When writing for an online publication, whether it's a news article or a sports article, you must use a lower register than you would when writing for a paper publication.
Why is this? Are they not intended for the same audience?
The short answer is no.
Who Are These People?
While an online sports article and its paper counterpart may both be aimed at sports fans in general, they are aimed at completely different readers. The paper article is intended to be read in detail in someone's free time, maybe at breakfast. The online publication, on the other hand, is aimed at somebody who wants the headlines and a little bit extra. The reasons for this can be put down to some of the things that featured in my previous blog post such as distractions online.
How Do I Write For Them?
In any case, when your piece of writing is surrounded by the world of information it needs to make things easy on the reader. This can mean being more informal and conversational. Phrases that directly address the reader such as "Click here for more" or "Have you read..." keep the reader's attention for longer and entice them to read more. Making it all about the reader ensures that they get what they came for while being able to feel as though they haven't wasted their time.
What Does The Future Hold?
I personally prefer to read online articles because of this factor. I feel more efficient as a result of the short texts, while feeling more informed due to the increased amount of articles I can read through in the space of a few minutes.
I guess it simply suits my lifestyle better than traditional print, but is this the growing trend that, as we have all been warned against, will lead to the demise of the traditional paper publication? It certainly seems possible given the increasingly complex and fast-paced society in which we live.
I've never been one for fear-mongering though, so let's just sit back and enjoy the benefits of online publications.