Creating a good press release has always been a deceptively challenging endeavor. Traditionally, to really excel at it, the writer had to have a deep understanding of both the company releasing the news and the media in which a story could appear.

Rule 1 of press release writing has always been "Make sure there's news in your release." Many companies churn out releases detailing department reorganizations, hirings/firings, and other process changes which, while very important to the people within the organization, might not be of any interest to the public in the judgment of the editors receiving the releases.

Rule 2 has always been "Have a hook." A snappy headline that promises a unique angle can turn a minor event into an editorial story, generating the kind of positive publicity no marketing department can match. Since editors may get hundreds of press releases every day, the hook is what gets a reporter assigned to your particular piece of news.

These statutes are great for the traditional print world, but the Web has forced a change in the rules by changing the role of the press release.

It's the dream of every PR department to get their release published verbatim, but it takes an incredibly lazy print editor to actually do this. On a company's website, however, press releases can be published directly. This removes the need to target specific releases to specific magazines, since the writing becomes passive and readers come to you.

The downsides: potentially less attention per release and an inability to to ensure targeted content to a specific reader set. The only people who will see your releases are people who actually visit the page on which they are posted, and those people can come from anywhere, not just from the demographic served by a particular magazine or trade publication.

So how do you write an effective press release within these parameters?

Well, unless you're still doing the proactive thing and sending out your press releases to targeted publications, you take the hit in visibility that comes with keeping your stuff on your own site. The advantage you gain is that anyone reading your press releases on your site is there for a reason; they're already interested in what your company is doing. With luck, they're interested enough to spread your release around through blogs and message boards, giving your message the kind of credible word-of-mouth exposure that makes marketers salivate.

Oh, by 'with luck,' I mean 'by maximizing your chances by applying smart technique to your press release writing.' Let's look at an example from the good folks at Eastman Kodak:

Kodak Helps Napa Valley Wineries Fight Wine Fraud

Colgin Cellars, HL Vineyards, Vineyard 29 and Staglin Family Vineyard protect brands and customers with KODAK anticounterfeiting technology

Rochester, NY, June 1 -- Eager to address the growing threat posed by producers of imitation wines, several of Napa Valley’s most prestigious wineries have moved to employ a new high tech anticounterfeiting technology from Kodak to protect their brands and customers. The KODAK Security Solution provides confidence and assurance to Colgin Cellars, HL Vineyards, Vineyard 29 and Staglin Family Vineyard by allowing easy authentication of their products.

According to industry experts, counterfeit wine could affect as much as 5 percent of wines sold in secondary markets.

“Wine fraud is a rising problem that threatens to seriously damage the premium wine industry,” said Steve Powell, General Manager & Director, Security Solutions, Kodak’s Graphic Communications Group. “These industry leaders are taking proactive steps to address the problem now. Kodak’s proprietary anticounterfeiting technology gives users a covert, easy to implement, cost effective, and long lasting solution for defending their products and reputations.”

Ann Colgin, owner of Colgin Cellars, immediately recognized the value that Kodak’s solution could deliver in protecting her super premium vintages, which sell at auction for hundreds of dollars a bottle.

“While Colgin Cellars has not experienced any problems with counterfeit wine, the issue has concerned me for some time. As a vintner and an auctioneer, I felt it was necessary to take a stand and ensure my customers a guarantee of authenticity.” said Colgin. “Kodak worked closely with me to quickly develop and implement a solution that met my demanding production schedule. Within 45 days, Kodak evaluated solution options, conducted a pilot test, delivered a proposal, and implemented a solution that protects Colgin Cellars products.”

The time is right for protecting premium wines said Shari Staglin of Staglin Family Vineyard.

“Our wines are enjoyed by customers around the world. The recent recognition by the EEU of the Napa Valley name and brand makes it even more important we offer our customers the protection afforded by the KODAK solution to ensure the integrity of the Staglin Family Vineyard brand and label,” explained Staglin.

