The document discusses techniques for writing original stories for the web. It covers linking out to other relevant content, aggregation and curation of other sources, using bolded subheadings to break up text, and bullet points. The document also compares web-original storytelling to adapting radio scripts for the web, noting that radio scripts tend to follow a set structure of nut graph and lede while web stories have more flexibility.

1. Writing for the Web/!
Web-original Storytelling!

2. What
we’ll
cover
 Text
 Listening
Exercise
 Webified
Script
vs.
Web-­‐original
Storytelling
 Techniques
for
Web-­‐original
Storytelling
2

3. 1.
Text

4. 1.
Text
can
be
searched
4

5. 2.
People
like
to
read
Are you reading this text?!
5

6. 2.
People
like
to
read
6

7. 2.
People
like
to
read
7

8. 3.
Text
is
fast
3:14
to
listen
vs.
1:00
to
read
text
(480
words)
8

9. 4.
Text
is
more
subtle
Core
Publisher
sites
July
2011
hourly
trafAic
9

10. Strong
content
frequency
10

11. Infrequent
content
11

12. 5.
Good
wriGng
engages
12

13. Two
terms
 Nut
graf
News
value
of
the
story
Why
now?
 Lede
The
opening
of
the
story
The
lede
is
not
to
be
buried
13

14. 2.
Listening
Exercise

17. Webified
Script
17

18. Compare
nut
graphs
Web:
But
some
experts
worry
that
when
it
comes
to
their
health,
boomers
are
sPll
woefully
unprepared
—
or
worse,
in
denial.
Radio:
Some
experts
worry
that
the
generaPon
now
approaching
rePrement
may
actually
be
less
healthy
in
old
age
and
that
could
have
serious
financial
consequences
for
the
naPon
as
a
whole.

19. Compare
ledes
Radio:
Most
people
over
50
think
they're
likely
to
be
healthier
and
more
acPve
in
rePrement
than
their
parents
were.
That's
what
people
said
in
a
poll
conducted
by
NPR,
the
Robert
Wood
Johnson
FoundaPon
and
the
Harvard
School
of
Public
Health.
But
people
may
be
wrong.
Some
experts
worry
that
the
generaPon
now
approaching
rePrement
may
actually
be
less
healthy
in
old
age
and
that
could
have
serious
financial
consequences
for
the
naPon
as
a
whole.
NPR's
Julie
Rovner
reports.
JULIE
ROVNER:
If
you
want
to
see
what
it
means
to
live
a
long
and
acPve
life,
look
no
further
than
the
rec
room
at
the
Greenspring
Village
RePrement
Community
in
Springfield,
Virginia.
(SOUNDBITE
OF
VIDEO
GAME)
ROVNER:
This
is
the
Wii
bowling
compePPon
for
the
Northern
Virginia
Senior
Olympics.
Up
now,
the
80
to
99
age
group.
Given
these
compePtors'
age,
organizers
are
making
a
few
accommodaPons.

20. Compare
ledes
Web:
Most
baby
boomers
say
they're
planning
on
an
acPve
and
healthy
rePrement,
according
to
a
new
poll
conducted
by
NPR,
the
Robert
Wood
Johnson
FoundaPon
and
the
Harvard
School
of
Public
Health.
And,
in
a
switch
from
earlier
years,
more
than
two-­‐
thirds
recognize
the
threat
of
long-­‐term
care
expenses
to
their
financial
futures.
But
some
experts
worry
that
when
it
comes
to
their
health,
boomers
are
sPll
woefully
unprepared
—
or
worse,
in
denial.
"The
mismatch
between
how
people
think
the
next
10
to
15
years
is
going
to
go
and
what
current
rePrees
experience
is
something
that's
very
consistent,"
says
Jeff
Goldsmith,
a
health
care
futurist
and
author
of
The
Long
Baby
Boom:
An
Op2mis2c
Vision
for
a
Graying
Genera2on,
a
book
about
aging
baby
boomers.
"There
is
no
quesPon
that
one
disPnguishing
feature
of
our
generaPon
is
this
extraordinary,
almost
genePc
opPmism.
And
the
poll
results
look
to
me
like
a
lot
of
that
opPmism
was
drawn
from
a
deep
well
of
self-­‐delusion."

21. AddiPonal
ReporPng

22. 3.
Webified
Script
vs.
Web-­‐original
Storytelling

23. Top
10
stories
NPR.org
Stories
originated
from
a
blog
23

26. Webified
radio
script
26

29. 4.
Some
Techniques
for
Web-­‐original
Storytelling

30. Linking
Out
30

31. AggregaGon
“I
love
aggregaPon.”
31

32. I
love
aggregaPon.
AggregaPng,
as
I
wrote,
is
what
editors
do.
It
is,
to
repeat
myself,
“plugging
one
another
into
the
bounty
of
the
informaPon
universe.”
Readers
come
to
The
Times
not
just
for
our
original
reporPng,
but
for
our
best
judgment
of
what
else
is
worth
reading
or
watching
out
there,
and
for
the
comments
posted
by
all
of
you.
-­‐Bill
Keller,
former
Execu2ve
Editor,
New
York
Times

33. AggregaGon/CuraGon
33

34. AggregaGon/CuraGon
34

35. Bolded
Subheadlines
35

36. Bolded
Subheadlines
36

37. Bullet
Points
37

38. From
a
reader’s
perspective:
Five
differences
in
Web
vs.
radio
writing
1.
The
journey
isn’t
as
important
as
the
ending
–
so
give
me
that
Airst
2.
I
will
judge
you
for
poor
grammar,
spelling
and
punctuation
3.
If
you
can
say
it
better
than
your
source,
summarize
4.
Multiple
ideas
in
one
story
won’t
confuse
me
–
I
can
reread
5.
Details,
details,
details
–
this
proves
you
know
what
you’re
talking
about

39. From
a
reader’s
perspective:
Five
similarities
in
Web
vs.
radio
writing
1.
A
good
story,
is
a
good
story,
is
a
good
story
2.
Simple
writing
is
the
clearest
writing
–
subject,
verb,
object
3.
Sub-­‐headlines
signal
a
change
4.
If
it’s
good,
I’ll
stay
5.
People’s
names
are
important

40. QuesGons?
40

41. Assignment
 Rewrite
a
radio
story
for
the
web
audience.
 Write
a
web-­‐original
story
(try
doing
this
before
wriPng
your
radio
feature).
 Due
Thursday
COB
 WFPL,
WNIJ,
WSKG,
KUNC
send
to
ksung@npr.org
 KCUR,
KETR,
WFSU,
Delmarva
send
to
eathas@npr.org
 Criteria:
lede,
nut
graf,
details
(links,
#s),
readability,
style
 Highlights
video
on
Friday
41