Breakups are good ... at least, for online readers.

What’s that noise? It’s the sound of a million potential readers, clicking away without stopping to peruse huge blocks of type on their computer screens.

How did it get there?

Well-meaning writers, bloggers, or social networking participants typed their little fingers to the bone to put up content they deemed worthy of sharing. And it may well have been just that. So it’s a shame no one seems to be lingering on those web pages long enough to read.

Graphics, photos, and ads don’t have time to load, because folks click out too soon.

Here’s what the copy looks like.

This is really important stuff. Readers must be missing out. What a shame. Why aren’t they taking the time to wade through this humongous block of type? Maybe if the writer broke up this giant paragraph into smaller, more manageable portions, readers might be more likely to stop and take a look. Perhaps they’d even ponder the content. That would make the whole effort considerably more worthwhile for the writer AND the readers. Holy moley. What a concept. A couple of line returns could make all the difference in the world, so to speak. This is a pretty straightforward idea, but plenty of people don’t consider how daunting a giant mass of unbroken lines of type can seem to a busy web reader. Break it up, already! Better yet, give us a bullet list, a numbered list, or even a couple of subheads. Break it up! Break it up! Break it up! (Think they heard me?)

Phew!

(Gee, maybe Twitter’s onto something with those short posts.)

How can this problem be prevented?

Just hit the ENTER key – at least every few sentences. On Facebook: Hold down the SHIFT key at the same time to start a new paragraph. Readers everywhere will break out in a chorus of thanks.

If you write a blog post or simply update your own Facebook status, please break it up!

Breakups aren’t always a bad thing, especially if they make life easier for readers.

Image/s:

Adapted from public domain artwork

Feel free to follow on GooglePlus and Twitter.