The KODAK anticounterfeiting technology uses invisible markers that can be added to printing inks, paper and other packaging elements, and are detectable only with proprietary handheld readers. The readers are leased to customers and delivered in tamperproof packaging. The system prevents counterfeiters from duplicating product packaging.

“This system enables us to quickly and easily determine if a suspect bottle is authentic or fake,” said Jennifer Lamb, Owner, HL Vineyards. “Our passion for winemaking and our vineyard is driving us to vigorously address the issue of wine fraud. The KODAK solution fits our needs because it’s simple yet robust. We’re excited to be one of the first in our industry to use it and we hope others will employ similar protections.”

For winemakers with unique bottling methods, the KODAK solution can be adapted to fit their product specifications. Chuck McMinn, Owner, Vineyard 29, appreciates the technology’s flexibility.

“At Vineyard 29, our label information is silk screened directly on the bottle,” explained McMinn. “Kodak was quick to adapt their technology to our specific needs. Our anticounterfeiting solution does not interfere with the process we use to bottle our wines—it only enhances the product by ensuring the authenticity of our wines to our customers.”

KODAK Security Solutions include a growing portfolio of security features that can be incorporated into a vast range of products, materials and documents to deliver unparalleled protection against counterfeiting and diversion. Kodak is already working with customers in a wide range of other industries affected by counterfeiting, including pharmaceuticals, apparel, cosmetics and identification documents. For more information about KODAK Security Solutions visithttp://www.kodak.com/go/security.

Kodak will exhibit its security solutions at VinExpo in Bordeaux, France, June 17-21 in booth 5H in “Marketers by VinExpo”.
About Eastman Kodak Company

Kodak is the world’s foremost imaging innovator. With sales of $10.7 billion in 2006, the company is committed to a digitally oriented growth strategy focused on helping people better use meaningful images and information in their life and work. Consumers use Kodak’s system of digital and traditional products and services to take, print and share their pictures anytime, anywhere; Businesses effectively communicate with customers worldwide using KODAK solutions for prepress, conventional and digital printing and document imaging; and Creative Professionals rely on KODAK technology to uniquely tell their story through moving or still images.

More information about Kodak (NYSE: EK) is available at http://www.kodak.com

For more information about Kodak’s Graphic Communications Group, visit http://www.graphics.kodak.com. For downloading photos from Kodak’s image library, visit: http://www.kodak.com/go/gcg_images.
(Kodak is a trademark of Eastman Kodak Company.)
2007

Here's a cool story involving intrigue, international crime, and high-tech sleuthing. It could be a blockbuster movie, or at least a good beach book, but the release is drier than the chardonnays Kodak is protecting. Let's throw down a rewrite:

Kodak slams the door on Napa Valley wine fraud

Rochester, NY, June 1 -- Wine fraud has a new enemy. Anticounterfeiting technology from Kodak is fighting this growing crime in some of the Napa Valley's most prestigious wineries.

According to industry experts, counterfeit wine could affect as much as 5 percent of wines sold in secondary markets, but the Kodak Security Solution is now assuring authenticity at Colgin Cellars, HL Vineyards, Vineyard 29 and Staglin Family Vineyard, protecting customers and brand integrity by allowing easy authentication of the wines they produce.

Ann Colgin, owner of Colgin Cellars, immediately recognized the value that Kodak’s solution could deliver in protecting her super premium vintages, which sell at auction for hundreds of dollars a bottle.

“While Colgin Cellars has not experienced any problems with counterfeit wine, the issue has concerned me for some time. As a vintner and an auctioneer, I felt it was necessary to take a stand and ensure my customers a guarantee of authenticity.” said Colgin. “Kodak worked closely with me to quickly develop and implement a solution that met my demanding production schedule. Within 45 days, Kodak evaluated solution options, conducted a pilot test, delivered a proposal, and implemented a solution that protects Colgin Cellars products.”

The time is right for protecting premium wines said Shari Staglin of Staglin Family Vineyard.

