BTfferences betweenWriting for Online and Print People do not read how they used to. Thanks to the internet, people encounter so much more content than they once did - articles and informative pieces are available anytime, instantly. This means writing for the web differs greatly from writing for traditional media. Professorsnow teachwriting students howto keep online readers engaged, so someone earning a Bachelor of Arts in Communication Studies will bewell-versed in internet writing. For other writers making the leap from paper to screen, there are several things to keep in mind. 1. LENGTH The average amount of time an online reader spends reading anything on the internet is two minutes. Printed pieces rarely even reach their main focus in that amount of time. Therefore, online articles tend to be much shorter than their printed counterparts and that goes for paragraphs, too. Instead of long segments of prose, like you would see in a newspaper or magazine, the paragraphs in online articles shouldend after a few lines. 2. READER'S ATTENTION Online articles have to fight for a reader's attention, even though reader's generally go to an article or page intentionally. This is because the internet is highly interconnected. Most articles are nested among other links, moving images, flashing ads and other clickable content that is vying for your readers' valuable attention. So in order to maintain their interest as long as possible, all pertinent information needs to appear as close to the beginning of the piece as possible. Otherwise, a reader may lose patience and navigate away. 3. LINKS Print does not have hyperlinks. It may seem silly to point out, but when it Comes to Citing source materials, print traditionally features a list of works cited near the end, while most online posts contain links throughout so readers can easily click for more information and read the source content. However, that means links can also prevent a reader from reaching the end of an article, a problem print rarely has unless the article is simply poorly written. 4. SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION Print does not have to deal with search engines. However, if online writers want people to find their articles, then they must lace them with relevant terms that people will use in search engines. When writing for the web, it remains important to craft a well-written, informative piece, but no one will find it if it is not optimized for search engines with key phrases and associated links. 5. READABILITY People read electronic media differently than they do print. They scan and search Therefore, for things that stand out, like bullet points and boldface phrases. Subheadings writers must arrange information so readers can absorb it quickly. throughout an article help, as do shorter paragraphs, lists and even links. available as electronic media Newspapers, magazines and now even books are publication; however, online. Not every piece needs drastic change for online web poses unique most articles need optimization for readability.Writing for the moving images for reader challenges that print does not, like competing with but good writers can attention and optimizing content for search engines, transition easily between the two media. BASIC DIFFERENCE BETWEEN WRITING FOR PRINT, ELECTRONIC AND ONLINE NEWS The difference between print, electronic and online Journalism includes several areas such as leadership,space and portability. Print media has been one of the oldest forms of Journalism. After the advancement of Technology in the last few decades, the electronic/broadcast Journalism has installed its precedence over the Journalistic community. Broadcast Journalism is faster and timely, something which is imperative for Journalist. Switch onyour Television or Radio and you get your latest update. There was a time when broadcasting was at itspeak and wasthe only source of news, apart from print media. However, when the internet came, it made rapid inroads in our lives and has grown exponentially to touch our lives in all spheres. Knowing your audience and the purpose of your content is paramount whether writing for the broadcast, web or for print. However, there are significant differences between the mediums of which a writer must be aware before writing. Compared to print, the web is generally informal and immediate medium. Users have come toexpect a more informalwriting style that ismore straight forward. Puns andfigurative language don't translate well and can often be confusion for international users. WRITING FORPRINT NEWS Articies written for print publications must present a compact but thorough account of events. Unlike radio or television reporting, which typicallycontains shorter and simpler sentences, print media can include a wider variety of sentence structure and wordchoices. However, the piece must still grab the reader's attention and keep him hooked. In news writing, the focus is on getting to the point quickly and conveying the most applicable facts, while feature writing can be longer and more creative in approach. Because it's written for mass audience, print journalismuses a style of writing that willappeal to the greatest number of people. For example, print journalists use adjectives and adverbs sparingly, focusing insteadon simple sentences with powerful nouns and verbs. Also, they use as few words as possible toget their points across. Because space is often limited, they must focus only on the most relevant information. Print journalism often has a storytellingcomponent, in which an account is related in a linear fashion. The purpose is to convey information and give readers a deeper understanding of the subject matter. WRITING FOR ELECTRONIC NEWS The news story telling in broadcast media is totally and radically different from others. Anarrative style structure that works in print mediawhere the story ends sOon after the climax is reached does not works similarly in broadcast media. On the contrary a standard news story in electronic media starts with the climax and leaves the details for the closing sentence. The story in all other mediums opens gradually and major information is given in the middle of the story while in news it opens with a bang, all concrete things are mentioned atthe start and the relevant detail is described. The maximum lengths for almost any story is two minutes, generally, the normal length being 30 secs. Broadcast news is presented in present tense and the language is very informal. The language should be kept simple, sentences short and attribution should be put at the beginning of the sentences for better flow and understanding of the story for the viewers and listeners. WRITING FOR ONLINE NEWS When one writes for online it should be accessible on all platforms and devices as there is great competition and web traffic. These days,even copy editors need to be their own entrepreneurs and promote the newspaper content online. It is very likely that the article written by you would be written by someone else as well. So, to make sure that your article stands out it is important that youwrite web friendly headlines, which is short, can stand on its own, makes sense without context, is clear and concise and is SEO (SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMISATION FRIENDLY). It is also necessary to keep in mind while writing online to use short paragraphs. active verbs use hyperliks, use non textual elements such as images, charts. videos and audios and also different font sizes and colors. It is also important to update the site regularly, provide update information, respect copyright laws and have social media reference. Embedding content, such as individual tweets, can be aclever way of illustrating news from important sources. Storifying news aids social media story telling. While writing for online editors willhave to make sure that the quality of editing is not sloppy as breeders can easilyfind the mistake online. The editor will have to make sure to give on last read before uploading it on the internet. Editing for ethics has always been important and good copy editors recognize and support this as the edit for online. Difference between Print Media and Electronic Media 1. Print Media: Print media is form of mass media as the name suggests the news or information is shared through printedpublications. Printed mediais the oldest means of sharing information/news. In printed media the news orinformation is published in hard copy and then it is released which is der friendly. Main types of print media include newspapers, magazines, and books. In print media live show, live discussion, live reporting is not possible it is based on interval update method. 2. Electronic Media: Electronic Media is form of mass media as the name suggests the news information isshared through electronic medium. Electronic media is the advanced means of sharing information/news. In electronic media the newS or information is uploaded orbroadcasted and then it can be viewed through electronic mediums which are more viewer friendly. Maintypes of electronic media include television news, News through mobile apps, etc. In electronic media live show, live discussion, live reporting is possible as it is based on immediate update method. Difference between Print Media and Electronic Media : S.No. PRINT MEDIA Print media is form of mass 01. media which creates, delivers news and information through printed ELECTRONIC MEDIA Electronic Media is form of mass media which creates, delivers news and information through electronic publications. medium. Print media is the earlier Electronic media is the advanced form of media. form of media. 02. To go through print media Togo through electronic media, one should be literate as it literacy is not primary requirement 03. needs to read the information. 04. Print media needs more time to edit and update as newprinted materials needs to be released. 05. as because one can watch or listen the information. Electronic media can be quickly edited and updated. Print media is not available 24*7, rather it comes in Electronic media is available 24*7, interval for instance daily for instance NewS apps in smart printed newspaper, phone, News channels in TV etc. monthly magazine etc. Print media needs to be 06. 07, carried always with the Electronic media can be availed person,for instance taking anywhere at any time just with an newspaper in bag or taking electronic device like smartphone or magazine in bag. laptop. The main types of printed The main types of media include printed electronic media information/news through newspaper,magazine and includes IV,Smart phones, Laptops etc. books. 08. 09. In print media deadline In electronic media nosuch deadline exists in relation to the exists,as information/news can be collection of news. For updated anytime. For instance any instance today's any time if any incident is happening it incident willbe published in can be immediately updated in tomorrow's newspaper. electronic media. Live show, Live discussion, Live show, Live discussion, Live Live reporting is not possible in print media. reporting is possible in electronic media. Coverage area of print 10. media is limited and Coverage area of electronic media is comparatively less than more. electronic media. 11. Print media is more reader Electronic media is more viewer friendly. friendly.
