Whether
in a newspaper or in the Internet, the following rule holds: “Whatever
you write – keep it short and they will read it – make it clear and they
will understand it – make it vivid and they will remember it.” Thus
spoke Joseph Pulitzer, the celebrated American journalist for whom the
Pulitzer Prize is named.
But
one should first briefly consider who this so-called user, i.e.
Internet user, really is. Internet users are readers in a hurry. They
decide in a split second whether a website meets their demands or not.
Clear descriptions and concise, lively texts appeal to users and
motivate them to keep on reading. When writing, a texter is always
thinking about text design at the same time, too.
The
Internet connects television and print media design. But the reader is
sitting in front of a screen, and the site should appear in a way that
takes this into account. Web readers are scanners. 79 percent of online
readers skim texts, look for signal words and place value on clear
structures. Only 16 percent of online readers read a text word-for-word.
Online journalism entails writing for screens
Online
journalists must make things as easy as possible for users to
understand the contents of their texts. The four criteria of
comprehensibility formulated in the 1970’s by the communications
psychologist Friedeman Schulz von Thun are simplicity, clarity,
conciseness and stimulation.
- Simplicity means unadorned, clear and plausible formulation.
- Clarity means writing in an ordered, structured and systematic way.
- Conciseness means presenting content briefly, accurately and to the point.
- Stimulation means exciting, animating and motivating the reader.
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