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Intro to Writing for Electronic
Delivery
JMC 239
Abilene Christian University
Terms to know
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Computer mediated communication (CMC)
Internet and intranet
Blogs
Posts
Micro-blogs (Twitter)
Social media (Facebook, Myspace)
Consumer-generated video (YouTube)
Terms to know
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Flickr
Podcasts
RSS feeds, subscriptions and Aggregation
E-mail alerts
E-mail marketing
Hyperlinks
Navigation
What’s different about writing
for the Web?
(It depends on how
you think about it)
Web writing is like print …
“…Although electronic writing requires
that authors learn new technologies,
incorporate new interactive techniques,
and gain expertise in design-related
issues of presentation, the conventions
and traditions of print are still the
touchstone.”
“The Effects of Computers on Traditional Writing,” S.P. Ferris,
The Journal of Electronic Publishing, retrieved: Sept. 16,
2002: http://www.press.umich.edu/jep/08-01/ferris.html
… But it is also like oral
communications
“Perhaps scholars should base their views of
electronic writing on an oral metaphor
because the computer is an interpersonal
medium. E-mail, mailing lists, discussion
groups, and chat rooms use text, but they
model themselves on conversation.”
“The Effects of Computers on Traditional Writing,” S.P. Ferris, The
Journal of Electronic Publishing, retrieved: Sept. 16, 2002:
http://www.press.umich.edu/jep/08-01/ferris.html
Oral communication
characteristics
 Immediacy
 To convey emotion, rather than just
information
 Extra-textual content
 Development of community
 Non-linear
 Abbreviations, incorrect grammar,
shortened/fragmented sentences
Why people read Web sites
Functions of computermediated communication
(CMC)
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Information
Entertainment
Transmission of Culture
Social Interaction*
*this is a change from traditional media
Web writing and journalism
(What they have in common)
 Both use short, concise writing style; don’t
waste words
 Both favor action verbs and active voice;
keep the text moving
 Both use inverted pyramid style; make it
scannable
 Both require accuracy and cleanliness; typos
and misspellings kill credibility
How Web writing differs
 Online readers are IMPATIENT; they
read in a hurry.
 Online readers read less
 Screens are harder to read and create
more eye strain
 Web readers want specific information
A few quick tips
 Keep copy scannable
 Keep content short
 Keep content segment
Source: “TechnoFile: Writing Well on the Web,” Anne Stuart,
Inc.com, February 2004,
http://www.inc.com/articles/2004/02/webwriting.
Let’s learn about the Internet
and social media
 Who is the founder and CEO of Twitter?
What else can you tell me of interest
about this person?
 Two men founded Google. What are
their names and what were they doing
(what was their “occupation”) when
they founded Google?
Let’s learn about the Internet
and social media
 What does the term “blog” stand for?
 What is an “URL”? What does this term
stand for?
 In what decade did research on the
Internet begin and in what country?
 What is Linkedin?
Let’s learn about the Internet
and social media
 On Facebook, you have “friends.” What
do you have on Twitter? On Linkedin?
 What is the maximum length of a
message on Twitter?
 What is a wiki? What is the best-known
wiki?
Let’s learn about the Internet
and social media
 How is a blog different from a Web
site?
 Who founded Facebook? What else
was he/she doing at the time?
 How many members does Facebook
have?
For next week
 For 1/19/10: Read the blog post, “How
Social Media Has Changed Us,”
(1/14/10) and post a comment with
your reaction to the article on the
course blog. Please post your comment
no later than an hour prior to class time
next Tuesday.
 For 1/21/10: Twitter