You Are What You Write: Writing in the Digital Age
Not since the invention of the printing press has there been such a revolution in writing. Even basic notions of reading and writing are changing as technology replaces traditional modes of communication.
The most profound of these changes is that we are writing more than ever before. Indeed, the explosive growth of technology has been accompanied by the burgeoning growth of new digital media including email, blogs, instant messaging, text messaging, listservs, and chat rooms. To operate in this realm and communicate using these media require skills in a new literacy: Digital Literacy.
Elements of Digital Literacy
Are you digitally literate? Sadly, many of us are not. Do you know the components of digital literacy? Let’s take a look:
- Analyzing and understanding your audience
- Thinking about your communication and writing purpose
- Applying skills of Digital Rhetoric
- Combining text and image for a complete message
- Creating an experience readers want to come back to again and again and again
My name is Mary Anne Donovan, and I am passionate about good writing and Digital Literacy. In fact, it is my life’s work. Here is a glimpse into the book I am working on, Text, Literacy and Rhetoric in the Digital Realm.
Reading, Writing, and Rhetoric: Presenting a Polished Business Image
Whether you hire someone to create one for you, or you do it yourself, your business image is all about how you:
- Present your website
- Write your email
- Participate in digital relationship venues
- Design valuable knowledge assembly systems
But it is also how you present yourself in traditional media, though text for that media has also changed because of technology.
Technology Savvy Writing and Consulting
You need one of two things: a digitally literate and savvy writer, or training in how to use these skills yourself. We can do both.
We start with you: your needs, and go from there. Do you need us to write website, brochure, annual report copy for you? Do you need us to train your people to write website, brochure, or annual report copy? Do your executives need a refresher on writing effective emails? Do you need help figuring out how to spread your message, be it on the Internet or in local media? Here’s the key: since the Internet, writing for all types of media has changed. Keywords are important in press releases. Brochure copy needs to be chunked, bulleted, and combined with images to tell the whole story. We know the whole communication story and we want to make it work for you. We can:
- Develop stunning copy for your website that not only achieves your business objective but also meets search engine criteria for top ranking
- Design online training programs for internal and external audiences
- Write ezine and email newsletter text
- Work with your employees to improve their email image
- Design search engine marketing programs to increase both website traffic and conversion rates.
Courses in SEO and Business Writing
An educated consumer is an informed buyer. The smarter you are about our services, the more you’ll appreciate our quality workmanship and professionalism. And if you can do it yourself, then we have provided you even more value and cost savings. Please check out our education offerings: