Web Writing Ag Media Writing 3/19/03

Web Writing “People who surf the Internet use a special medium that requires concentration and attention, and they seek information that interests them.” Audience interests drive the content.

Problem Reading rates slow by 25-40% on the Web. Monitor’s flicker causes eye strain. Almost 80% of Web readers scan Web text. Web readers fickle. Tons of competition. Readers scan a Website for 8-10 seconds before moving on.

Solution Design for easy scanning. Provide visual navigation and accessibility. Be concise. Convey credibility.

Solution: Design for easy scanning Select legible fonts - san serif best for Web. Use large enough fonts. Italics decrease legibility, use sparingly. Dark type on light background reads and prints much better than light type on dark background.

Solution

Keep line lengths short. Use headlines and subheads to break up text. Use bullets or numbered list. Highlight or bold key words. Use navigational tools and menus.

Example utrition/DJ0856.html htm gNewsArticle_ _912&articleid=96424& sigcat=corn

Solution: Concise/Credibility Avoid “Fatigue Factor”. Use concise, “lean” text. Chunk content. Just the facts ma’am. Make sponsors known. Only link to high credibility sites.

Web Writing Use of graphics can help readers navigate a Website.

References Bunton, K., Writing Across the Media, Bedford/St. Martin’s, Boston, ning.html