Audience, Usability, and Reliability: Qualities to Increase Reader Engagement for The State Press

Information can be created and shared online instantaneously. While this means that users can be informed faster than ever, it also means that inaccurate or fabricated stories can spread just as quickly. Newsgroups have become more scrutinized than ever. With this in mind, I wanted to research how an independent publication like The State Press can get the retain their reader base and I provided recommendations that are based on three key concepts of Technical Communication: write for an audience, provide an efficient user experience, and establish an ethos. I researched academic and professional articles related to communication and analyzed data that was provided by an editor from The State Press. The recommendations pertain to five categories: content output, operating systems and service providers, user demographics, user behavior, and search engines. The content is ethical and feasible for an independent publication and will bolster the readership and increase the overall level of engagement between the staff and the readers.