1. Writing & Editing Online
-Continuing significance of text: “The text is still what brings various media
together” (Foust).
-Culture of “instant” gratification 
“Think of your Web audience as lazy, selfish and ruthless. Web
audiences are on a mission – they’re task oriented” (Michael Gold –
Journalism Consultant)
-Quality of presentation still matters (grammar, spelling, etc.)
-Fairness, accuracy, attribution, relevance, newness still matter

2. Writing & Editing Online
ADAPTING TO THE RUTHLESS WEB AUDIENCE: SOME
TECHNIQUES
-Chunking
-SHORT sentences with active verbs
-SHORT paragraphs (no more than 3 or 4 sentences!)
-Bullets
-Headlines
- Fair, accurate, compelling, grabbing, short
- Must have a verb (or clear implied verb)
- Must use AP style: Only first word capitalized (proper
nouns also capitalized)
- Straightforward (Avoid puns, wordplay, etc.  Nicks
nixes flicks / Mayor cuts funding for film festival)
- Must be able to stand on own (Guilty! / Mayor guilty of
embezzlement)
- Search engine optimization
-subheadlines/summaries/bold faced headers
-Integration of multimedia elements!
-Use links

3. Using Links in Online Stories
 links second only to text in their ability to convey information and meaning to the user.
no “correct” number of links in a particular story; number should be driven by content
consideration
goal = not to overwhelm the user with sheer numbers of links, but present best links
that help tell story & encourage further exploration:
“Your site shouldn’t feel like an endpoint in the conversation. should feel like the
beginning.”
“By sending your users to the best information available on the Web, you’ll keep
them coming back for more.”
most relevant, most reliable, most compelling links
link should generally incorporate no more than three to five words
avoid: “Click here to go to there”; [however, it is not always possible to write a main
story so that link info will be clear w/o disrupting the flow of the main story]
Clarity: It should be obvious to the user what lies on other end of link
should links open in new windows, yes or no?
keep links up-to-date

4. Using Links in Online Stories
Different uses
Background: info that provides basis for some part of
your story;
Backing up information: Direct link to statistical source
in your story;
Alternate points of view: Linking to different points of
view on issue;
Further explanation: Site that gives you more
information;
Citizen journalism: Links to sites that give people chance
to take action;

5. Complete Online Story Customization
Fonts: sans serif (like Arial or Verdana, not Times New Roman or Courier)
Headlines: Come up with a grabbing headline -- remember it must fairly
reflect the content of your story
Paragraph length: Use short paragraphs! You should not have any paragraphs
longer than three sentences. Period.
Bullets: Where appropriate, use bulleted lists.
Subheads: Break up your text with boldface headers (a basic rule of thumb is
about three headers for a 700-word story)
Hyperlinks: Use hyperlinks!
Service journalism: Point people toward helpful resources
Basic editing and proofreading: No typos, etc. please
Visuals: You need these!
http://dailycollegel
ife.wordpress.co
m/2011/01/25/du-
dining-debatable/
Word version

6. Homework
READING
Foust, J. Online Journalism – Chapter 11: Gathering and
Editing Images, Audio, and Video; (pp. 249 - 273)
Briggs., M. Journalism Next – Chapter 6: Visual Storytelling
With Photographs (pp. 142 - 176)
WRITING
PP/Slideshare.Net Goal Statement

7. Homework
READING
Foust, J. Online Journalism – Chapter 11: Gathering and
Editing Images, Audio, and Video; (pp. 249 - 273)
Briggs., M. Journalism Next – Chapter 6: Visual Storytelling
With Photographs (pp. 142 - 176)
WRITING
PP/Slideshare.Net Goal Statement