Online Journalism – JOUR 3340

Class Notes
-Planning Multimedia Stories
- Writing for the Web
February 5, 2009
For Tuesday, Feb. 10
 Go to http://newsvoyager.com and
http://newsdirectorycom
 Find two newspaper websites and two TV websites
 Write 300-400 post for your blog analyzing the website
using the following criteria:
 Content: Does the website follow any of the rules on
writing for the web?
 Functionality: Is the website easy to use?
 Navigation: How easy can you find content on the
site?
 Audio/Video Quality: Is there any? Is it useful?
 Interactivity: How does it engage readers?
Style Tips
 Here’s some advise from Jakob Nielsen, the
guru of web design and usability:
 Users do not read on the Web; instead they scan
the pages, trying to pick out a few sentences or
even parts of sentences to get the information
they want
 Users do not like long, scrolling pages: they
prefer the text to be short and to the point
 Users detest anything that seems like marketing
fluff or overly hyped language ("marketese")
and prefer factual information.
Remember this
 Know your audience
 Is the content relevant to your readers?
 Do readers really want this information?
 Define the ‘form(s)’
 Interactive: graphics and other elements
 Slideshows: with or without audio
 Polls/Surveys
 Write Visually
 Use bulleted lists
 Use numbered lists
 Use Tables
 Include pictures and other graphics

Source: http://www.usability.gov/design/writing4web.html
Remember this
 Make it ‘tight and bright’
 Use the 5 Ws, but really remember to the ‘So
what?’
 Explain why I should care
 Poynter says: “Banish gray”
 ‘Scannability’
 ‘Splitability’
 Linking is OK
 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.
 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.
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?