How we read online, and how to write knowing that

According to Michael Agger from Slate, online reading is slower and users are more likely to lose interest faster.

The most effective text online is bulleted, in a list, occasionally bold, has informative subheads and contains no puns. Aggers refers to Jakob Nielsen's theories, labeling humans as "informavores" who look for "an information scent" on a site.

According to earlier research, there was no difference in reading speeds between reading on paper and on the Web. Nielsen, however, believes that reading online is 25 % slower.

The advice that experts give for reading on the computer is to choose a default screen font such as Verdana, rest your eyes every half an hour, have a good monitor, minimize reflection and skip long lines of words.

Nielsen thinks online readers are "selfish, lazy, and ruthless."

In order to fight this (read Nielsen's post), websites need:
- One idea per paragraph
- Bulleted lists
- Bold text
- Have informative subheads
- Contain no puns
- Shorter text

Nielsen points out that if users are motivated to read lengthy paragraphs in order to get the information they need, then they will. Otherwise, hyper-texting is advisable.

Agger says reading for pleasure is a whole different thing, because you are "engrossed" in the text and do not care about its length but this is a less common practice online.

Nielsen does not promote blogging, but Agger says that bloggers can beat the Internet by "offering a comprehensive take on a subject" and "supplying original thinking."  

Agger concludes by recommending paper as a "balm." "It's contained, offline, tactile," he says. Find out more by reading "A paperless world?"

Source: Slate.com through IFRA Executive News Service

See also:

New eyetrack research can help online editors