Paper v. Web

I think the two ways of writing (writing on the Web compared to writing on paper) are much more similar than they are different. They are similar because they both involve using the same thought process. However, I personally think and therefore write less formally when on the Web than I do when I am hand-writing something. I think it is because I associate the Web and writing online with emails and instant messenger, both of which I am usually very informal. When writing papers by hand, I associate it with essay tests and formal documents. Thus, I think I am unconsciously more formal when I hand-write things.

The biggest difference between the two ways of writing is the format. When I am writing on paper, I almost always use paragraph format and indent the first line of every paragraph. On the Web however, the format I use varies with the program I am using. When typing on the Web I am also conscious of the audience. For instance, formats and colors show up differently on different computers (e.g. Mac versus PC).