To write for the Internet, you have to change the way you think about writing. Imagine that someone is surfing the web and come across a site that looks interesting; she clicks on it and the site is just one giant block of undifferentiated text. That block of text may be o.k. for essays but Internet users will not have the patience to sit there and read it. Unless the subject matter is enthralling, chances are that the reader will eventually lose interest (if their eyes do not start going out of focus first) and then just leave the site before reading the entire post. Internet writing is similar to journalistic writing: short, simple, but chock-full of information.
The other major difference between Internet-writing and hardcopy writing is that readers have the Internet at their fingertips when they are reading your work online. That means that at any point, they can navigate away from your post and go somewhere else. It becomes your goal to keep readers on your post. While links to other sites may seem like a good way to provide your readers with even more information and resources, they are also hidden landmines that can blow your readers to another site, never to return to your post. You need to be careful with handling links.
Keeping all of this in mind, here are some tips for how to successfully post on a blog:
1. Keep the post readable. By breaking your text into paragraphs, it is easier to read on the computer screen. You should use more paragraphs than you would on a normal essay; however, be aware of how you set up your paragraph breaks so that your idea is fully flushed out before you start a new paragraph. Paragraph breaks should align naturally with your changes of thought or focus.
2. Make the post scannable. This tip goes hand-in-hand with the one above it; breaking up your paragraphs naturally makes it easier for readers who are in a hurry to scan your post and get a lot of information. However, you can make it even more scannable by using bullet points and numbering.
3. Use links, but be frugal with them within the text. The main point of a blog post is to have people read your thoughts on a particular subject so you want them to stay on your blog. By linking words in your text to other websites, you are inviting people to leave your blog to look at something else. It is better to have a section of links, where you can list the website titles and their URLs, at the bottom of the post; the sites listed then become complements to your post instead of sites that hog your readers' attention. The nature of the Internet itself as an information superhighway is distracting enough and you, as a writer, have to work harder to keep readers on your post.
4. Keep it simple. While this blog should be a vehicle for your thoughts on a particular subject and you should use your post to demonstrate everything that you know, remember that people of all levels will be reading this blog. Your posts can be intelligent and can provoke discussion but try to cut out all of the fluff.
5. Attribute. It is extremely important that you cite where you received your information, especially if you are quoting from other websites or using images or video from another site. You should make at least a quick mention of your source in the body of your post, though you can save the in-depth information for either the link section at the bottom of your post or for a separate section devoted just to sources cited. Generally speaking, you do not have to be as informative as you would be for an essay; you do not have to worry about correct formatting or information. Usually, as long as you mention the source and, if available, link to it, you should be fine.
6. Create an interesting post headline. Especially once your post is archived, the best way to get readers interested in your article is to have an interesting blog title that makes them want to read more. Instead of just titling your post "Response to Discussion Question," make the headline sum up your post or emphasize the most colorful/controversial/thought-provoking/interesting part of your post.
This list is just a few of the things you can do to make your posts successful. However, perhaps the best advice is to just look at the websites that you like, figure out what you like about them, and then emulate them. Chances are, if they are interesting to you, they will be interesting to other people, too.
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