WebProNews - September 10th, 2001 The eZine for Professional Developers ====================================================================== Internet World Fall 2001 Conference: Oct. 1-5 Exhibits: Oct. 3-5; Javits Convention Center, NYC. The ONLY event that puts ALL the latest Internet business SOLUTIONS at your fingertips. Register at: ---------------------> http://webpronews.com/rd/internetworld.html Use priority code T15 ====================================================================== IN THIS ISSUE: 1.)... Editor's Note by Peter Thiruselvam 2.)... Is There A Difference When Writing For The Internet? ====================================================================== 1.) EDITOR'S NOTE Hi WebPro Readers: On Wednesday the W3C recommended SVG (Scalable Vector Graphics) and SMIL Animation (Synchronized Multimedia Integration Language). SVG, which works well with XML, was designed to create lightweight pictures which can fit on screens of any size---from large monitors to cell phones. SMIL, which is based on XML, allows Web authors synchronize their sounds, text and other multimedia using simple tags rather than complicated programming. To Read More: http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/news/0,4586,5096618,00.html The author of this article is a wonderful lady and past WebPro author, Charlene Rashkow. It is her birthday today and I would like to wish her HAPPY BIRTHDAY CHARLENE!!!!!!!! Best Wishes, Pete ====================================================================== Increase traffic to your site! FREE TRIAL! Are you tired of submitting your web site to search engines? Would you like to know how your site is ranked on ALL the top search engines around the world? Use TopDog to submit your site to hundreds of the top U.S. and international search engines, including YAHOO, and start watching the hits roll in! TopDog's advanced submission features and in-depth tracking reports will give you the power to get your site noticed! Awarded ZDNet Editors Pick and Tucows Head of the Herd. http://webpronews.com/rd/topdog3.html ====================================================================== 2.) IS THERE A DIFFERENCE WHEN WRITING FOR THE INTERNET? By Charlene Rashkow As a writer for a multitude of projects from web site content to detailed business plans all the way to press releases and promotional material, I've noticed one major difference in writing for the Internet versus writing for other channels of communication. Primarily writing good copy is essentially the same no matter where it's presented but writing for the Internet requires one important distinction. That distinction is less verbiage with more impact! While you have free reign to put as much information on your web site or within your article when presenting it on the Internet, material on the web must grab the reader's attention very quickly. Becoming verbose and redundant may be satisfying to your ego but it won't attract the attention of your reader. YOUR READERS Those who are searching for meaningful information on the net are either visiting web sites or reading online publications because they want bottom-line information rapidly. One of the perks of using the Internet is the ability to sift through as many web sites as required from the privacy of your home until you find what draws your attention. Material for most readers if too wordy or intellectual is a deterrent. Personally, if I'm seeking information from the web, I want it to be informative and interesting without being long-winded. Having a creative eye, of course I require the site to be somewhat appealing in layout and design but I want the information to meet my needs. More than likely most readers don't want to pore over a lot of jargon before reaching the main point. If an individual wants to read a novel they'll buy a book or borrow it from the library but when reading it on the net, the data should be a source of information. WHAT ARE YOU TRYING TO SELL? One of the key points to remember when writing for the Internet is that overall you are selling knowledge and therefore should consider that your article or web site are merely tools to provide appropriate information. If you write regularly or have an on-going group of individuals visiting your site, you may find after a while that you've developed a following. By that I mean that a number of individuals have become familiar with your writing style and relate to your views and opinions. They may now become interested in what you have to say not just in what you are selling. It's at that point that your audience is interested in you personally but that may take some time to achieve. First prove your consistency, professionalism and appeal and before long people will begin wondering what you have to say. TOO MUCH INFORMATION Bear in mind that you may have the most beautiful site ever created but without excellent content your site will have no meaning. People pay a fortune to have sites created boasting loud music, flashy flash presentations and all the other hype so common on web sites these days. In truth all that extra stuff can be of very little significance without meaningful content. Most people are seeking information, not flamboyant pictures. I do believe the layout, style and design of a web site is critical to its success but all the overdone, heavy-duty sites have become boring. We grow impatient if the site loads slowly and even more impatient if each subsequent page takes forever to appear. No matter how beautiful your site, if it takes forever to load, you'll lose your viewers before they've had a chance to read the first word on your site. Additionally, if there are too many visuals and auditory sounds on your site it can be disturbing to the majority who come to visit. Keep it simple. If your goal is to have people come back to your site or to continuously read your articles, take the time to provide practical, interesting content minus the hype. The best suggestion is to write honestly, plainly and concisely. ====================================================================== Charlene Rashkow is a Writing Stylist who has successfully written outstanding business material for companies and individuals for more than 15 years. Creating clever promotional materials, Charlene is well known for her press releases, business plans, resumes, brochure copy, web site content and ghostwriting dynamic manuscripts. You may visit Charlene Rashkow at www.allyourwritingneeds.com or write her at Crwriting@aol.com. You can also call her directly at (310) 514-4844 ====================================================================== Advertise to thousands of web developers and more! For ad details & prices, click... mailto:Susan@WebProNews.com ====================================================================== We at the Editorial Team would like to thank all our readers for reading WebProNews. We hope you find this information useful. Sincerely, Peter Thiruselvam mailto:Submit an Article to WebProNews..com Editor ====================================================================== Invite your friends to subscribe to WebProNews or any of the other newsletters provided by iEntry.com, part of the iEntry Network: http://www.iEntry.com/newsignup.html ====================================================================== --- WebProNews is an iEntry.com publication --- http://www.iEntry.com/ http://www.WebProNews.com ======================================================================