The document summarizes key findings from an eye tracking study conducted by Poynter on how readers consume information online and in print. Some of the main findings include: 1) There are two main types of readers - methodical readers who read stories from top to bottom and scanners who skim headlines and snippets of stories. 2) Online readers spend more time looking at interactive elements like fact boxes, timelines and Q&As than blocks of text. 3) Headlines, photos and other graphical elements attract more attention from readers than in print. 4) Information needs to be broken into short, scannable chunks for online readers rather than long blocks of text.

1. How Readers Read & Writing for the Web February 4, 2010 JOUR 3340 – Online Journalism

2. PoynterEyetracking Study How readers read newspapers & websites Helps us understand how we write, how we use images, how we use multimedia http://eyetrack.poynter.org/eyetrack07asne.html

3. “Eyetracking: Poynter’s Study “This has everything to do with journalism. How people consume information, how they comprehend information it is a huge piece of the puzzle. If you can’t provide information in ways they can understand it and access it, then you’re wasting your time as a journalist. And we can’t afford to waste time.” Keith Woods, Dean, Poynter Institute of Journalism

4. Why it matters “We have learned as an industry we are backward in research and that we are not seizing the new technologies and discoveries of recent years. … As an industry we must improve and expand, or we dwindle and die.” Nelson Poynter Nov. 2, 1946

5. Key Observations More story text read online, than print And most read all the text Jumps were read Two types of readers Methodical – Mainly ‘print’ readers Read top to bottom Re-read some material Use drop down boxes, nav bars, searches Read a higher percentage of text

6. Key Observations Scanners – Mainly online readers ‘Scan’ headlines and text, never reading any one story specifically Read parts of stories, look at photos Look at story lists to choose stories The response (Page 31) Media has to move to alternative storytelling More interactive elements Q&A, a timeline, a fact box or a list – drew a higher amount of visual attention, compared to regular text in print. On average, we saw 15 percent more attention to what we call alternative story forms than to regular text in print. This number rose to 30 percent in broadsheet format.

7. Key Observations Graphics Elements Big is better: Headlines & Photos Large, color photos (p. 45) Mug shots get lost Online readers use the navigational elements

8. Writing Style – ‘Chunking’ Information broken into ‘chunks’ of information. Web users prefer to print out long documents or save them on their hard drives. Long stories on the web are hard to read. The more a reader needs to scroll, the less likely they are to read the story. Source: Webstyle Guide: http://webstyleguide.com/site/chunk.html

9. Style tips from Poynter Make it tight and bright Explain “Banish gray” – long blocks of text Link, link, link http://www.poynter.org/content/content_view.asp?id=35378

10. Writing Style – ‘Chunking’ Organizing information into relevant ‘chunks’ helps keep the reader interested. Facilitates adding links to enhance interactivity. Be careful: Don’t divide content into too many parts or readers will lose interest. Chunking is a method to create consistency of web style, and helps readers understand the content flow on your site. Source: Webstyle Guide: http://webstyleguide.com/site/chunk.html

11. Writing Style Headlines – Compelling – On the web, headlines sell the story Six to 10 words Strong verbs Most important items first Question headlines workable Blurbs Summaries of story, often on home page and linked to full length story Briefs A complete story in just a few sentences. Scannable Remember readers don’t have time. They want to get the information they want and move on to the next story.

12. Writing Style Conversational style Cross between broadcast writing and print Lively verbs, colorful adjectives and distinct nouns. Active voice always! Short paragraphs Be aware of references to your sources Consider using full name on second reference because you don’t know how story may link

13. Additional Style Tips Consider one idea per paragraph – even if it’s just one sentence. Write in easily understood sentences. Include links as part of your copy E.g. Bill Gates [link to his bio] created Microsoft [link to microsoft.com] at a time when PCs were just beginning to become commonplace. Think Globally. Avoid regional/local terms that may be misunderstood by the broader audience. Develop a voice, a style, a flow.

14. Web Story Structure Get to the point Story must be told in 50 words ... Then your reader MIGHT read the rest REMEMBER: only about 100-150 lines per screen… and less if a reader is looking at story on a PDA. Make everything you write relevant. Constantly ask yourself: Why should the reader care about this? What elements of interactivity can be used to engage the reader to make the content more compelling?