Intro to Writing for Electronic Delivery

1. Intro to Writing for Electronic Delivery JMC 239 Abilene Christian University

2. Terms to know • Computer mediated communication (CMC) • Internet and intranet • Blogs • Posts • Micro-blogs (Twitter) • Social media (Facebook, Myspace) • Consumer-generated video (YouTube)

3. Terms to know • Flickr • Podcasts • RSS feeds, subscriptions and Aggregation • E-mail alerts • E-mail marketing • Hyperlinks • Navigation

4. What’s different about writing for the Web? (It depends on how you think about it)

5. 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

6. … 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

7. 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

8. Why people read Web sites

9. Functions of computer-mediated communication (CMC) • Information • Entertainment • Transmission of Culture • Social Interaction* *this is a change from traditional media

10. 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

11. 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

12. 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.

13. 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?

14. 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?

15. 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?

16. 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?

17. 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