How to write an article

This article is from my site The Blog Beat

All Web Surfers have A.D.D., Cater to them.


Face it, people don’t want to spend all day sorting through your articles to find the information they want. They want to find information and they want it fast. So how do you provide your viewer with the most A.D.D. friendly environment?

I present here a list of ideas to keep in mind when designing a website and writing an article. These ideas originate from print media as they were the original pioneers in this area. I encourage you to reference and seek ideas from newspapers and magazines when you create the layout of a blog and individual articles.

Lists
A list is a great ways for a reader to skim around an article without consequences of getting lost after skipping previous bullet points. If a reader can start reading the middle of an article and obtain information as if they had started reading from the beginning, then you have truely made your article A.D.D. friendly.

Images
An image or diagram can provide instant gratification to a reader. An image can intrigue a reader into the information and summarize the content as well. A picture can draw your reader into an article better than monotonous black text can.

Bold Headers
Bold Headers break up parts of an article and summarize the information following. Headers also represent a hierarchical structure in your article making it easier to move around the article without getting lost.

Quotes
A quote has a similiar effect to an image. If the quote is juicy and meaningful, readers will be drawn in to the article.
Whitespace Nothing distracts me more as a reader than an article or a website that lacks whitespace and spacing. If a website or article lacks whitespace most readers won’t bother reading the article.

Video
Video is another way to entertain a viewer. In many cases, video can provide better and quicker ways of conveying information.

[Prettylady]

Thank you for sharing these useful tips Edward.

[jshaffstall]

Originally Posted by edwarddowd

All Web Surfers have A.D.D., Cater to them.

That got a laugh out of me! It's so true, too. You have to have the surfing mentality firmly in mind when you're trying to get someone to stick around for a while.

Jay

[Bloggeries]

Hi Edward,

Thanks for taking the time to share this with us. I agree 100% about most viewers having ADD on the web that is why it is so crucial to have a first fold that grabs the readers attention and makes them visit the rest. You made alot of valid points; I hope our members take them to heart and visit your blog to see what else you have to say.

Best Regards,
Rob

Originally Posted by edwarddowd

This article is from my site The Blog Beat

All Web Surfers have A.D.D., Cater to them.


Face it, people don’t want to spend all day sorting through your articles to find the information they want. They want to find information and they want it fast. So how do you provide your viewer with the most A.D.D. friendly environment?

I present here a list of ideas to keep in mind when designing a website and writing an article. These ideas originate from print media as they were the original pioneers in this area. I encourage you to reference and seek ideas from newspapers and magazines when you create the layout of a blog and individual articles.

Lists
A list is a great ways for a reader to skim around an article without consequences of getting lost after skipping previous bullet points. If a reader can start reading the middle of an article and obtain information as if they had started reading from the beginning, then you have truely made your article A.D.D. friendly.

Images
An image or diagram can provide instant gratification to a reader. An image can intrigue a reader into the information and summarize the content as well. A picture can draw your reader into an article better than monotonous black text can.

Bold Headers
Bold Headers break up parts of an article and summarize the information following. Headers also represent a hierarchical structure in your article making it easier to move around the article without getting lost.

Quotes
A quote has a similiar effect to an image. If the quote is juicy and meaningful, readers will be drawn in to the article.
Whitespace Nothing distracts me more as a reader than an article or a website that lacks whitespace and spacing. If a website or article lacks whitespace most readers won’t bother reading the article.

Video
Video is another way to entertain a viewer. In many cases, video can provide better and quicker ways of conveying information.