Changing Technologies

As technology expands, the web is becoming increasingly easier to use, and Web sites are increasingly more simple to create. I feel this has caused writing for the web at large to become a much more diverse genre of writing.

Newspaper and magazine writers now have a new vehicle for which to write; one that calls for more brief articles but allows for much more color and graphics at a much lower cost. One of the major changes in the type of writing done on the web came with the advent of the online journal. This increased the number of people writing on the web immensely, as well as diversified the backgrounds of these writers. Before, those who wrote for the web were typically only advertisers and Web site creators. Now pretty much anyone can create their own site easily, making the type of writing seen on the web much more varied.

I think that the continuous updates in the amount of graphics and media able to be used on the web, and their ease of use, are large contributors to the way Web sites are set up. Having animations and graphics that are so easily attainable for those who construct Web sites has a direct effect on the writing used on these sites. In the past, much of the information on the sites needed to be given through the text. While the text is still incredibly vital, many charts, graphics, animations, and even videos can be placed on sites as alternate ways for readers to gain the information. I think that this slightly effects the style of web writing, as it needs to be as exciting and attention-grabbing as the accompanying animations and graphics.

Overall, I think that as writers for Web sites we need to be aware of all of these changes and of all of the people who are joining us in writing for this genre. This awareness can ensure that, at least the legitimate Web sites, maintain a higher standard for the writing on their sites. While writing for this forum does need to be more concise, that does not mean it needs to become less comprehensible.