Monday, December 25, 2000		Article

Writing text for sites
by Sumesh Raizada

IN today’s fast changing technological scenario, it would not be wrong if the Internet Technology rather than Information Technology is abbreviated as "IT". The obvious reason for this being that the revolution in the field of computing has found most application in the World Wide Web. Institutions, business establishments, newspapers, TV channels, doctors, architects, and many others are developing their own Web sites for securing a presence on the Net. These Web sites are used as a platform for publicity and advertising.
During infancy of the Internet, the Net was not commercially exploited and the quality of text and other Web contents was poor. Programmers and consultants themselves put up most material on the Web and often they were not well versed with the subject. As a result the Web sites were unable to make an impact on the Web surfers. However, with passage of time organisations realised the importance and utility of the Internet, huge investments were made to make the sites outshine others. Gradually, professionals from varied field were hired to provide specialised text material on different subjects. As of now, most portals or even home pages of ISPs have numerous links related to weather forecast, sports, cookery, music, education, job search, horoscope, all of which are prepared by qualified and trained professionals.

On the Net, there are millions of Web sites and many more are added every hour around the globe, thereby providing an opening for several non-conventional careers related to the Web. While most computer institutes are minting money by offering expensive career courses on Web designer, programming, Web administration, etc, there are hardly any courses teaching Web Content Writing.

Web designers or programmers are mainly concerned with the layout, design or program related to a site, it is the job of Web Content Writer to write the text for the site. Irrespective of the illustrations and pictures on the Web, it is the written word, which is of utmost importance. The Web content therefore has to be clear, explicit and precise so as to catch the full attention of the surfer. Despite a good public image of an organisation, a poor or ill-informed text can make the company’s site unproductive.

The Web Content Writer therefore has a very important and responsible role in the success of any Web site. Unlike a fiction writer or novelist, anyone can become a good Web Content Writer by sheer hard work, education and training. Sometimes, the Web Content Writers are also called Content Developer, Copy Writer, Script Writer, Technical Writer, etc, depending upon the terminology followed in different organizations or subject in which specialise. The task however remains the same.

Web Content Writer can be either a freelance writers or can join a company on a full time basis. Those working as a staff member are generally called Technical writers in the computer industry or as Web Reporter and Online Writer in the publishing industry.

Web Content Writers are required to work in close coordination with designers, programmers and the marketing team. Advertising agencies are these days employing a lot of such people for writing the Web contents and publicity material for their clients. Some companies even pick up Web Content Writers from among the working staff who are knowledgeable about specialised products and services.

The freelancers work on contract basis with publishing companies, Web sites and portals, etc. They are usually professional from fields such as marketing or economics and contribute relevant material to the site through e-mail. They work more or less as conventional freelancers and enjoy comparatively more freedom in their job as compared to staff writers. The job requires editing skills as the job involves both writing as well as editing. Qualifications in journalism, mass communication or multimedia authoring can prove to be an added advantage. There are various colleges and institutes throughout the country, which offer above-mentioned courses for the interested candidates.

The newspapers and magazines these days too have Web sites of there own on which they put up all the mater that goes into print. Besides there are several e-zines and newsletters, which are specifically, written to be put up on the Web. Web Content or scriptwriters develop text and reading material for such sites. Several Web Content Writers even write articles on specialised topics say geography, history or medicine and put them up on subject specific related Web sites. About.com is one such site, which has a data bank of articles, contributed by experts, similarly Amazon.com promotes writers by inviting books previews of their books. Many Web directories maintain data bank of articles contributed by Web writers and professionals, on topics of varied interests. These directories act as a search engine whenever a certain inquiry is made. There are sites of architects, engineering firms, scientific laboratories, etc, where content writers having education and experience in the related field are employed to write the Web copy or script.

The next higher position that these professional acquire is that of Assistant Editor or Editor. The editors as the name suggests are mainly involved in selecting the contents, subjects, topics to be included in a Web page and then editing the text material for language or other errors, to suit the requirements of the site. The salary and earning of these professionals are at par with the industry, they can further augment their income by choosing to write for various slots available on the Net.

Essentially, a Web Content Writer has to be creative, able thinker and must possess good command over language. Also they must be able to maintain time schedules as it is very essential in case of Web sites that are updated on daily / hourly basis. Though the writers do not essentially have to possess advanced Internet skills, but it is desirable that they have a fairly good exposure to Java, Adobe, HTML, XML, Pearl, etc. These skills enable them to effectively use illustrations, graphics, etc in their writings, to make it more attractive.

These days several Web sites offer an on line job opportunity to both staff as well as freelance writers for writing for the World Wide Web. Those who have the experience and knowledge about any particular subject, inclination towards writing and fairly good command the English language can definitely try their hands on this highly rewarding career.