“Our wines are enjoyed by customers around the world. The recent recognition by the EEU of the Napa Valley name and brand makes it even more important we offer our customers the protection afforded by the KODAK solution to ensure the integrity of the Staglin Family Vineyard brand and label,” explained Staglin.

Using invisible markers in inks, paper and packaging elements, and detectable only by proprietary handheld readers, the Kodak system stops would-be counterfeiters in their tracks.

“This system enables us to quickly and easily determine if a suspect bottle is authentic or fake,” said Jennifer Lamb, Owner, HL Vineyards. “Our passion for winemaking and our vineyard is driving us to vigorously address the issue of wine fraud. The KODAK solution fits our needs because it’s simple yet robust. We’re excited to be one of the first in our industry to use it and we hope others will employ similar protections.”

For winemakers with unique bottling methods, the KODAK solution can be adapted to fit their product specifications. Chuck McMinn, Owner, Vineyard 29, appreciates the technology’s flexibility.

“At Vineyard 29, our label information is silk screened directly on the bottle,” explained McMinn. “Kodak was quick to adapt their technology to our specific needs. Our anticounterfeiting solution does not interfere with the process we use to bottle our wines—it only enhances the product by ensuring the authenticity of our wines to our customers.”

KODAK Security Solutions include a growing portfolio of security features that can be incorporated into a vast range of products, materials and documents to deliver unparalleled protection against counterfeiting and diversion. Kodak is already working with customers in a wide range of other industries affected by counterfeiting, including pharmaceuticals, apparel, cosmetics and identification documents. For more information about KODAK Security Solutions visithttp://www.kodak.com/go/security.

Kodak will exhibit its security solutions at VinExpo in Bordeaux, France, June 17-21 in booth 5H in “Marketers by VinExpo”.
About Eastman Kodak Company

Kodak is the world’s foremost imaging innovator. With sales of $10.7 billion in 2006, the company is committed to a digitally oriented growth strategy focused on helping people better use meaningful images and information in their life and work. Consumers use Kodak’s system of digital and traditional products and services to take, print and share their pictures anytime, anywhere; Businesses effectively communicate with customers worldwide using Kodak solutions for prepress, conventional and digital printing and document imaging; and Creative Professionals rely on KODAK technology to uniquely tell their story through moving or still images.

More information about Kodak (NYSE: EK) is available at http://www.kodak.com

As you can see, most of the rewrite affects the headline, the lead, and the first informational paragraphs. This is a crime drama, and Kodak is the cop. Let's give it some snap!

Also, some items have been moved to restore the 'inverted pyramid' of information flow. The dry customer list was a stumbling block between the snappy headline and first paragraph.

I think the rewrite gives editors something to really sink their teeth into. "Wine fraud? That's a crime? Hey Johnson- do a story on wine counterfeiting and call the Kodak folks about it!"

Plus, we've now made a release that could be picked up by wine blogs, providing an outlet to new customers that a sales team might not reach. And it's all positive publicity, no spin.

Newsletters have "news" in their name for a reason.

Anyone with a blog can tell you it's difficult to get people to read the stuff you publish online. Imagine if doing so were part of your job description? Maybe that's why the thankless task of writing the online newsletter so often falls to the intern.

It's an annoying paradox: The Web provides an easy connection between company and customer, provider and consumer, for every single field of interest imaginable, but the sheer amount of pages on each subject, coupled with the widely variable quality of the information, serves as a huge impediment to the completion of that connection. So how do you stand out and drive readership"

Obviously, the paramount trait your newsletter needs is top-notch, useful, irrefutable information. Whether you're writing a newsletter on Astronomical discoveries by your research university's physics department, or one on kittens, you have to provide material that's useful and trusted by people in your area of interest.

One thing that people hate about corporate websites is corporate language. The copy on a corporate website usually never stops selling: selling itself to you and selling itself to itself. As a skimmer with the power of the mouse in my hand, I don't have to tolerate your mission statement, or that quote from the CEO, or the other quote from the CEO, or the phrase "meeting your plastic extrusion needs..." or any of thousands of annoying little violations of my intelligence which are so commonly found on corporate websites and within corporate newsletters.

