ONLINE WRITING 1 JOUR 3557: INTRODUCTION TO ONLINE JOURNALISM 1 Writing for Online Tim Currie [email protected] @tscurrie

ONLINE WRITING 2 JOUR 3557: INTRODUCTION TO ONLINE JOURNALISM 2 Online Writing 1.Structure 2.Subheads and captions 3.Links

ONLINE WRITING 3 JOUR 3557: INTRODUCTION TO ONLINE JOURNALISM 3 Jakob Nielsen: He is an expert in how people consume content online He used to work for Sun Microsystems, investigating how people dealt with text on their computer screens He authored a 1997 landmark study on Web usability (and also the 2000 book Designing Web Usability) NIELSEN NORMAN GROUP

ONLINE WRITING 4 JOUR 3557: INTRODUCTION TO ONLINE JOURNALISM 4 Nielsens Research Reading online is different from reading on paper (1997): Most people dont read online they scan Only 16% read a page word for word 79% of readers scan a page first Reading online is 25% slower than reading on paper

ONLINE WRITING 5 JOUR 3557: INTRODUCTION TO ONLINE JOURNALISM 5 Research By Nielsens Peers Stanford University/ Poynter Institute EyeTracker studies (2000 & 2004): Eyes go to text first Briefs/teasers are popular A headline has less than 1 sec. of a site visitor's attention STANFORD UNIVERSITY

ONLINE WRITING 6 JOUR 3557: INTRODUCTION TO ONLINE JOURNALISM 6 Nielsens Research People dont want to read a lot online. Why? Body position Eyestrain Many web pages are authored for print Its difficult to judge the end of the story The web is action-driven. People love to click

ONLINE WRITING 7 JOUR 3557: INTRODUCTION TO ONLINE JOURNALISM 7 Nielsens Recommendations for Web Pages Text should be scannable: 1) Highlighted keywords

ONLINE WRITING 8 JOUR 3557: INTRODUCTION TO ONLINE JOURNALISM 8 Quartz: Why Nest will be bigger for Google than Android Why Nest will be bigger for Google than Android

ONLINE WRITING 9 JOUR 3557: INTRODUCTION TO ONLINE JOURNALISM 9 Nielsens Recommendations for Web Pages Text should be scannable: 2) At least two levels of headlines

ONLINE WRITING 10 JOUR 3557: INTRODUCTION TO ONLINE JOURNALISM 10 Toronto Star: Costa Concordia: Italian agency gives final OK to right cruise ship after checking weather conditions Costa Concordia: Italian agency gives final OK to right cruise ship after checking weather conditions

ONLINE WRITING 11 JOUR 3557: INTRODUCTION TO ONLINE JOURNALISM 11

ONLINE WRITING 12 JOUR 3557: INTRODUCTION TO ONLINE JOURNALISM 12 Nielsens Recommendations for Web Pages Text should be scannable: 3) Bulleted lists

ONLINE WRITING 13 JOUR 3557: INTRODUCTION TO ONLINE JOURNALISM 13 Globe and Mail: Unemployment, grim public housing fueling riots in Stockholm Unemployment, grim public housing fueling riots in Stockholm

ONLINE WRITING 15 JOUR 3557: INTRODUCTION TO ONLINE JOURNALISM 15 Toronto Star: 10 fees you should avoid 10 fees you should avoid

ONLINE WRITING 16 JOUR 3557: INTRODUCTION TO ONLINE JOURNALISM 16 Buzzfeed: 44 Classic French Meals You Need To Try Before You Die 44 Classic French Meals You Need To Try Before You Die 13 Reasons The Ocean Might Never Be The Same13 Reasons The Ocean Might Never Be The Same The Day Lehman Died

ONLINE WRITING 18 JOUR 3557: INTRODUCTION TO ONLINE JOURNALISM 18 Nielsens Recommendations for Web Pages 4)One idea per paragraph; no more than three sentences in each 5)Inverted pyramid style 6)Write 50% less than you would in print on each page

ONLINE WRITING 19 JOUR 3557: INTRODUCTION TO ONLINE JOURNALISM 19 Clang! Creak! Tink, tink, tink tink. TING! In days past the sounds of a blacksmiths shop were among the most distinctive noises found in towns and villages across North America. The sounds of village smithy pounding, bending and twisting metal were commonplace in the 18 th and 19 th centuries. Today, however, with commercial hardware stores in many malls, the sounds of an operating blacksmiths shop are pretty much relegated to the past. Or, maybe not, thanks to a new course offered at the Nova Scotia Community College. Most Nova Scotians under 60 have never heard the clang! tink, tink, tink! of a blacksmith at work. But a new course offered at the Nova Scotia Community College promises to introduce a new generation to the piercing, but once-familiar, sound.

