Online Writing is not Traditional Writing

The F-pattern is not taught in your writing workshops

Writing online is different. Your mum may be a fan of your writing, but the anonymous online reader doesn't give a flying flower.

Not your writing's fault. The audience here skims, they are not reading a novel. Our generation shares the attention span of a goldfish, they say. But you cant grab a goldfish's attention with scribbled words, or can you?

To keep you engaged I have to make sure my content is

• Concise

• Scannable

• Objective

First and foremost, the idea that nucleuses the writing needs to be a solution to the reader's problem. For the writer this means:

• Identify the problem

• Know that the solution is, that is the product you are selling

• Be authentic

• And make the writing conversational

Online Writing is a Science, Not an Art

Trial and error, aka experimentation, is the way of science and so is online writing. And the beginnings are messy. The piece you are reading is an example of how messy it can get.

Having said that, I would like to share with you something new I learned, a day ago, that brought me clarity to the science of online writing: The F-pattern.

The F-Pattern or The F-Shaped Pattern

The F-pattern or the F-shaped is the pattern in which the reader's eye scans through the text. To elaborate, the reader efficiently moves through the paragraphs in a certain pattern.

The route the eye takes in scanning the text is as below, form 1 to 2, from 2 down to 3, 3 to 4 and so on.

The scanning can be used to the writers' advantage by placing the right texts in the right place. The information you want to flash in the readers' eyes, in the right place.

For example,

The F-pattern can be used as a rule of thumb for most long-form content and may not work for business websites. The human eye scans content differently when their needs are different,

The patterns change depending on the

• What the user is looking for

• The content's subject

• The layout of the page

Common Scanning Patterns

The other common scanning patterns are

• The Z-pattern - used when there are multiple imageries

• Spotted pattern - when the reader is scanning for a specific piece of information

• Layer Cake pattern - skimming through headings and pictures to get an idea of the content

• Commitment pattern - traditional reading

To Conclude

Traditional writing is a skill to master, but online writing can help sharpen the way we deliver simply by utilising psychological hacks. As I said, online writing is a science and I shall keep you posted on all that I learn through this skill.

Take care of yourself,

Signing out for now

Kahan J Sudev