Writing on the Web vs. Writing on Paper

Writing on the web and writing on paper share many characteristics. Writing, in general, requires the use of correct grammer, spelling, diction, and other tactics to target your audience. It is important that writing on the web and on paper flows throughout the document with emphasis on your purpose and goals for the piece of writing. In order for your writing to have the greatest effect, it is vital that you organize your thoughts before hand, use plain language, and fully research and understand your subject.
Writing on the web is more difficult than writing on paper because of the different uses for which people may be using the web information. Many people use the internet to scan about information. Your web writing must be formatted in an appropriate way so that your audience can scan the document and get information they are seeking quickly and efficiently. When writing on the web, you are writing for the rapid consumption of your information; most people spend about 10 seconds on a page looking for what might interest them.
A good strategy to use while writing on the web is the inverted pyramid. You should begin with the bottom line (your conclusion) before stating all the data, facts, and logic. By placing this information at the beginning, you allow the readers to find what is most significant to your writing. Of course, you still need to provide the background information in order to prove those conclusions stated at the beginning. Another great benefit of writing on the web is the availability of hyperlinks. You can use these links to outside information to give further proof to your claims and provide additional information to your subject.