Writing for the Web

It is essential for writers to possess a toolbox with various sections comprised of techniques to use in different circumstances. Writing on the web should be understandable at first glance. It is important to take advantage of the interactive medium( the Internet) and provide an experience to readers different to what they can receive in print form. Writing for the web transforms the relationship between writers and their audiences. The audience is more involved in the conversation and it is wise to produce information that will cater to a varied audience.
In place of numerous brochures and handouts, companies have reverted to creating Intranet sites for their employees to retrieve information in a more effective manner that also saves money.

Placing print items on the web should be revised to capitalize on the features of the Internet.

Product Manuals
Print manuals consist of texts and visual aids to help consumers setup and use their products correctly. While some companies, simply provide a link to a pdf or Word version of the manual that was provided with the product, others incorporate video tutorials that show users how to complete certain setup tasks. Apple's website includes video tutorials and step-by-step instructions with screenshots to assist users. The use of animations can also be helpful when preparing online manuals because users do visist the web to read text-heavy documents, they look to the web for quick answers. Online manuals should also include high quality product shots that shows the details of buttons and other small features that may be hidden in the print diagrams provided to users.

Press Releases
Press Relases are traditionally written on plain white paper with a lot of text devoted to impressing the media with a newsworthy story. Press releases should be altered for the web and can include graphics, sound and even video to bring the product or news item to life. We all know that is frowned upon to use CAPS and millions of exclamation points throughout documents to show emphasis, but with the use of sound, readers can hear enthusiasm and may give them incentive to learn more about what is being publicized. An example is a press release for an event in Pittsburgh called Soul Day, sponsored by the developers behind the Soul Pitt Website. The web press release included a logo for the event, a sound clip from the founder of the website, quotes from users of the site, links to a del.icio.us website created for the event and other relative information. There were also links that allowed users to download traditional press releases in Word or Pdf format, giving the reader multiple options to receive the information.

News Articles
Print news items contain a lot of text and black and white images that are usually not that detailed. Online news websites have become increasingly popular because they are brief and often include multiple graphics and sometimes footage of the events that they are reading about. The headline and the lead are the attention-grabbers and are what attract readers to read the rest of the story.

It is important that writing for the web includes chunky paragraphs and only information that users want to read. Designers should eliminate the need for scrolling and give users an interactive experience.