ONLINE WRITING 20 JOUR 3557: INTRODUCTION TO ONLINE JOURNALISM 20 Nielsens Recommendations for Web Pages 6)Graphical elements tables, charts, photos, maps help people absorb information 7)Casual language, sentence fragments work fine 8)Hypertext links aid credibility

ONLINE WRITING 21 JOUR 3557: INTRODUCTION TO ONLINE JOURNALISM 21 A Newspaper Story

ONLINE WRITING 22 JOUR 3557: INTRODUCTION TO ONLINE JOURNALISM 22 An Online Story

ONLINE WRITING 23 JOUR 3557: INTRODUCTION TO ONLINE JOURNALISM 23 Nielsens Research (Mobile Devices, 2009) Observing user suffering during our sessions reminded us of the very first usability studies we did with traditional websites in 1994. It was that bad."

ONLINE WRITING 24 JOUR 3557: INTRODUCTION TO ONLINE JOURNALISM 24 Nielsens Research (Mobile Phones, 2009) Poor experience because: Small screens Awkward input Slow download Sites not designed for mobile APPLE

ONLINE WRITING 25 JOUR 3557: INTRODUCTION TO ONLINE JOURNALISM 25 Nielsens Research (Tablets, 2011) 1.Readtap asymmetry for websites 2.Touchable areas were too small in many apps 3.Accidental activation a big problem 4.Low discoverability 5.Users disliked typing APPLE

ONLINE WRITING 33 JOUR 3557: INTRODUCTION TO ONLINE JOURNALISM 33 Nielsens Recommendations for Headlines The Issue: They are often displayed on their own, out of context

ONLINE WRITING 34 JOUR 3557: INTRODUCTION TO ONLINE JOURNALISM 34 Nielsens Recommendations for Headlines On the eve of a new show at the Museum of Modern Art that celebrates his seminal works, legendary multimedia artist Michael Snow talks to Sarah Milroy about his heady, experimental days in New York.

ONLINE WRITING 37 JOUR 3557: INTRODUCTION TO ONLINE JOURNALISM 37 Nielsens Recommendations for Headlines (& Subheads) 1.Make it short & clear 2.No teasers 3.Write in plain language: no puns, no "cute" or "clever" headlines.

ONLINE WRITING 38 JOUR 3557: INTRODUCTION TO ONLINE JOURNALISM 38 Exercise goo.gl/75XKI0

ONLINE WRITING 39 JOUR 3557: INTRODUCTION TO ONLINE JOURNALISM 39 Writing Hypertext Links 1.They are recommendations 2.By nature they signify importance 3.They build trust with readers by making the reporting transparent 4.They allow readers to further their own interest

ONLINE WRITING 40 JOUR 3557: INTRODUCTION TO ONLINE JOURNALISM 40 Writing Hypertext Links

ONLINE WRITING 41 JOUR 3557: INTRODUCTION TO ONLINE JOURNALISM 41 Writing Hypertext Links Chronicle Herald: Liberals vow to cut wait times, add family doctors Liberals vow to cut wait times, add family doctors

ONLINE WRITING 49 JOUR 3557: INTRODUCTION TO ONLINE JOURNALISM 49 Writing Hypertext Links Three to five words Link to: Official websites: products or organizations Announcements (news release or report) Related stories Facts: statistics or comments

ONLINE WRITING 50 JOUR 3557: INTRODUCTION TO ONLINE JOURNALISM 50 Writing Hypertext Links Indicate if content is other than a web page (Eg. PDF, video)

ONLINE WRITING 51 JOUR 3557: INTRODUCTION TO ONLINE JOURNALISM 51 Writing Hypertext Links Click hereClick here to read the advisory groups report. Better: The advisory group released its Recommendations for Waterfront Renewal (PDF) Tuesday. Check out this site for more information.site The Heritage Trust of Nova Scotia has a list of properties it considers threatened by development.

ONLINE WRITING 54 JOUR 3557: INTRODUCTION TO ONLINE JOURNALISM 54 Exercise: Whats the Link? goo.gl/BUAyac

Documents

ONLINE WRITING 1 JOUR 3557: INTRODUCTION TO ONLINE JOURNALISM 1 Writing for Online Tim Currie [email protected] @tscurrie