Blog 1: Good vs. Bad Internet writing.

Good internet writing can be defined in a few ways. The reader wants good content, but writers tend to write using more keywords than substance. A keyword is a tool used by search engines to filter through articles, postings, blogs, etc. so that the reader finds the content they’d like to focus on. As shown by Brian Clark (http://scribeseo.com/seo-copywriting/) writers can sometimes overuse the keywords and they must find a balance between writing for search engines and writing for people.

In the fast-paced society we live in, however, a reader may focus on only the keyword or headline of an article and if the writer is aware of that, they may not produce good content.

An example of this would be MTV news articles. Specifically the article focusing on the most recent scandal surrounding Khloe Kardashian: that she isn’t really a Kardashian. (http://newsroom.mtv.com/2012/01/12/khloe-kardashian-rumors-shes-not-a-real-kardashian/)

The article seems to ramble and overuse keywords. Like many of the articles on the site, the article is lengthy, but does not offer any new information. Also, the entire article can be summed up in the title alone. There is little information given in the body of the article and the article itself is repetitive.

Another example of bad writing are online tabloid articles. Similar to their printed counterparts, the tabloid is filled with keywords and eye-catching  phrases to draw the reader’s attention. If you actually read the article, there is no substance and rarely ever a reliable source listed. Specifically, an article posted on Monday evening on US Weekly’s website about the outrage following Nicki Minaj’s controversial Grammy performance. (http://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-news/news/nicki-minaj-angers-catholic-league-with-grammys-exorcism-2012132)  Similar to the MTV article, the headline gives away the entire article. There is no need for the reader to continue and even if they chose to, there is not much information or substance in it.

Good examples would be articles like this one from Yahoo: Finance about AT&T limiting the use of data for its costumers. http://finance.yahoo.com/news/t-customers-surprised-unlimited-data-limit-080906861.html

Not only is the article informative and filled of interesting facts, but it offers alternative methods of phone service. It provides clear-cut information and a title that doesn’t give all the article’s information away.

Another example of good writing on the internet is the website FabFitFun.com. Basically, the website is a guide to achieve goals that many women have. It circulates through weekly e-mails that catch the eye with the title, use enough keywords for search engines, while still filling the updates with relevant and interesting content.

In a way all of these articles, good or bad, relate to what Deanna Zandt said in her article (http://www.deannazandt.com/presentations/claremont-mckenna-college-how-you-will-change-the-world-with-social-networking/) People need to represent themselves on the Internet. We create posts that define who we are or who we want to be seen with. Companies do the same as well.

Through social media and posting on the web in general, shapes the way the public views individuals as well as larger entities.
After doing the readings, I conclude that Internet writing is a way to expose yourself and it can be achieved successfully, by writing for people-not web searches.