How the Internet Has Affected the Writing Community

by SkyeDanzer

The fact that you are sitting at a computer and reading this article demonstrates how the Internet has affected the writing community. No more are the days of simply leafing through a book and absorbing the words written on paper during a lazy summer afternoon or squinting from the bedside table lamp. No more are the days of only being able to read the books that are available on the bookshelves of your local library or if you can afford it the ones packaged so nicely on the bookstore shelves. The Internet has affected the writing community in numerous ways.

One of the biggest ways that the Internet has affected the writing community is exposure for writers. Budding writers no longer have to sit back and wait as they have manuscript after manuscript reviewed by publishers. Hopes and dreams of finally seeing your name in print are no longer longing wishes that are whispered in night before you fall asleep. Literally, anyone with Internet access can now see their words appear on the screen and even call themselves a published writer. If you have a few supportive friends and relatives that will sit down and read your work, virtually anyone can even lay claim to an avid readership and subscribers to their literary work.

There is much debate within the writing community as the Internet evolves and more and more instant publishers rise forth out of the cyber abyss. What exactly is good writing? What exactly is good grammar? Are people that instantly publish, truly writers? Will the poor articles and the rambling lines of nonsense that claim to be poetry truly fall to the bottom of the pile to be engulfed in the wasteland of cyber blackness? These are all the types of questions that many will find when they visit the social areas of the writing community. There is an underlying fear that the Internet has created a medium that will make the true art of writing become a skill and craft of the past.

The Internet has made it possible for writers to research fairly quickly. As a result, writers are now able to cover a larger range of topics and many have lost writing for a specific niche. More and more webmasters are requiring content on their websites in order to advertise and promote. Often now, because of the Internet, you will find websites that focus on keywords and search engine optimization instead of quality of the content. One website might feature twenty-five or more articles on the same topic but different keywords to increase search engine rankings and have more pages to splash advertisements.

As a result of these types of websites, the writing community has learned to adapt and produce articles that fit this new demand instead of pieces of work that convey content, thought and quality. Now, don't get me wrong! There are plenty of writers left that produce search engine optimized articles that fit the criteria for quality articles and actually contain content that is meaningful and helpful. There are even some very skilled writers that can accomplish this task with one topic and twenty-five keywords. Yet, this is a new talent and skill that many have yet to master.

The Internet has also affected the writing community in the integrity and status that comes with calling oneself a professional writer. In days past when writers would produce works on paper and tell the histories of the world or create new stories, knowing someone that was a writer was unique, interesting and held status. With the Internet, you now hear all the time that someone is a part-time writer or even a full time professional writer. The status of being a writer has dwindled and many people ask you what you do for real work.

Writers are striving to keep the writing community alive and fresh on the Internet. While you can meet other writers and learn from them, the majority of us are at risk of becoming lost in the mill of producing quantity over quality. Our works of creation are more focused on search engine optimization and keywords instead of conveying new and fresh ideas or bewildering the world with a story that has laid deep within us for decades. Information is what pays the bills and keeps that so treasured Internet connected in the first place. Be aware of the dangers and don't slip into the abyss of grinding out articles for the penny you might make per word. We must aspire to keep the integrity of writing alive and not fall into the patterns of simply mass producing in order to see our name in print or to pay our bills.

About the Author

SkyeDanzer writes on a variety of topics and is available for hire for short article pieces, essays, SEO web content, blog content and eBooks. More of her articles may be read here Associated Content

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