If you can present useful information in a clear, journalistic style, with no fluff, readers will view your company (or your office if it's an internal newsletter) as competent, trustworthy, and valuable. And they'll come back to you again and again. You can do this by following some basic guidelines.

Fundraising organizatios are finding the Web an invaluable tool, not only to provide a revenue channel but also to connect with their donors. The United Way of Greater Rochester uses its online presence to ask for donations, coordinate campaigns, explain its mission and goals, outline its operating methodology, and provide some detail about day-to-day impact the organization has on the community.

Donating to the United way through the web interface could not be simpler. Two clicks and you're at the credit card information screen. This streamlining of the giving process facilitates impulse donation and reduces "buyer's remorse," so to speak.

In outlining long-range plans, the site takes a more roundabout route. The front page splashes a few vague highlights about how the United Way helps our community. Thew writing would be stronger if, as in prior campaigns, examples of actual individuals assisted by UW agencies were highlighted. When you donate money, you kinda want to see where it goes, and the splash page is the place to do it.

The most concrete example of who has benefited from UW support can be found on an interactive map that tells visitors how many people were helped, but not how or through which agencies.

Also, I'm not sure about the campaign tagline: "We Don't. You do." I understand that the wording was chosen for its impact; it's almost a challenge. But If they don't, why am I giving them money? It seems like a minor point, but in a web environment, with only seconds to grab someone's attention, the challenge approach which might work very well in a United Way employee meeting could be supplemented on the website with something a bit more positive.

One very good thing the site does is use a blog to show the community exactly what the organization is doing. Several people, most of whom seem to be United Way workers, contribute to this journal.

The blog could be stronger. Perhaps it's due to privacy issues, but the writing is vague. there could be more mention of specific people who've benefited from the work of the United Way. Also, it comes across as a bit "sales-y" in a WXXI fund-drive sort of way. Still, the blog allows the United Way to talk to donors and community members in a more informal, illustrative way than is possible with the copy on the website. Through links and tags, it also provides a portal into the site that does not require a premeditated decision to visit on the part of the user. Finally, the ability to comment, and have comments replied to, really gives the sense that the agency relates to people on the personal level as well as through community organizations.

Fundraising on the web

Much ado was made of 2004 presidentail candiate Howard Dean's use of blogs and online communication to spread interest in his campaign. That was certainly the first instance I've seen of mainstream media highlighting the true communicative power of online content as a social tool.

Today, an increasing number of nonprofit organizations are finding that increasing awareness and raising funds online offers a cost effective alternative to labor-intensive traditional fund drives.

This interview with Marianne Richmond, founder of a fundraising company for nonprofits that uses blogs to good effect, demonstrates many of the positives of working with online media.

Beyond the realm of the blog, nonprofit organizations like United Way use the web as a method of reaching and soliciting donations from both corporations and individual donors. It offers several advantages:

An unobtrusive pitch. We've all been in those United Way meetings where the entire departmental staff is herded into a conference room, shown a heart-rending video, and is then pressured to donate under the harsh glare of their managerial and HR staff. When the pitch is viewed on the internet, much of the coercion factor is reduced.

Immediacy. For many people, charity is an impulsive act. It's a big jump between seeing a United Way commercial on television and going into the other room to get your checkbook. simple, secure donation forms make it possible for people to give while still in the middle of need perception. Hey, it worked when I donated $50 to tsunami relief through the Red Cross' page.

Transparency From the organization's point of view, the donor at his computer is in a position to corroborate or refute any of the company's claims. Nonprofits can increase their credibility in the eyes of their donors by providing links to factual media accounts that reinforce their claims. This can be powerful reinforcement for a savvy donor.

For maximum effect, fundraising organizations should consider a two-pronged approach: The static copy of a nonprofit's website offers unbiased conscise descriptions of the programs, a call to donate, and a quick means of doing so. An accompanying blog could list personal accounts of beneficiaries and works in progress, as well as serving as a personal means of contact to companies and individuals who wish to get involved. As of now, the United Way has not taken the blog approach on a national level.

