How to Shine - Writing for Online.

Recent reading material from Paul Bradshaw and Yackob Nielsen has helped me see the differences between writing for online and writing for newspapers. People read words on a page completely differently to reading them on a screen, which means those who write the words need to take this into consideration.

According to Bradshaw, computer screens have a much lower resolution than in newspapers. "72 dots in every square inch, compared to around 150-300 in newspapers and magazines", he points out. In other words, its harder and takes longer to read words on a screen, therefore we need to communicate in less time. Online journalists need to develop Brevity.

Bradshaw points out articles should be of shorter length, using chunking where necessary, and have succint paragraphs, sticking to one concept in each paragraph.

Nielsen, who specifically focusses his article on writing headlines, points out that the BBC website is spot on and follows SURFP rules;
Short
Understandable out of Context
Rich in information scent
Front-loaded
Predictable

So there it is, quick tips from the experts on how to shine - online.

Who the heck is going to play for England at the Oval?

This is a massive question. After the spectacular collapse at Headingley Carnegie in which England's middle order (Messeurs Bopara, Bell & Collingwood) amassed a catastrophic 16 runs for 6 wickets between them, potential substitutions have been banded around leg, off and centre. From Surrey's 39-year-old veteran Mark Ramprakash to Kent's 19-years-young Joe Denly, the media speculate both ends of the age spectrum as to who will replace 'Bops and Bells'.

South-African (born) Jonathan Trott is perhaps hot favourite to be the only replacement in this team (preferred at three to Ravi Bopara), assuming Flintoff is fit to take his place batting at number seven on his final test match in an England shirt (not that he is going to appear in any other shirt, which can't be ruled out for our 'new bru' Trott). That would mean Bell gets another shot at four, while Harmison is ousted for the returning talisman.

But how about wholesale changes, which robs Ian Bell of his place for the cataclysmic fifth npower Ashes test, and prefers instead the reliable experience of Mark Ramprakash. For a man averaging 54.35 in first-class cricket, a flawed statistic in itself when considering the player's form over the last five years, it is astonishing he is not more seriously been considered for selection since his last test match in the April of 2002. Some will say that he simply floundered during his international career. He had an England career which spanned almost eleven years beginning at Headingley in June 1991. In his 52 test-matches, he hit only two test-hundreds (the latter of the two intriguingly achieved against the Aussies at the Oval) at an average of 27.32, and a suprisingly slow strike-rate of 36.18, although one never associates Ramps with the big-hitters of modern day international cricket. He is more Neil Mackenzie than he is Kevin Pietersen. But there is something more aesthetic about Ramps' thrashing blade against the red leather than that of sturdy defence and the odd thump to the boundary (Mackenzie is more effective than he is pleasing to the eye). He has a graceful cover drive accompanied by a plethora of other orthodox strokes played with twenty years of batting authority. The man personifies the word 'patience', and looks in complete contrast to the hurried strokeplay of Ravi Bopara at the moment.

Onto personal opinion, I would most definitely swap Bops for Ramps as we come into land (as Mike Pilivachi famously said) on the epic Ashes Series (although perhaps not as epic as 2005 - i think the last test will make up everyone's minds). Like-for-like in that I would stick Ramps into the number three role. I would stick with Bell (I'm a fan - see previous post), not least because he'll be coming in off the back of a superb 126 for Warwickshire. I confess I know little of his Warwickshire team-mate Jonathan Trott, other than the information provided by cricinfo.com, which is that of a well-timed 121 made yesterday alongside 'the Shermator' and that he averages a solid 44.31 in first-class cricket, and is likely to at least double the test stike-rate of Ramprakash in his first game. He is described as 'aggressive' by the experts at cricinfo. And Flintoff in for Harmison to complete the eleven; an eleven I believe capable of re-capturing the Ashes.

Pietersen's injury rings a Bell

So with KP gone for the remainder of the npower Ashes test series. Enter the ring... Ian Ronald Bell?

Yes it would seem so. Bell will make his return to the England side for the 3rd test match in the highly-anticipated Edgbaston duel starting next week. I, for one, am pleased to see him back in the test side after a five month absence. However, I am sure that Bell won't be so pleased that his re-appearance is only due to the loss of England's most prolific batsman, Kevin Pietersen.

His record for England is solid but not outstanding. In his 46 tests, Bell has made 3004 runs at an average of 40.59 per innings. In 2008, he was named one of the Wisden Cricketer's of the year after impressive displays against New Zealand. He was ear-marked for greatness from a young age and burst onto the county scene with Warwickshire in 1999 and was in the Enland set-up only a year or two later. His first test in 2004 was against a touring West Indies side at the Oval and Bell hit a confident 70 batting at five for England.

Ian Bell is the ultimate form player. When he's in form, he looks majestic at the crease. When out of touch, as he was in the Carribbean earlier this year and back in the 2005 Ashes Series, you continually wonder if the next ball he faces will be his last. In the 2005 series, Bell only made a timid 171 runs in ten innings. But Bell has been firing on all cylinders for Warwickshire this season with 640 runs at an average of 80.00, with twice hitting three figures for his counties.

Doubters remain about his ability to withstand intense pressure as he will face next Thursday, but I firmly believe Bell has what it takes. I love watching him, an extremely elegant batsman, partially in the mold of Michael Vaughan, partially in his own mold. Here's what Vaughan has to say about Bell; "If he just relaxes and plays he's got so much talent. He needs to not try to play the perfect innings. He should just play it in his natural way and I'm sure things will happen".

So come on Ian Ronald Bell, prove me right!

Collingwood Back in Frame

Who will be England's cricket captain in three years? I don't think anyone has the answer to that.
Who will lead out the ten other perfectly dressed white warriors on Wedneday 8th July in Cardiff for the start of the npower Test Series against Australia. Few wisecracks seem to have the answer. Even good old Geoffrey Boycott struggles to offer a definitive answer.

A turbulent winter has seen Kevin Pietersen stripped of the honour of captaining his country in international sport. And who's in? Andrew Strauss at the moment. But for how long? No wins in five test matches against a West Indies side who's most recent test series win came on home soil against a woefully lacking-in-quality Bangladesh side back in 2003.

If truth be told, this winter has been dreadful. The summer ended on a high after recovering from the test defeats to a quality South Africa side, to beat the then top ODI side 4-0 in impressive style. Since then, the Stanford 20/20 for 20 was a public disaster, India trounced England in both the Test and One-Day series as well as being caught up in the Mumbai terrorist attacks. Following from that, the Peter Moores/Kevin Pietersen feud resulted in even less team harmony. Moores was sacked and Pietersen was out as skipper. Strauss faces an almost impossible job, and now he's injured, his team can't stop losing and Collingwood is in as the boss for the first One-Day International. Oh yeah and England don't have a manager either.

Should KP be back in? Moores has gone now which would seem to open the path wider but Collingwood is in ahead of Pietersen for tomorrow's crunch match with the Windies. Perhaps Pietersen could manage the team too...
English Cricket is crying out for direction.

Nick's Debut on Blogger

My name is Nick Spear. I am a 1st year BA Sports Journalism student at the University of Central Lancashire, Preston. Born in Southampton, home is based in Bristol/Bath area. Very much a southerner turned northener. I'm a Christian and that shapes my life. Sport is one of my biggest passions.