Staffs that build “online newspaper” Web sites discover distinct patterns of behavior by visitors.

They like short rather than long; light versus heavy; simple in place of complex. This post will address the first attribute.

The economics of a newspaper Web site require a staff to put the paper’s content on the site and not create it from scratch. The cost reasons are obvious. Article lengths of 500 to 1,000 words or more are common. But articles that long usually drop below the status bar of the browser and force a reader to scroll. Site statistics show that only a small minority will scroll. An important part of the content is largely wasted.

In addition, readers simply don’t want to read that much in an online environment. Online is designed for fast access and the harvesting of information, rather than for casual and lengthy reading.

Sites often experiment with breaking the story into parts with a link at the bottom of the first part going to the second. But stats also have shown that that doesn’t work, either.

One logical — but complicated — solution is breaking one story into two separate standalone stories on the same topic. It requires the involvement or cooperation with the reporter and editor to make it work. Yes, it takes time, but now that newsrooms are truly transitioning into a multimedia environment with hands in both worlds, the time may have finally arrived to do online news in a more effective way.

Finally, note the length of this post. At 271 words, was it too long, too short or about right?