In order to create successful texts, writers must be aware of their audience. Compare the expectations and tastes of an Internet user with those of a reader of a printed book. Account for the ways they do and do not differ. As writers, how should our awareness of the reader’s expectations and tastes affect the way we write in the web environment?
Today, with Internet access available to millions of readers all across the globe and with the vast improvement in programs and technology in general, more traditional book readers are turning to the INTERNET to quench their thirst for knowledge. More and more are READING ON- LINE or through the Internet because of easy ACCESS and CONVENIENCE, rather than physically going to the library or bookstore. In fact, many observers say that these Internet savvy users represent the NEW GENERATION of readers and writers.
In this essay, the TASTES AND EXPECTATIONS of these users and their more "traditional" counterparts will be explored. Here, expectations and tastes will refer to what the reader wants or requires within his reading experience, be it from a book or from the Internet. I will then go on to ACCOUNT FOR THE SIMILARITIES AND DIFFERENCES between them, and lastly, their SIGNIFICANCE FOR THE NEW WEB AUTHOR will be addressed. It will be argued that though the new Web writer is faced with challenges from several directions, he nevertheless cannot afford to ignore his readers and their tastes.