Wanna bet they will within the next couple of years?

Whetever the form, effective writing on the web is about clear communication in a style suited to the needs of page visitors, as opposed to those who would be reading something in print. Sure, this applies to blogging, but it also pertains to techincal writing (such as in download or application use directions), page content, even the mundane stuff like link titles. Whenever the written word is used on a page, it should be done so as the result of a strategy of effective online communication.

As Gerry McGovern points out:

What makes the Web the Web is the fact that it is linked. When you go to great websites, such as Amazon.com, you find yourself in an environment that is rich in links that help you quickly gather the information you need, and then act on that information. Unfortunately, far too many websites are still being used to store print content. This means that they are much less effective.

Think about it. When was the last time you picked up a newspaper and read every story on the front page? When was the last time you read everything on the homepage of amazon.com? People use different informational media in different ways, usually to accomplish different things.

That's why even the most mundane pieces of text on a web page are important. It's so easy to click away that it's downright unrealistic to expect even tight, high-impact prose to hold a reader whose surfing habits exclude digesting long paragraphs.

Take, for example, the homepage of Orange County, California's Bristol Park Medical Group. Aesthetically, it's a very well-done website. Most of the page is taken up by a feature-length article about a heart transplant saving the life of one of the group's physicians' daughters.

Why do you, dear surfer, go to your HMO's home page? To quickly clear up some annoying problem? find out where to send the check? Find an appropriate doctor? As heart-warming as that story is, who's reading it?

My solution- use a business blog. Lead with a quote from the story, then, in the link, let the reader know they're going to a blog. This will shift an interested person from scan mode to read mode, and save a helluva lot of space for design and text elements that aid ease of use for customers.

Like it or not, people are going to use the business side of the web as a convenience tool. Any writing that doesn't directly relate to solving their immediate problem will wind up as wasted work. Fortunately, as Mr. McGovern explains, the web is about links, and they are ultimately the tools to get people in the mindset to read more deeply.

Blogs generate bucks for old media.

Meg Hourihan demonstrates yet another way that blogs are being used as revenue generators, not for the individual blogger, but for companies. This piece was written in 2002, and many things she predicts within the post have indeed come to pass, most notably in the hallowed halls of old print media.

My hometown paper, the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle, hosts numerous blogs by staff and community members on its website. Whereas real estate on the printed page is at a premium, digital content can be limitless in quantity. So we get a more personal, opinion-driven look at local sports teams, social issues, and the state of the world, complete with tons of feedback from the community.

Newspapers have to do this sort of thing to slow their increasing irrelevance. Blogs, and the style of writing they use, do a better job of reaching the internet generation than "old fashioned oratory." Plus, their content and tone can be modified constantly, as needed. They bring readers and generate increasingly large amounts of ad revenue.

Another interesting thing about old fashioned media using the blog is the legitimacy it lends to the medium. It's hard for media critics to dismiss the blog as a vehicle of amateur hacks when some of the most respected journalists in the country keep them.

Bloggers and book deals

As I've learned through the reading for this class, the first bloggers were often cyber-celebrities. They were hard-code connoisseurs of the Internet, and attracted large followings, media attention, and geek cred through their efforts.

The second wave of blogging, facilitated by content management systems (such as blogspot and livejournal) opened up the digital journal to noncoders, essentially flooding the internet with personal diaries and all sorts of niche stuff. Of course, it also opened the doors for plenty of people with a voice, vision, and point of view, but the sheer size of the blogging population made it difficult to separate the wheat from the chaff.

Not that there's anything wrong with using your blog as a personal diary. I mean, the motivation to even blog at all had been deeply personal, right? It's not like bloggers were getting paid or anything...

Except, now, they are. Publishing companies have turned on to the blogosphere. They're finding smart, funny writers immmersed in the daily grind of life that already have a following, and they're offering book deals.

