Intro : Concept, Significance and Types, Story Structures of Different Media ( Print, Electronic, Web)

Concept of Print Media

Print media refers to publications that are distributed in a printed form on paper, such as newspapers, which must be delivered to customers in physical form either through hand delivery or physical purchase.

Purpose

Print media is one of the most common ways for people to stay informed about current events, technology and other special interests.

Features

Print media is extremely varied in terms of what sorts of topics are covered; normal newspapers typically report relevant current events, but other periodicals may be printed purely for entertainment or made for a specific interest, such as fashion, fitness or a certain sport.

Benefits

Print media is relatively cheap and does not require access to technology, such as a computer, to use. Periodicals and magazines are also extremely portable.

Considerations

Digital media, such as Internet news and video websites, present a stiff source of competition to print media.

Significance of Print Media

The importance of print media may decline in the future due to the rise of mobile technology and the Internet which allow users to access news and other information from remote locations on demand.

Print media can be a highly effective tool in marketing your business. Using various types of print media, you can build awareness about your business. Print media, such as articles, can build your professional credibility and the credibility of your business. For example, if you author an article about a topic that is related to your industry, this positions you as an expert in your field. When a reader of that print publication reads it, it helps to form an opinion on your standing in your industry.

Types of Print Media

Print media is anything that is offline that promotes your business. The most common types of print media include newspapers, magazines, newsletters, brochures, pamphlets, advertisements, billboards and signs. Print media is any vehicle that is tangible and can spread the word about your business by gaining the attention of your target audience.

Concept of Electronic Media

Electronic media are media that use electronics or electromechanical energy for the end-user (audience) to access the content. This is in contrast to static media (mainly print media), which today are most often created electronically, but don't require electronics to be accessed by the end-user in the printed form. The primary electronic media sources familiar to the general public are better known as video recordings, audio recordings, multimedia presentations, slide presentations, CD-ROM and online content. Most new media are in the form of digital media. However, electronic media may be in either analog or digital format.

Although the term is usually associated with content recorded on a storage medium, recordings are not required for live broadcasting and online networking.

Any equipment used in the electronic communication process (e.g. television, radio, telephone, desktop computer, game console, handheld device) may also be considered electronic media.

Significance of Electronic Media

Mass Media has totally changed our culture and our lives. In so many ways Mass Media has influenced how we get our news, (Internet, Cable TV, Smart phones, etc.) it also has changed how we get music (When's the last time you bought a CD?), how we communicate (when's the last time you wrote a letter?) and even how we do things such as pay our bills. (Electronic bill pay, etc.)

Types of Electronic Media

• Radio

The radio is the oldest form of electronic media. There are hundreds of thousands of radio stations across the world and advertisements are frequent features on most of these. Advertising on radio dates back almost one hundred years and is the first form of spoken advertisement rather than a printed advertisement.

• TV

Television provides us with the highest volume of electronic media advertising. There are hundreds of advertisements shown on each channel per day and some slots are sold for millions to the advertisers as they will have such a high audience to watch their ad.

Television is the most popular medium for companies to advertise but the space is expensive and many companies will not be able to afford to advertise during prime time.

• Internet

Advertising on the internet has become increasingly popular as you can advertise to your target audience. Space can be bought on websites that the target customers would use and data can be collected about how many people clicked on the ad. This will give the company figures and statistics about how successful the advertising has been.

• Electronic advertising

Advertising on screens at bus stops, shopping centers and on ATM screens have also increased in the last decade. These usually advertise amenities and shops that are close by so that consumers will have them fresh in their minds when they are in the area.

Concept of Web Media

Web media generally includes the online media sources such as the internet websites, search engines, directories, libraries, discussion forums, etc. These serve as the media to people for getting information and updates regarding different things. Another form of media on web includes audio and visual form, the videos are sometime tutorials to make people understand some particular thing.

Significance of Web Media

24 Hour Access:

A religious radio or TV program usually broadcasts only once a week for a 15 or 30 minute time slot. The information on a website is communicated continuously, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

World-wide Coverage:

Radio and TV broadcasts have a limited coverage area. Even when a program is syndicated, the coverage is very rarely nation-wide. A single website on a server computer can potentially reach every Internet user in the whole world -- every minute of the day!

Choice of Topics:

A radio or TV program usually presents only one topic for each broadcast. A website offers a whole selection of topics designed to appeal to the varied personal interests and needs of visitors.

Low Cost:

Radio and TV broadcasting is inherently expensive.  By comparison, the cost to construct, host and maintain a website is far less expensive.

Operational Flexibility:

Because Web ministry is based upon information residing on host computers, it is not burdened with extensive facilities. Operations can be flexible and more easily reconfigured in conformity to budgets without radically affecting the basic mission to communicate global information 24 hours a day.

Types of Web Media

Video Content Companion

While you can't guarantee that a user will see your program before or after coming to your Web/interactive materials, you can use the content of your program as a starting place for building these components.

Web and other interactive formats are effective for presenting complementary content or recasting the video content in ways that a linear program can't (such as providing several alternative viewpoints, going deeper into stories, or elaborating your source or interview material). A video content companion can help your viewers answer the questions your program raises in their minds. Remember, though, that since users may not necessarily see your video in conjunction with these materials, the Web/interactive components must also function as stand-alone resources.

Online Course, Workshop, Tutorial, or Lessons

These Web or interactive materials are aimed at more formal educational use, in classrooms or for professional development. They may make use of the elements you develop for a video content companion site. Those using materials of this type most likely proceed through them in a linear fashion, since they're structured around a particular curriculum.

