WHILE Luddites toll
death knell for books, we who have made transition to “new media” look to future with confidence.The Internet does not spell end of written word but beginning of fresh opportunities and renewed status for professional writers throughout world.
Since becoming disillusioned with world of print journalism at dawn of 90s, I have sought new challenges and, following a baptism of fire in bureaucracy, I pursued short-term freelance work.
Newsletters, media releases, proofreading, editing and copywriting have been my staple diet for three years, and a surprisingly satisfying one at that.
Freelancing also provided time to learn about new communications medium, which sparked my interest a few years ago when commissioned to write corporate copy for a pioneer web site developer.
As more businesses, individuals and organisations have considered question of “when” rather than “if” they should set up an on-line presence, competition in web site development has intensified.
Gradually, gulf has widened between sites developed using professionals – web content writers, graphic designers, programmers and marketers – and sites hastily thrown together on a Saturday afternoon with a “do-it-yourself” web-authoring package.
The content manager or writer has been missing link in web development process – until now.
As web design houses wake up to fact that a successful site needs more than pretty pictures and nifty applets, people with strong communication and organisational skills are in demand.
Just as a desktop publishing package does not transform a writer into a graphic artist, a web-authoring program does not turn a graphic designer, computer programmer or marketer into a wordsmith. We each have our own talents and should respect differences.