Waiter Rant is one of the most prominent of these blue collar workers cum authors. The Waiter simply wrote a blog about the ups and downs (mostly downs) of serving food in a New York City restaurant, and now he's finishing a book, advance in hand. Granted he's a fantastic writer with the brains to wait until he has something to say before flagellating his keyboard, but his subject matter touched a nerve, and the man has huge readership. What a fantastic way to show a potential publisher ROI: just track the visit stats.

Club Life, an angry blog by a nightclub bouncer, also exemplifies this phenomenon. Between bouts of rage at nightclub customers, pontification on world events, and advice on writing and fitness training, The Bouncer expresses bewilderment that a little nobody like himself could find his calling and a success he'd never imagined just by working on the craft of writing and having an interesting point of view.

My prediction: The handful of blog-driven book deals will touch off a wave of hopefuls trying to have the next wry, unique perspective and catchy turn of phrase. A lot of this is going to be crap, but the good stuff will be really good. Bloggers, ride that wave. I'll certainly be reading.

Good webwriting gets an "F?"

This study by the Neilsen Norman group tracks the eye movements of web content readers. The findings point to an "F" pattern of readership, as opposed to the print page's "Z" pattern of the eye flowing from left to right, then diagonally down the page..


"F" pattern of skimming web content

This is interesting, because it shows a difference in the perception of written information based upon the medium through which it is presented. One of the principal challenges with using the Web as a tool for communication is the difficulty of transmitting your specific message amid a near-infinite torrent of information. In solving this problem, readability is a vital component.

This might seem purely a design/layout problem, but in the world of the Web, the writer and designer are frequently the same person. Also, a writer can select word length and content organization structures that lend themselves to this type of layout.

A road map?

Google the phrase "improving your blog" and you'll find there's plenty of material available on the why of web writing, but precious little on the how. While lots of journalists and communication specialists pontificate on the purpose, place, and theory of blogging, articles that actually describe how to improve one's writing for the digital medium are relatively rare.

Dennis Mahoney's piece on how to write a better weblog is the sort of thing we need more of. Not only does the article discuss the techniques of writing, but also thematic and contextual issues. He pretty much starts the aspiring blogger down the trail with this quote:

The web is a tremendous hodgepodge of media. There are sites about books, sites about music, and sites about sites. Plenty of weblogs center on consuming and critiquing other people’s work, and all this recycling and redistribution has its place—a very important place that we’ll make note of later on. But why not make something new? Instead of linking to a few articles every day, write one. Instead of showcasing and discussing the latest designs, design something. You’ve got this absolutely batty opportunity of instant global publishing. Publish! The world is your oyster!

Of course, the only surefire way to improve one's writing is to write, but a lot of capable people are hampered by a lack of focus or specific thematic ideas. Articles like this fill a necessary role. After all, that's why we have English classes, right?

It's the access, stupid

The hot topic since the advent of blogging has been where this recent form of self-publishing fits in along the journalistic continuum. In 1999, J.D. Lasica talked to some dedicated and well connected bloggers with actual backgrounds in journalism and tech, and posted their takes on the issue.

Paul Andrews, former tech columnist for the Seattle Times, was full of optimism that blogs would allow an outlet for the voice of the people, allowing a raw form of data to bypass the filters of editorial style and bias. He cites the Seattle and Quebec WTO protests, pointing out a misrepresentation or ignorance by the mainstream media of the protesters' opinions and methods.

Indeed, one of mainstream media's greatest tools is omission: the power to isolate and ignore. In a way, blogs nullify this ability. It's hard to only include in a story that which supports the lead when a hundred blogs are linking together and saying "that's not what really happened." And indeed many bloggers assume the role of "watchdog of the press" today.

In the same piece, Deborah Branscum, a Newsweek contributing editor, waxed rhapsodic about the immediacy and lack of demography of online publishing, but she remains reserved about the displacement of traditional media by the blog, mostly due to the fact that (at least in 1999), bloggers are unpaid, so reporters, needing to eat and house themselves, would continue to do their best work for paying publications.

