Get online readers involved: Video

By Steve Davis · Monday, March 8th, 2010

Newspaper editors like to talk about points of entry on a page — headlines, photos, graphics, breakouts and the stories themselves. Readers usually start with the main art or top story and move in a left-to-right fashion from the top to bottom. This is not surprising to learn, but it’s important nonetheless. Editors should know how readers move through a page, and spend adequate time making sure they fully engage them.

On the Web, “engaging” is of a different kind and it’s doubly important.

In our book, we feature what we call “points of involvement,” because readers don’t just passively digest information; they use it and manipulate it to suit their needs. Whenever you can involve readers, do it. This doesn’t mean to allow commenting on stories and other content, though that is a form of involvement and it is involvement in its most basic and obvious form. Rather, give readers tools to use the information you’re sharing.

On the sports pages, that might be a calculator that helps me track my daughter’s batting average. (How many hits does she need in her next 12 at-bats to raise her .280 batting average to .300?)
In news, a simple device might show, in various combinations, what my charitable gift might buy for disaster victims. We’re all familiar with those charts that show how many drinks it takes to exceed the legal limit, depending on our body weight, or what’s considered overweight according to our height.
In business, the possibilities are legion, so here you want to provide some nice surprises as well as the obvious. (To return to the family, maybe you could show your son how long it will take to save up for that iPod Touch if you want him to experience saving for himself.)
In features, one of my favorite interactive devices simplified a complicated story through involvement and interaction. Readers could click on a wheel showing various religions and each faith’s attitudes about different issues. Click on “sex before marriage” and learn about differences in attitudes and teachings from one faith to the next. This simplified navigation through a dense story, put the reader in charge and even made it fun.

Online, it’s easy to apply this thinking to more content. And don’t forget: You don’t have to do it all. Link to existing tools and databases that already are out there.

Imagine your online readers, and envision them leaning forward in their chairs to interact with your content. If you’re leaning back in your editor’s chair as you read through your Web pages, then chances are your readers are, too. This is an easy way to keep reminding yourself that reading on the Web truly is an interactive experience … if you build your content to allow it.

Our video about points of involvement is now available on iTunes, where you can download it to your iPod or other portable device.

Or, you can view it — and others in the archive — via our YouTube playlist, right off the Web or in the player on our home page.