Several times a week, we talk to clients about how to prepare and think about written content on the web. As a writer, I have created pieces for a variety of situations from grant applications to personal essays. I've discovered that writing for the web is its own animal.
I tell my clients:
- People scan.
- They don't read.
- News cycles are short.
- Tweets teach us to say what we mean in 140 characters.
- You may not even be reading this as you scan this page for something you're really interested in.
You get the idea. Writing for the web takes some strategy about how words become visual cues. These ideas are presented succinctly by Pamela Wilson at Copyblogger with her entry, "8 Incredibly Simple Ways to Get More People to Read Your Content."
My advice?
- Read the article.
- Acquire a new style of writing.
Outcome?
You will be more successful at communicating with People Who Scan (which is most of us these days on the web).