I think there's a key point that wasn't addressed in these early pieces: access. The best journalism is based in facts and first-person accounts. Reporters credentialed by newspapers, news weeklies and broadcast media outlets are able to obtain access to these accounts. Just try and get into the White House press room as a blogger.

So the big boys get access to the big players, while citizen journalists are forced to watch from the sidelines. For the forseeable future, this is what will separate bloggers from reporters, and commentary from news on the Web.

It's interesting to see how far blogging has come since the days of yore. During the weblog's formative years, many of the principal players were struggling to figure out exactly what their pages were going to be. Was a blog a personal journal? Something that could be authoritative? Or was it just a cyber-crossroads, shunting viewers with an interest in a particular subject in various directions through a huge network of hyperlinks?

The piece from Camworld, linked above, shows some vision toward what blogs could, and ultimately did, become:

Every industry in the world has a potential need for a quality weblog or two. It's safe to say that the Macintosh community has been inundated with Mac-centric news sites for several years now. So many, that I've lost count. But what about a weblog for the homemaker? Or the thousands of hot rod enhusiasts? Or the ham radio hobbyists? These are called niche market portals, and every one of them (and thousands of other niche markets) could be a potential source of quality information for someone.

Sure, there are still amateurish blogs, but no longer does the fact that anyone can start one of these things automatically close readers' minds to the possibility that a blog writer could be an authority on his subject matter.

Today, I religiously follow a blog by a Madison Avenue copywriter, a waiter, a nightclub bouncer, and an activist citizen of my town. Each, in his own way, is an expert in his field.

I think that's the asset that this form of written expression has become. More than giving voice to people with something to say, the massive network of blogs has become an information and experience resource on just about any subject, frequently more expert and in-depth than professional journalistic coverage of that subject would ever be.

And it's all a click away.

With great power comes great responsibility

This article in the San Fransisco Chronicle is an ominous demonstration of the growing power wielded by bloggers and internet forum participants.

It seems that many people want to play Food Critic, and diners-out are taking them seriously. On sites like yelp.com and in countless personal blogs, people are shredding the reputations of restaurants, and it's actually hurting business.

On one hand, that sounds completely awesome. We've all had an experience where we've been treated like crap by the staff/management/owner of a restaurant, and it's great to have the ability to voice that injustice in a way that actually has an impact.

But how much of that is fair? How much criticism is stupid nitpicking about the color of the tablecloth? How much is disingenuous, if not altogether dishonest?

The job of food writer is a plum assignment at any newspaper. For chrissake, you get paid to eat in fancy restaurants all the time! But food writers are, more often than not, trained journalists, with a journalist's code of ethics.

A professional food writer does not accept free meals. A professional food writer won't visit a restaurant within 30 days of opening, so the fledgling establishment can work out its glitches. Above all, a professional food writer does not form his or her opinion before getting to the restaurant. I'm not so sure we can say that about bloggers.

Hey bloggers, if you want to be food writers, act like professionals. It seems both customers and industry people are listening with outstretched ears. You have the power, now use it wisely.

Wherefore art thou Blogger?

It's amazing how much blogging has matured in a few short years. This article from Bradlands shows a blogger struggling to find his raison d'etre at a time when people were still trying to figure out what they, personally, could do with the Web.

Brad discusses blogging as something that gives him a sense of community and a license to explore the net. It sounds like he's afraid that his personal publishing will be perceived as mere vanity, as if he were a sixteen-year-old girl posting about her cats. He knows he wants to blog, but from our position eight years in the future he shows remarkably little vision as far as what his blog, indeed what blogging, could become.

Now in 2007, Brad's blog is a tool for keeping in touch with the world, and turning others on to potentialy interesting things. It isn't radically different from the style of stuff he was posting in 1999, but it's much more communicative in nature.

The White Paper

Now that we're used to the modern utility of the internet, it's easy to forget that the Internet was originally created as a medium of technical and intellectual exchange. Believe it or not, it still is.

