There is a threadbare cliché in the world of digital media that 'content is king'. Is it hell. Anyone who has spent a few hours plodding through pedestrian websites, scrolling through screeds of dull, semi-literate text, will know that 'content', ie that which is being communicated and offers value to the user - has been subjugated almost universally either to trendy design or to uninspiring functionality. Where is the meat in this electronic sandwich?

The first reaction of many good writers is to flee this potential market for their work. Why have anything to do with interactive media such as CD-ROMs and websites, when the result is so often slickly packaged brochure-speak?

Believe me, as a writer, I understand. But for a dozen years, I worked within a major digital design studio; so I have a few insights that could change your mind, and perhaps point you toward rewarding opportunities.

Size does matter

First, consider the vastness of demand for interactive communications. This may help to explain the industry's use of the word 'content', a term which suggests that writing is a commodity which can be bought by the hectare.

Approximately 500 million people worldwide have online access to the internet, and by far the largest online language community is English speakers, who constitute 45% of the total*. There are around 1,350,000,000 web pages in existence, and that number is rising fast. Every single one of those pages has to be written by someone: why not you?

Consider also that online users demand new material frequently; fresh, rewarding content is the only way to keep them coming back. Thus your job as an online writer could become perpetual.

Feel the width

Nor are websites the only source of writing work. Interactive media embrace a huge and varied communication field, and entail the creation of: CD-ROMs and DVD-ROMs, interactive kiosks (anything from a touch screen museum programme to a retail display); laptop presentations (essentially CD-ROMs that 'live' on dedicated computers used for live presentations); in-flight/in-car/in-train entertainment; interactive TV; games, and so on.

Each delivery channel has its own limitations and requirements. But all are hungry for compelling ideas which can capture and hold an audience's attention/loyalty/money. Remember that interactive media serve several purposes: to inform; to educate or train; to entertain; to promote and sell. Quite often, they perform two or more of the above simultaneously, as in 'edutainment' where learning is part of an enjoyable process, such as gameplay.

Because interactive media are so all-pervasive, there is no field of endeavour where a print-based writing specialisation cannot be leveraged into an interactive writing market. And there is no interactive medium which does not require good writers to touch the dry tinder of factual content with sparks of clarity and enthusiasm.

Organisations which commission digital writers include: digital media design studios; local and national government agencies and departments; advertising and marketing agencies; broadcasters and publishers; charities; digital training and educational specialists; tourist boards and travel companies; large financial institutions; public attractions and museums; industry and commerce; and educational institutions.

Who's driving?

Before you have your business cards reprinted to suggest that you are now a professional writer for interactive media, be sure you understand the rules of the electronic superhighway.

Interactivity: an interactive medium should be a dialogue between the communicator and his audience. Be sure the project as structured and written allows the user to enter into the process fully. Are there chat rooms or online forums where a sense of 'community' can also build loyalty to the website? Does the communication invite feedback and give contacts by name? Words on screen are not only 'the message'; they also begin a conversation with your invisible users. Talk with, not at your audience.

Speed and brevity: your job as a writer, working closely with the designer, who creates the navigation menu and structure of the site, is to help the user locate what he wants fast. Attention spans both online (internet/web) and offline (CD-ROM, DVD-ROM) are very short. Keep text as brief as possible, and on content pages use devices such as subheads and key quotations or emotive words in a larger font to direct the user's eyes. Long blocks of text are daunting and boring. Argue with your client if you must, but keep text short!

Clarity: don't use obscure words or phrases; make choices clear and don't offer too many at the top level. If there are any technical or unusual words which are essential, hot link them to a glossary. Anticipate the user's questions; a frequently asked questions section can move users to deeper understanding quickly and without awkwardness.

Comfort: people relate to people; write conversationally, and with warmth, as though speaking with a friend. There are very few occasions where a formal style is necessary; one is in company annual reports. Otherwise, do what you can to add personality. A website should be a comfort zone where the user feels he or she is among compatible people.

