Therefore, it's important that we as writers acknowledge these differences and develop a style of writing that's unique for the web. Here are four best practices:
- Keep paragraphs short: While our eyes are accustomed to large blocks of texts on the page (especially if you're a college student in the humanities), our eyes have a much harder time reading large chunks of texts on the screen.
So it's a good idea to write in short paragraphs. A good rule of thumb is to keep paragraphs to a maximum of four sentences. White space is your friend.
- Write for scannability: One of the ways we read differently on the screen is that we tend to scan words on the screen faster (and less in-depth) than words on the page. Ever wonder why that 1000-word, one-paragraph email never got read? This is why.
When writing for the web, it's always a good idea to bold or underline key points, interesting phrases, or other bits of text that are sure to grab the reader's attention. Just don't overdo it. It's the old zen studying koan: If you highlight everything, you highlight nothing.
You might also consider using subheads for longer posts. These are short, three- or four-word headlines that let the reader know what information is contained in a section of your post.
- Don't summarize; link: Big blocks of text summarizing outside works are so 20th Century. The Internet is your friend. Instead of explaining to your reader Jay Cutler's reactions to last night's loss, why not just send them straight to the source?
- Write whip-sharp topic sentences: Because most of us scan web pages, we're more likely to read the first sentence of a paragraph and move on if we're not interested. So you've got to hook the reader right up front. The means putting key information in the first sentence, asking compelling questions, or beginning with a concrete example. With all the stuff on the web, you gotta give the reader a reason to stick around.
