Writing for the Web with Integrity: Attribution Lends Credibility to Web Writing

Writing for the web is an art form in that authors generate income by writing fast, writing about varied topics and writing with keyword density. The keyword density is key because the density grabs the search engines' attention.

Nonetheless, even though you have chosen to write for the web and cater to a search engine's desire for keyword density it is important to maintain integrity in your work. With the advent of the internet the dialogue had two sides: the internet gives the voiceless a voice while on the other hand the internet allows anyone to post anything whether it is accurate or not. This is where it is important to visit the issue of writing for the web with integrity.

To protect the integrity of the internet as an information source, writers need to clarify their own ethical boundaries. Attribution is a good place to begin. Attribution can be applied to writing for the web as well as writing for dead-tree papers. Attribution is the step you take to tell the reader where you obtained the information. Let your reader decide whether the information is credible based on its source. In writing for the web, there is a big difference between attributing doctor-of-love-dot-com versus the National Institutes of Health.

In writing for the web, you are free to cite whatever source you please; however, in protecting the integrity of the source tell the reader where you obtained the information.

In protecting the integrity of the internet as a source, you are protecting your livelihood. If the internet continues to be polluted with unattributed, unreliable, blathering information then people will quit going to Google and launching their research. People will recognize that the internet is polluted with garbage that simply wastes their time and writing for the web will go the way of buggy whips.

Attribution is a solid way to add integrity to your work in writing for the web. An example of how to attribute something from another web site is as follows, "Police officers spotted a UFO on the Lithuanian border and ordered a rapid reaction," according to an unclassified document on the CIA's website.

People who write for the web should take advantage of the internet's ability to provide direct links to original documents. This is a great way to build credibility.

In writing for the web, remember to read your work with a critical eye. Tell the reader why they should trust your words.