3 Key Points To Remember When Writing For The Web

While plenty of writers are enthusiastic to write for the Net, it is important to think about the key differences between writing for a traditional print audience and an Net audience. Keeping these two points in mind will help you accomplish success along with your Net writing ventures.
Writing for the Net is different from traditional publishing formats in two essential ways:
~ Audience
~ Format
~ Lifespan
It is important to think about each difference while writing.
While audience is always a key consideration for any writer audience consideration is a primary factor for Net writers. While the basic considerations of audience (who do you expect to be your primary reading audience?) stay the same there's some important differences.
First, it is important to keep in mind that in traditional publications your audience is captive. Two times they have actually picked up or bought a print media they are likely to at least give it a few pages before ditching it. However, on the Net the audience can move away from your words with a click of the button so you require to be focused and on target. You cannot take time for a slow buildup or meandering discussion. In case you (the writer) do not appear to be delivering the goods then the reader will basically move on. This does not mean you require to cater to the lowest denominator but it does mean that you require to know your audience as well as how to reply to that audience's needs and desires.
Another important point is that plenty of Net readers scan documents quickly before committing themselves to reading. It is important to write clearly and concisely as well as use punchy headlines and subheadings as well as catchy introductions and conclusions as these are key points for scanning.
While at first glance Net documents appear to imitate traditional print documents there's plenty of major differences. One of the most important is the entry point. A search engine may deliver readers to some point in the middle or finish of your document. In case you have written a coherent and cohesive piece then those readers may well move back to the beginning to read properly. In response to this, and the scanning readers mentioned above, it is best to break longer documents in to several stand-alone pieces that can work together as a whole or as separate documents if approached in that manner.
Finally, an important difference between traditional publications and Net publications is lifespan. While the apparent lifespan of plenty of electronic documents appears to be fleeting that is not in fact true. Newspaper and journal articles in print publications may only be current for a day, week or month but be archived on the Net. Net publications are often archived on the Net for years. So while it is important as a writer to be fresh and current also keep in mind that your reader may access your words at some undetermined point in the future.
Keeping these two key points -- audience, format, and lifespan -- in mind when writing for the Net will help you accomplish greater writing success.