Digital Library

Digital libraries present resources of various digital media types in a database, where users can find specific items of interest through menus of topics and subtopics, or by searching for particular terms. It may be possible to create a topic-specific digital library based on the resources you've developed or acquired for your project, or you might provide these resources in formats that allow them to be incorporated into a larger digital library.

Effective Headline Writing : Characteristics and Techniques

The job of the headline is to get attention. A good headline makes the reader want to find out more by reading the article, brochure, or ad. To help your headline do this, try one of these techniques:

• Create curiosity
• Promise answers to a question or solutions to a problem
• Include a key benefit

Have fun with it

You can create curiosity by asking a provocative question or making a seemingly outrageous statement. Word play, alliteration, or take-offs on familiar phrases or cliches can create some eye-catching and often amusing headlines. However, avoid ambiguity or at least use eyebrows, subheads, or decks (smaller headlines above or below the main headline) to clarify or explain. If your reader has to guess at what you mean or at what the article or ad is all about, they'll be saying, "I guess you don't want me to read this article." Some examples of word play, alliteration, and take-offs:

Wing dinging it

using symbol fonts as impromptu logos

Build a Better Bass Boat

Sing a song of sixpence, a pocket full of lies...

teaching children to tell the truth

The middle example, using alliteration, can stand alone but the other two benefit greatly from more straightforward subheadings.

State the Benefit

Answer the question foremost in your reader's mind, What's in it for me? Tell your reader about the primary benefit found in the story or brochure or ad. Offer a solution to a common problem. Create several potential headlines using as many of the following techniques as possible until you find the one that works best.

1. Ask a question (How many cavities is "too many"?).
2. Make a statement or exclamation (Fewer cavities. Guaranteed.).
3. Tell "how-to" (How to spend less time at the dentist's office).
4. Use a number (6 ways to get fewer cavities).

    Use a product, service, or business name -- or create a new word or catch phrase to describe the product (PearlyBrite dental creme is the newest weapon in the war on tooth decay).

    Use words like new, improve, more, and better (Get 50% more cavity protection in our new, economical 9 oz. tube).

Keep it short

What is the ideal length for titles and headlines? Seven words or less is a good rule of thumb. Shorter headlines are punchier and easier to read. If you need more words to accomplish the job, consider putting them into the subhead or deck.

Deliver on your promises

The best headline in the world won't help a bad story. Before you snare the reader with your witty headline be sure you can deliver with a well-written, informative article, brochure, or ad. Insure that your headline supports the body too. If you ask a question, provide an answer. If you promise to solve a problem, offer a solution.

Avoid deceptive headlines. If the headline suggests that the story is about low-cost, romantic honeymoon locations, don't give the reader a story about honeymoon disasters in cheap hotels. It might be a great story, but the reader feels cheated if the headline promises something totally different.

Use a headline to get the reader's attention. Catch the reader's eye and give enough information to make your reader want to read your message.

Even though I know the techniques for writing good headlines, my efforts fall far short of the mark on occasion. Consider these two examples from past issues of The INK Spot magazine (a publication about desktop publishing and word processing that I once published) with possible "improved" headline ideas.

News Headlines : Meaning and Significance

The headline is the text at the top of a newspaper article, indicating the nature of the article below it.

The large type front page headline did not come into use until the late 19th century when increased competition between newspapers led to the use of attention-getting headlines.

It is sometimes termed a news hed, a deliberate misspelling that dates from production flow during hot type days, to notify the composing room that a written note from an editor concerned a headline and should not be set in type.

A headline's purpose is to quickly and briefly draw attention to the story. It is generally written by a copy editor, but may also be written by the writer, the page layout designer, or other editors. The most important story on the front page above the fold may have a larger headline if the story is unusually important.

Significance of News Headlines

Headlines, or post titles, are the most important part of your article. Why? Because the majority of people use headlines to decide whether or not to read your article. Doesn’t matter how good or bad your actual article is. If it has a weak headline, it won’t get read.

• Grabbing attention in search engines – Go to Google and type in virtually any word you can think of, and you’ll often find millions of results. The interesting thing is that for most search results in Google (and other search engines) there is very little for readers to go by in deciding which result to click on. There is a title, a short excerpt, and a URL. The most highlighted of these is the title, and I believe it is a key to getting search-engine-referral visitors.

• Getting RSS readers’ attention – In a very similar way, titles have the ability to grab the attention of those following your blog via RSS feeds in news aggregators [like NewsNow]. News-aggregator readers tend to scan the titles of posts for things of interest rather than reading full text, stopping to read and visiting the posts that pique their interest.

• Getting attention in social bookmarking sites – The same principle is true in social bookmarking sites like Reddit.com and Delicious.com, which have the potential to send your site many thousands of visitors based almost solely on the title of your post.

• Loyal readers – Good titles also impact the way your loyal readers interact with your site. As we’ve discussed elsewhere, web users scan pages and one of the best ways to make them pause as they roll their eyes down your site is to capture their attention with a good title that intrigues them enough to slow down their frantic web surfing and actually read some of the content that you’ve poured time and energy into.

• Search engine optimization – Though there are many factors that contribute to how search engines rank a page, one of the most powerful onsite factors is the words that you use in the title of that page. By default content publish platforms like WordPress will include your title in the title tags of your post’s page and the URL structure of that page – both of these factors contribute to that page’s search-engine ranking. Add to this that other bloggers often use your title to link to you (a very powerful thing), and your titles become a very important factor in ranking well and generating traffic in search engines.