At one point in time, writing used to be done on pen and paper. It still happens a lot, but for the most part, writing is now done digitally. In office settings and professional workplaces, people use digital platforms methods to write content for all types of purposes.
How is Writing Done Digitally?
On digital platforms, the writing process, i.e., the process of writing a piece of content, does not only involve the part where you write the words themselves. Rather, there is a lot that comes before the writing part and a lot that comes after it. Before the piece is written, there is the research that precedes it. This is followed by the writing part, which is then followed by the proofreading or checking.
When we say “writing on digital platforms,” we refer to the entire process. You can do all three of these things on digital platforms, which we will elaborate on.
1. You can garner information and do research on digital platforms
Writing on pen and paper meant that you likewise had to do your research from physical and written sources. While you still can do that, there are now digital means available that make the process quicker and easier.
When writing digitally, you can access information using sources like search engines and directly from websites, etc. You can likewise cite those sources easily when needed since they are easy to find and access online.
2. You can write drafts digitally using text editors and word processors
There are digital solutions available for the actual writing process as well. Instead of using pen and paper, you can type your content out on text editors and word processors. This method can be quicker and less tiring.
Using text editors and word processors is necessary when you want to share and save your documents in soft form.
There are different tools and software available nowadays that you can use for this purpose. There are a lot of different formatting and styling options that you can use with these tools, which makes them an even better alternative to manual writing.
If we talk about popular word-processing software like MS Word and Google Docs, you can do different types of things with them, such as:
- Adjust the size and style of the fonts
- Add lists, tables, and charts, etc.
- Add headings, footers, headers, etc.
3. You can check, proofread, and edit your content digitally using online tools
Once again, the writing process is more than just the writing part. It is also about the things that come before that, as well as the steps that follow it.
One of the important things that you have to do as part of the overall writing process is proofreading. Proofreading means reading and checking the content to find errors in it. These errors can include everything from grammar mistakes and misspellings to hard readability issues.
In the traditional pen-and-paper method, proofreading has to be done manually and that can take up time. True, the results are sharp and accurate, but the time they cost can be substantial.
On the other hand, when writing is done via digital means, proofreading can likewise be done digitally. There are various online tools that can help in this process. For example,
- You can use an online grammar checker to find grammar and spelling errors in the content. There are many free ones that you can find on the Internet.
- You can use a readability checker to look for readability issues in the content. This can involve instances where the wording is too difficult, or the sentences are too long.
- You can likewise use an online plagiarism checker to look for plagiarism in your write-up. Accidental plagiarism is an issue that every writer faces, and looking for it is important before finalizing any piece of content. This also comes within “proofreading.”
Benefits of Writing on Digital Platforms
That was a breakdown of how writing has evolved from pen and paper to digital platforms. We’ve talked about three of the main phases that writing involves, and we’ve talked about how they can be done digitally.
Moving on, let’s take a look at how adopting the digital method of writing can be more beneficial than the traditional one.
- Digital writing helps save time: Writing digitally, i.e., using keyboards and virtual keyboards, is significantly quicker than doing the same with a pen and paper. Writing by hand requires much time, even for a small document. Typing it out can require about 1/3 of the same time.
- Digital writing helps save effort: Along with time, writing manually also takes up a lot of effort. It can be physically tiring to write the same amount of content that would require no significant effort when done digitally.
- Digitally written content can be edited and proofread with online tools: You can only use online tools with text that is written digitally. Since these tools require text input, you can’t really do anything with content in hard form. If anything, you would have to first copy the text over to the tool, check it, and then note it down…which isn’t practical.
These are some of the benefits of using the digital method for writing content.
Conclusion
Writing has evolved from pen and paper to digital methods like using computers and apps. Using online digital measures, all the different facets and processes of writing can be done easily – we’ve elaborated on those in the post above.
There are numerous benefits and upsides to using digital methods for writing. They are quicker, require less effort, and are suitable if you want to take the assistance of online tools.
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