The term 'white paper' in a business context is a technical document aimed at an audience of a specific vocation or specialty. In business, it's the document used to explain the workings or business trends of a product or product category.

Large corporations, such as Eastman Kodak, use white papers to communicate techincal, strategic, and market information to the appropriate people in partner or client firms without the taint of sales. The content of a white paper must be purely academic in order for the document, and the people creating it, to have any credibility.

Interestingly, the white paper serves as one of the strongest marketing tools in a company's arsenal. A good paper places the firm as an authority on its subject, cementing not only the competence of its technical staff but also its understanding of potential customer needs. It enables potential clients and suppliers to begin discussing solutions without the skewed interest of a sales department. When it's finally time for the sales guys to go in, the technical people on the prospect could already be sold on the product as the ideal solution to their needs.

This is common knowledge, so gigabytes of white papers get churned out each day. This huge repository of information is one of the most useful features of the Web, and one of its most frequently written types of content.

Location, Location, Location

As is the case in print layout, there's a psychology behind layout of content on the Web. Principal among principles: people won't scroll.

This is important, because the best web writing in the world is useless if nobody reads it. You have your main screen as a chance to hook people, and that's it. Put your money shot there: in the headline and the first couple of paragraphs.

The most useful, informative, super-awesome site in the world is absolutely valueless if no one knows it exists. How do people find websites? Most of the time, by searching google.

This little trend in internet user behavior has spawned the sub-science of search engine optimization- Optimizing websites to attain the highest possible page ranking in google and, to a far lesser extent, every other search engine in existence. One of the crucial parts of optimization is providing text content that will be best indexed by the "robots" sent out by google to crawl the web and find stuff.

So we're not just writing for other people, but for robots, too. It has to modify the way people use language to communicate across the web. This article gets more in-depth on this nebulous quasi-science.

From copy to content

Because of the Web, we've changed the way we view written language. We've dispensed with both prose and poetry. Even the term 'copy' is a relic from the pleistocene.

Today, it's all about content. Although it's been impossible to escape the fact that the Web is still inherently a text-based medium, many people would like to. So we see strong, persuasive paragraphs treated as little more than a shape; a square to be squashed in between tables. Deft insight is choked by pixel padding.

Of course, since everyone isn't a web designer, we still see plenty of the converse: oceans of text the line length of which stretches from screen edge to screen edge. Paragraph breaks lose all meaning, and reader attention peters out long before the writer's thoughts do.

Visual presentation is important, and both of these extremes illustrate how form (or lack thereof) can obfuscate function. The same psychology used to develop the modern newspaper (use of different text weights, sizes and typefaces, placement on the page etc.) applies to readers sitting in front of a screen. It's when we forget that viewers are readers and readers are viewers that the problems begin.

Writing like a wanker

When Originally planning this class, I had envisioned a course on how to write persuasive static copy that would best fit with the psychology and behavior of Web readers. Conversations with my mentor, however, illustrated that writing for the Web has become so much more than snappy static headlines and bullet points.

The web is fluid now, and serves not only as a medium through which people can interact with websites via scripts and databases, but also as way to interact with other people. When you use a web forum, blog, or comment form you're in a conversation, not necessarily with someone you know or even with a single indvidual, rather with a gestalt. Writing on the web is writing to the masses, and it's impossible to pinpoint your target group.

With this in mind, it's wise to firm up the fundamental rules of the English language and use them. Your words, and the ability to properly construct them, will be your main method of persuasion, and your primary expression of respect and courtesy toward others.

Matt Olson's 2002 article, How to Write like a Wanker is a biting look at some of the most annoying habits of people who write on the Web. It bears reading, then re-reading. And then, if you're still doing this stuff, you need to be taken out and shot.

A coffee table book about coffee tables

This blog is the practical part of a class on Web writing. Maybe it can benefit others as well as myself. As I learn, I'll be putting theory into practice on this very computer screen, exploring the various techniques, tips, and methods through which communication on the World Wide Web succeeds and fails.

Read along, if you're bored or curious.

-Mark