Writing for the new media

I was talking the other day about getting clear on the container or the medium that we’re writing for before we start to write. It reminded me about another set of questions that’s been buzzing around my brain recently about the kind of containers the new or social media provide for our words and what if any changes we need to make to the way that we write in order to match them.

There’s learning how to write with comments and conversation in mind – getting down off the podium and leaving space for our readers.

And then there’s how we approach those conversations that follow. The immediacy and intimacy of the web makes it easy for conversations to flow – but although people might be dashing off a quick ‘throwaway’ comment or two are they also thinking about the fact that they’re leaving a permanent record with their words? I don’t want to put people off commenting – I love to give, receive and read comments – but I do think we need to learn (and teach) something about taking responsibility for our words, however fleeting the medium may seem.

A lot of these conversations are taking place through the medium of the written word – but is that likely to shift in the age of conversation, with the possibilities of accessing and using photography, video, audio – and combinations of all of them. Where’s that going to leave the written word – and what skills do writers need to learn in order to keep up?

On the other hand… if readers (and web-site owners) are looking for sticky sites – does that promote the value of content (written content?) over other design features? And how much is the look of a blog based site going to matter if the majority of people end up reading them through feeds anyway?

Oh but then there’s the whole question of how people find you in the first place, and if that’s through search engines (and is learning to write for them good or bad for the way that we write and the kind of quality copy we’re trying to produce for our readers) or will it turn out to be through our use of social media networks instead? And what does spending time there mean for the way that we write? Is it just so much twittering or learning how to express ourselves – clearly – in 140 characters?

And I suppose moving on from that – is there a next big thing beyond blogging that those of who love this medium can’t yet or don’t want to see – that’s going to value a different set of skills, a different way of communicating and sharing ideas? Or is the written word here to stay as the basis for quality conversation?

I have a lot more questions than answers here – so I’d love to hear your thoughts – oh and if there are any new media experts (like Chris Garrett for example) out there listening – why not pop by and share your perspective too?