Writing For Multimedia: Introduction

Ernie Kovacs once said that television is a medium because it is neither rare nor well done.

As we stand here at the edge of the new millennium, the same can be said for the current state of multimedia. There are thousands of computer programs, millions of Web pages, and countless PowerPoint presentations. And unlike material in books and magazines, the vast majority of these items are untouched by editors. While new media offers an unprecedented means for sharing ideas with the rest of the world, it is also becoming that much harder to stand out from an ever-growing crowd.

That's where effective writing comes in. By planning and focusing what you want to say, you can better connect with your audience, whether you're designing a Web site for your family, or promoting your company's image. This guide is designed to help you effectively use new media to communicate your message with clarity and focus.

Let's begin by defining our topic. What is multimedia? The American Heritage Dictionary defines it as “the combined use of several media, such as movies, slides, music, and lighting, especially for the purpose of education or entertainment.”For our purposes, multimedia includes:

So, will this guide show you how to write Ghostbusters 5? Not exactly. We are concerned with interactive multimedia, the use of varied media in combination with computer technology. This marriage creates an especially effective method of presenting information. By using interactivity to involve the user, more knowledge is retained, far more than the rate for most other instructional methods.

Forms of interactive multimedia include Web sites, CD-ROMs, programs, presentations, tutorials, help sections, and even games. For our purposes, if you are writing material that will appear on a computer as text or as audio, this is the place. Many of the topics covered here also apply to mediums like television, film, or radio. In fact, television is where I spent my first career, producing and writing thousands of daily newscasts.

When I first entered the multimedia field in 1992, the landscape was strikingly different. I wrote programs that ran on a laser disc player, specialized machinery that was expensive, and now obsolete. I doubt a thousand people ever used those programs. By the time I began writing this guide in 1994, interactive tutorials were distributed almost exclusively on CD-ROM, available to anyone with a compatible computer. But while distribution had become easier, producing programs was still expensive and time-consuming. The same year that I wrote my first interactive tutorial also saw the debut of the World Wide Web. Now, in a short eight years, anyone with access to the Web has the power to share their ideas with millions of others, at a fraction of the amount needed to produce a stand-alone CD-ROM.

While creating a Web site is easy, effective communication is another matter. Each of us is presented with a dilemma: while we can experiment with new media and non-traditional methods, the rules of the English language remain much the same. It is our task to responsibly adapt our native tongue to the demands and opportunities presented by computer technology. Don't underestimate the importance of this mission; after all, text and spoken audio are two of the main parts of the multimedia puzzle. As a member of this growing industry, you are helping blaze the trail other writers will follow during the next few years. Think of yourself as a digital Davy Crockett.

Obviously, writing is a matter of personal style. What works for one person does not always suffice for another. This manual does not presume to tell you how to write. It does examine rules and methods that apply to writing for interactive multimedia. Think of this guide as a road map for navigating tricky back roads.

Feel free to use and distribute the copyrighted information contained within this site. Just remember to give credit where it's due. If you like this guide, please consider using the links to Amazon.com to buy a book or two. And if you're a publisher looking for a new book, or a company that needs a hand, drop me an e-mail.