After reading Brian Clark's text on How to Create Compelling Content, I walked away with many key points one should take into account when creating a web page or a blog. He immediately begins with search engine optimization copywriting, which is the skill that goes into writing content on a webpage that places specific wording related to the content that will contribute to the results given to a person when the search related content on a search engine. A few summarized key points in his text are; the location and frequency of keywords in your writing is very important, having key word patterns that searchers will most likely search within your writing, make sure your content addresses your intended audience, have context that will prompt people to bookmark it, blog about it, or share it with others. As well as having other links within your writing that support your information. (Like a well written research paper that has sources to support your argument). Your content should be beneficial or valuable in some way to the reader, if not whats the point in having it or reading it?
Another key point from the text that I found interesting was Clark's description of how search engines work. He breaks the process of search engines into three simple steps. First, Crawling - he describes as spider bits of computer code that find information on a web page and continuously "read" it. Second, Indexing - after reading a web page's content, it is stored in a giant database. Lastly, Ranking - After storing the information of web page's, search engines follow a set of ground rules that compare content with other web page contents and selects the best that will satisfy the searcher's keywords.
Clark then puts the reader in a position as if your web page was applying for employment for Google. Clark gives a list of requirements in order to fulfill the "employer". He suggest your text to have the previously mentioned components as well as having Green Widgets, metaphors, entertaining analogies, and smart synonyms that are descriptive in conveying your information along with being essential, indispensable, important, and satisfying towards your readers.
The Deanna Zandt article was a prime example of good online writing, that addresses her liberal audience in an engaging but not obvious form. I personally found it more insightful and engaging than Clark's reading. Zandt discusses the idea of empathy in social media and how through it we build personal connections with people through her example of twitter updates. For example, a simple update that states "I ate a cheeseburger at this amazing new restaurant" may not have any fulfilling meaning, however if a friend of mine is constantly posting about places he likes to eat and new recipes he likes to try out, I eventually can make a personal connection with this person on their love of food. I also enjoyed reading the section of her reading about the need to fulfill the lack of support group for women who have had abortions and excluding the rhetoric that many times comes along with the subject. It seemed like a very liberal political agenda she fulfilled, however it was a realistic problem that exist in our society that was needed no matter what side of the political spectrum she is apart of.
A good website by the criteria I have read from Clark and Zandt is the I Can Has Cheezburger Website, I feel it is a website I personally enjoy and consider to fulfill all of the requirements Clark lists in his text. The Cheezburger website is purely for entertainment and a website I enjoy in my spare time. Its nature is very simple, it is a website of silly images of cats with funny captions. Viewers can vote on the website and easily share it with other people. Viewers can also create their own account and create their own images and have it posted on the website, if your picture is receives many votes and attention it can possibly make it to the front page.
An example of a bad website I found was Shop In Paradise. This website seems to be based from Hawaii and sells coffee. The website is very poorly designed and disorganized. Once you enter the main page their is a lot of coffee products thrown in your face to buy. The text and links also seem very simple. The website would look much better if it was simplified and organized with less text all over the place.
- Nabila C.
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