Web Writing vs. Paper Writing

Writing on the web and writing on paper have several stylistic differences and similarities. First, in both writing the writer should write concisely, because readers are always looking for useful information quickly. A reason that conciseness is important on the web and not necessarily for paper, however, is that prolonged reading from a computer screen can strain the reader’s eyes. Reading on the web is also 25% slower than reading on paper, which adds to the length of time. Both types of writing typically also require that you state the most important information first, and go into detail later in the piece. It is important in both types of writing to cite sources accurately.

When you write on the web, paragraphs should not be indented and instead separated into blocks of text. Writing on paper should be separated into indented paragraphs. Another difference is that web writing allows the creator to use links to other text or images, and writing on paper does not. Bulleted lists are also an effective tool to use in web writing because it puts important information into lists and easy to find. This is normally not recommended, however, for paper writing. Web writing often involves directional cues and key words to let the reader know where to look for certain information. Web writing is more informal than paper writing, and the writer can be more creative and get away with more because the reader is looking for something to catch his or her eye and needs to kind information quickly.

To submit a formally written document onto the web, there are a few things to remember. You must inform the site users if the web paper is abridged or different from the paper version. If the text or graphics are copywrited, the creator must obtain permission to publish that work online. It is also a good idea to observe the work on the web before posting it to check for errors. If the document is long, it is a good idea to provide a printable version option in case the web users wish to print it.