Freedom: there is no 'right or wrong' path. Unlike a brochure or book, which is usually read from beginning to end, a CD-ROM or website gives the user freedom to navigate and explore in any direction. He (and not the commissioner of the project) is in the driver's seat. As writer, you can provide virtual road signs to guide users in certain directions, but you must ensure that each discrete 'module' of information has integrity and value, in whatever order they are viewed. "To travel hopefully is better than to arrive" could be the motto of interactive media.

Fun: the experience of using interactive media should be inviting, involving and enjoyable. Humour, gameplay, quizzes, challenges, competitions and witty, enthusiastic text are all tested and proven means of ensuring a loyal audience. We all want to enjoy life - even when we're gathering vital information.

These are just the bare bones of good content writing for interactive media. Once you begin to delve into the subject, you will discover what works and what doesn't. Make a list of website addresses which provide particularly good or bad experiences; ask your friends for more. Become a connoisseur of good interactive writing. This field is in its infancy, so you have the opportunity both to shape its course and to carve out a lucrative niche for yourself.

Search and target

But where should you begin? How can you find digital communications that need writing - or rewriting? One approach is to target organisations that make their business in this area, and which handle numerous projects every year. These include: digital media design agencies and studios; advertising and marketing agencies; major government departments and publishers with multiple online or disc titles. By forming a relationship with just a couple, you could pick up a steady stream of work.

The other approach is much more time consuming, but if you have a writing specialisation, eg technical, scientific, educational, fashion, or some niche area, you should consider trying it. Essentially, it involves using online search engines like Yahoo, Google, Metacrawler, Lycos etc to locate websites or organisations that fit your target profile. When you locate a website that screams out for revision, make some notes about what you feel most needs attention.

You can usually find at least one, and often several, worthwhile contacts named on a website, probably under the 'About Us' or 'Contact Us' sections. E-mail your CV with a short letter about your concerns (always from the point of view of the site's users/audience) and suggest a chat.

If you don't get a response, pick up the phone and sell yourself and your ideas direct. Don't go in with guns blazing, ie "this website is crap. It appears to have been written by a retarded chimpanzee under the influence of pot." In many cases, the site was written by the Webmaster, to whom you may be speaking, or by some bright spark in a marketing department whose grasp of English grammar is tenuous, but who nonetheless has an iron grip on the purse strings.

The rules are: 1) be focused; 2) take the initiative; 3) be persuasive; 4) be persistent. One other thing: tell them enough of your ideas to whet their appetites and get you all round the table for a brief; don't let them pick your brains for free, because they certainly will if they can!

Start right now

Now is probably the best time for a decade to move into interactive content writing. Why? Firstly, because of the media diversity mentioned above: there's lots of territory to cover. The second reason to dive in is that there is now a vast audience who have used interactive media for a number of years. Their tastes and skills have matured. And their patience with mediocrity has waned.

Thirdly, the sharp business downturn of the past year has shaken surviving interactive media commissioners out of their complacent belief that it is enough merely to have a website, however dreary. They now know that the market can and does vote with its mouse. To continue to survive, their organisations have to sharpen their focus on what users want and value. In other words, they must deliver not just chic looks and interactive packaging, but also worthwhile content: an intelligent, persuasive message conveyed cogently and engagingly.

But if the moment is right for interactive content writers, surely it's also high time for a new breed of writers' agents and professional associations: people who understand both what the interactive market requires, and the value good writing can add.

If content is truly to become 'king' of the interactive world, then quality must be queen. And if we, the professional writers of this world, don't work together to bring excellence to interactive media, who will?

*Source: www.euromktg.com/globstats


Copyright Judy Roland 2001
Originally published in The Author, Journal of The Society of Authors (Autumn 2001)

Judy Roland is an American writer resident in the UK, with more than 30 years' international experience of writing for print, video and interactive media. Her specialist area is interpretive writing and research for the heritage and visitor attraction field.

During her time with MousePower Multimedia studios (1989-early 2001), she developed creative concepts, marketing strategies, project proposals and interactive content for clients such as The National Trust, The Woodland Trust, At-Bristol and BBC Education.

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