Print writing and online writing are done in two completely different ways. Even though they are both done for the same purpose – to send information to the reader, they are done differently.
The writing styles of both print and online writing are not the same. Print writing focuses on a storytelling style. When reading print writing there is a narrative approach. It doesn’t mater what the issue is, print writing will write it in a long descriptive way.
Online writing focuses on a more brief way of writing. It is directly to the point, without any extra unnecessary information.
The paragraph lengths are also different between the two types of writing. Print writing uses long paragraphs. This is good for their long descriptive approach towards writing.
When reading online writing, the paragraphs are short. The paragraphs do not have to follow the rules of being three sentences long.
There are no links used in print writing. Links are generally used as a form of reference. Online writers will use links when if want to send the readers to other sites for more content, or to anything related.
Print writing attracts a different kind of reader. It attracts a reader that is likely to read thoroughly. The reader will read every word, and they will process all pieces of information presented to them through print writing.
Online readers are more likely going to scan the content. They might skip a few words here and there, or full paragraphs, and only read the parts that stand out to them or seem to be more important than the rest.
When it comes to the writing tone, print writing takes a more formal tone. They will write in a way that is more official and proper. You could even say that it detaches any type of personality from the writing itself.
On the other hand, online writing uses a more informal writing tone. The sentence structure is not as proper as print writing, and the general flow is more laid back. Often times you could even catch the personality of the writer behind the writing.
When print writing, the words used are informative. This often leads to technical jargon – words that are not easily understood by the public. The reason for this could be for it’s more informative approach.
Online writing does not use technical jargon; it is simple. The words are easily understood by the readers and don’t need any extra effort to be processed.
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is making use of your tags or labels to the best of your ability. This is in no way used through print writing.
Online writing makes use of SEO by using appropriate tags in the posts. By using the tags or labels they are able to expand the different ways that people can be linked back to their articles. For example, if I were to use the tag “dog” for a post about dogs, anyone who searches for the word “dog” may come across my article in the results.
With the differences aside there are certain characteristics that make online writing really stand out from print writing.
When writing online, it is best to use “killer headlines” to attract readers to want to open the articles. For scanners especially, writers should utilize not only the headlines, but also the bullet points and bold words.
Pictures and videos would also be a great addition to online writing. They can be used as content breaks in articles and also an extra source of information for the readers who enjoy the topic more than others.
Online writing also has something that print writing does not – audience engagement. Because of the different social media platforms and online sources, it is possible for the audience to be engaged in all articles. They can be involved in a conversation by commenting on certain articles. By doing so they can engage the writer or other readers through comments and eventually expand on the topic in general or certain points. The audience also is engaged by sharing the post on their own personal social media accounts. This is a form of distribution.
Print media does not have any of these audience engagement factors.
Online stories also make it easer for the writers to maintain an up to date archive list. The archives can also be publicly shared in an organized manner. This includes links to previous stories. The links could also be from different websites or publications on the Internet.
When it comes to print writing, there is no easy way to access archives. The archives are mainly hard copy and found in a warehouse somewhere, often in the form of a think stack of books. The only reason it would be online is if someone took the time to digitalize all of the print content.
These are the main differences between print writing and online writing.
No comments:
Post a Comment