Welcome to my new blog, Writing on the Web, begun 1 January 2010.
My Real Food Lover blog (begun January 2008) was shortlisted in the 2009 Guild of Food Writers awards.
I am a journalist, published in all the UK broadsheets as well as most of its women’s magazines.
I have been a member of the National Union of Journalists as long as I have been a journalist (since the 1980s) and subscribe to its Code of Practice.
I was magazine editor at the Soil Association up to 2009.
An early adopter of social media, I launched the Soil Association on Facebook.
Now I focus on the power of online relationships to spread a positive message.
My strength is finding the story and putting it across clearly.
The print world is changing. No one knows the future of newspapers or magazines.
Although I suspect those which specialise will survive.
One thing I do know: the web is increasing the use of writing.
Emailing; sending messages to friends on Facebook; contributing to a forum; posting updates on Twitter.
Words, words, words. Wonderful wicked world-changing words!
So here I am exploring the craft of writing as it transitions to the online world.
I will also look at some technical stuff from a non-tecchie perspective.
And if I ever write anything you don’t understand, ask me to explain.
“Responsibility for successful communication lies with the communicator.”
Elisabeth
Writing on the Web 
PS I started this new blog today 2 January 2010. It will take me a bit of time to make it look more homely. I hope to document this process as I go along so we can all learn at the same time.
(But not right this minute as the winter sun is shining for a precious few hours so I must get out in it. Now!).
I have been playing around with the look of this blog.
It’s ridiculously easy, requiring zero technical expertise on my part.
I got me a WordPress.com blog by registering with my email address.
So then I go to my personal WordPress dashboard and click on Appearance. Hmmn, over 70 designs to choose from.
I like this one. Shall I try it in Preview? One click and lo! the design changes, arranging all my words in a new fashion.
Do I like it? Yes (knowing I can change it anytime). So I click on Activate.
I am currently torn between PressRow (clean and white) and the drama of this red-and-black Neo-Sapien.
The trouble with the latter: my title, Writing on the Web, has disappeared.
But I am sticking with the red-and-black drama for now.
I just looked at the WordPress forum and found someone else had posted with this same problem – if you choose Neo-Sapien design, the title disappears.
So I contacted them via their blog and asked if they resolved this – or just gave up on it.
Elizabeth,
I came here after reading your comment on Roger Overall’s Blogpost. I love your intention. This is simply for first reaction last this evening. See you again soon.
@omaniblog on Twitter
Sorry: I meant to say that was simply my first reaction after reading your new blog for the first time when I was very tired.
Loving the intention of this site sounds good to me. Thanks for your comment. I first came across your blog via your comment on Chris Brogan’s site.
The neo-sapien theme/design was beautiful (read and black) but the sidebars were hard to read. When it comes to choose between legibility and aesthetics, I am afraid the words win. So now I am trying out WordPress’s new theme, Steira. I think I have the demo version (it was in my library of designs to choose from under Appearance) so must remember to upgrade to the newly launched version.
Steira oddly uses capitals for the LINKS. Unless it’s only on the demo version. To investigate…
This Steira theme is also very pale for “comments”. Too pale for anyone with bad eyesight. Bad Steira!
Back to the drawing board…
I have changed the theme again after Steira rendered some main words grey. Bad Steira. It was the final straw.
Now I am with Neutra. So far I like it. Simple, clean.
So the words show.
Although the typeface still looks too pale. Damn.
O! Where is my ideal design?
What a super blog. I love it. It is such fun finally to find that the world of technology and the internet can act as a platform for our writing. I began as a passive consumer of the internet, awed by the technical clout and know how of those that published on the web. Now, the internet has become a friendlier place, that invites us, all, to enjoy the mechanisms that have been created for it.
Thanks for encouraging us all to publish online.
Arabella
I agree, Arabella – the internet is now in the grasp of us non-tecchies, making the potential of communicating…AWESOME!