Comments on: How Writing for the Web Is Different, and How It Isn’t http://sportsjournalism.org/sports-media-news/how-writing-for-the-web-is-different-and-how-it-isn%e2%80%99t/ America's most comprehensive sports media program Mon, 23 Jan 2012 08:44:24 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Bob Cook http://sportsjournalism.org/sports-media-news/how-writing-for-the-web-is-different-and-how-it-isn%e2%80%99t/comment-page-1/#comment-3073 Bob Cook Wed, 03 Feb 2010 17:34:02 +0000 http://sportsjournalism.org/?p=4278#comment-3073 I would add a fourth point -- that you need to keep in mind you also are writing for robots. That is, you want to keep search engine optimization in mind so your story can be found more quickly and easily through Google and the like. For example, you use, frequently and at the top, the key words and phrases that people might employ to find your story (not too frequently, though -- Google does penalize you for that). Jason himself did it with the phrases "writing for the web" and "write for the web," which appear in the headline and the lede. It sounds blasphemous, but writing with search spiders in mind can make your writing more clear. If the spider can find you, then readers also are instantly clued into the point of your story. It's a tricky art, because you don't want to drain all the lifeblood and creativity. It's more about making a few tweaks than it is a wholesale change in philosophy. Bob Cook IU Journalism '90 I would add a fourth point — that you need to keep in mind you also are writing for robots. That is, you want to keep search engine optimization in mind so your story can be found more quickly and easily through Google and the like. For example, you use, frequently and at the top, the key words and phrases that people might employ to find your story (not too frequently, though — Google does penalize you for that). Jason himself did it with the phrases “writing for the web” and “write for the web,” which appear in the headline and the lede.

It sounds blasphemous, but writing with search spiders in mind can make your writing more clear. If the spider can find you, then readers also are instantly clued into the point of your story. It’s a tricky art, because you don’t want to drain all the lifeblood and creativity. It’s more about making a few tweaks than it is a wholesale change in philosophy.

Bob Cook
IU Journalism ’90

]]> By: Michael Silence http://sportsjournalism.org/sports-media-news/how-writing-for-the-web-is-different-and-how-it-isn%e2%80%99t/comment-page-1/#comment-3068 Michael Silence Wed, 03 Feb 2010 15:52:15 +0000 http://sportsjournalism.org/?p=4278#comment-3068 "I started thinking about this in earnest last summer..." You lost me there. “I started thinking about this in earnest last summer…”

You lost me there.

]]> By: opica http://sportsjournalism.org/sports-media-news/how-writing-for-the-web-is-different-and-how-it-isn%e2%80%99t/comment-page-1/#comment-3066 opica Wed, 03 Feb 2010 14:55:25 +0000 http://sportsjournalism.org/?p=4278#comment-3066 I skimmed the article, stopped at the first bolded sentence, thought you are right about it and now I'm off to work, writing copy for a client's website. I skimmed the article, stopped at the first bolded sentence, thought you are right about it and now I’m off to work, writing copy for a client’s website.

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