The document provides guidance on writing and editing for online audiences. It emphasizes writing in short, chunked paragraphs and sentences with active verbs. Headlines should be short, use active verbs, and follow AP style. Links should be used judiciously to further the story and encourage exploration. Multimedia elements like graphics, video and sound should be integrated. Proper formatting and editing is still important for online writing.

1. Writing & Editing Online
- Continuing significance of text: The text is still what brings various media
together (Foust).
- Culture of instant gratification à
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. à 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
à
links
second
only
to
text
in
their
ability
to
convey
informa5on
and
meaning
to
the
user.
à no
correct
number
of
links
in
a
par5cular
story;
number
should
be
driven
by
content
considera5on
à goal
=
not
to
overwhelm
the
user
with
sheer
numbers
of
links,
but
present
best
links
that
help
tell
story
&
encourage
further
explora5on:
Your
site
shouldn t
feel
like
an
endpoint
in
the
conversa5on.
should
feel
like
the
beginning.
By
sending
your
users
to
the
best
informa5on
available
on
the
Web,
you ll
keep
them
coming
back
for
more.
àmost
relevant,
most
reliable,
most
compelling
links
à link
should
generally
incorporate
no
more
than
three
to
five
words
à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
disrup5ng
the
flow
of
the
main
story]
àClarity:
It
should
be
obvious
to
the
user
what
lies
on
other
end
of
link
àshould
links
open
in
new
windows,
yes
or
no?
àkeep
links
up-­‐to-­‐date

4. Using
Links
in
Online
Stories
Different
usesà
Background:
info
that
provides
basis
for
some
part
of
your
story;
Backing
up
informa9on:
Direct
link
to
sta5s5cal
source
in
your
story;
Alternate
points
of
view:
Linking
to
different
points
of
view
on
issue;
Further
explana9on:
Site
that
gives
you
more
informa5on;
Ci9zen
journalism:
Links
to
sites
that
give
people
chance
to
take
ac5on;

5. Multimedia, mashups and APIs
- graphics/produced graphics
- Technical illustrations
- Sound/Video
- Databases and mashups

6. Multimedia, mashups and APIs

7. Complete
Online
Story
Customiza9on
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)
Word version
Hyperlinks:
Use
hyperlinks!
Service
journalism:
Point
people
toward
helpful
resources
http://
dailycollegelife.w
ordpress.com/
Basic
edi9ng
and
proofreading:
No
typos,
etc.
please
2011/01/25/du-
dining-debatable/
Visuals:
You
need
these!

8. Wordpress

9. Homework
READ
Getting Started With Photoshop. (2007)
http://articles.sitepoint.com/print/getting-started-photoshop
Photoshop Interface Tutorial
http://www.photoshopessentials.com/basics/interface/
Photoshop s Toolbox:
http://www.tutorial9.net/tutorials/photoshop-tutorials/photoshops-basic-
tools/
Photoshop: Saving Images for the Web:
http://www.tutorial9.net/tutorials/photoshop-tutorials/saving-images-for-
the-web/
Galer, M. (2008). Photoshop CS3: Essential Skills àDigital basics pp.
15-37; Capture & Enhance, pp. 55-70. This is an E-Book you must find
through Penrose
BB
Discussion
Board
Post:
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Statement