Designing for print versus Designing for online—the role of writers and readers

Image: Tree Hugger

            Traditional mass media like newspaper and magazine, as “designing for print” let the role of writers and readers very clear. The writers make articles in the publications. And then the readers buy the publications to receive the information



            However, online websites, as “designing for online” make reading like an interaction of readers and writers. Online websites make people publicize their knowledge more easy. The role between readers and writers become more and more unclear. Many online websites let readers to give comment, especially in blogs. Once a website is built up, the readers can easily to give comment immediately after reading. Also, readers receive information and knowledge from another websites. At the same time, the websites’ writers are the role to build up their own website. The writers’ purpose of building up websites is usually to conclude and share their knowledge from reading another websites.


           Although newspaper and magazine also have interaction between writers and reader (like the readers give comment in some articles on the publications), they need to wait for next issue to publish the readers’ comment. So, the speed is slower than that of online websites.