Re: Theory of Page Length

Spanky, Rhubarb 3.14159265 <spanky(at)ediblebrain.com> wrote
>David Heller wrote:
>
>"...In a recent article by Sun Micro. They state that people
don't read
>the web, they browse the web ... why is it then that we are
writing
>content the same for the web as we do as other media?..."
>
>[...] I think you need something fast and slick to grab the
attention of most.
>I feel that you need a MTV style on opening and then ease
into lengthy
>pages from there.

You imply that we have to write content differently for the
Web, but "something fast and slick to grab the attention" to
grab the attention *is* the way content for other media is
written. Well, a lot of other media is, anyway.

Let me just pick the top magazine off the stack on my desk
here. In big italic type at the top of the first article is a
three-line summary of what I will find in the article. This
leads into the article, several pages of small type in three
columns. But the first paragraph has already told me whether I
want to read it.

Next example: a paperback book. This has its "hook" in an even
more accessible place: the back cover. I can tell if I want
this or not before I even open the cover.

Next example: a newspaper. Well, the headline here hits me
right in the eye from fifty yards [um... 45.72 metres].
Actually this is the best example of all, because it then has
a secondary headline below this in a smaller point size,
providing me with a little more detail. Then the first
paragraph is in bold and summarises the essential facts of the
story. I could stop reading here and still have the gist of
the article, or I could go on and read the tiny columns of
text.

This is a common device in writing. It is called "inverted
pyramid" or "anticlimactic order". This, however, has no
bearing on how long your page is. You could put an inverted
pyramid on one long page to draw visitors down the page, or
you could put it over several pages to draw your visitors
through your site.

As an interesting aside, it is generally considered that the
inverted pyramid originated with newspaper reporters during
the American Civil War. They were told to put the most
important facts first, in case the telegraph failed before
they could transmit their entire story! This has some
relevance to the Web today, don't you think?


--
David Meadows [ Technical Writer | Information Developer ]
DNRC Minister for Littorasy * david(at)goldenheroes.softnet.co.uk
"Is not this the most reprehensible form of ignorance,
 that of thinking one knows what one does not know?"
      -- Socrates

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