaki, the Marketing Minute, (2019) episode 124: Attention span of a goldfish (customer insights/analytics).  [Online] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cv1OS8pjvps