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| Yes | 20% | 290 votes | Total: 1453 votes | |
| No | 80% | 1163 votes |
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Add to FavoritesI think Helium titles should be re-phrased, if not repeated. When I am reading several related articles I am interested in, I want to see the specific topic that I know the author is going to elaborate on.
Since Helium uses all of the titles' words in the URLs, it is to the author's advantage to use keywords in the title and first sentences that search engines can easily find.
But don't overuse the same words or an engine may count it as spam.
Non-titled articles create a problem in ratings. The Helium title does not show up on my computer screen unless I scroll up to check it out. I often have to do that because the content has little to do with the topic.
In fact, the other day, while rating, I was reading articles comparing plants to songs. I wondered why the two topics even showed up as a pair. The title was "How do plantings create an analogy to life?" As interesting as the "song" article might have been, it immediately was rated down and, hopefully, out of sight.
By "repeating" or "re-phrasing" the title at the top of a piece, an author would be "reminded" as to what he is supposed to be writing about. When I write a topic in "Word," I place the exact wording of the title in bold letters so I can keep looking back and stay on topic.
Maybe the regular Helium reader only drops in to see one or two topics and knows what to expect. But I have looked at at least ten titles involving Helium and some are close in meaning: "Improve the site" and "First thing to improve"; "How to rate a Helium article" and "How does the rating system work?"; "Overview" and "Helium's writing standards" and "The nuts and bolts of writing for Helium"; etc.
I just read the first sentence of the top 5 articles under "Overview" and, if I did not look at the title, I could not have guessed what title all 5 were writing to.
Re-phrasing the article's title gives the writer's intended slant so my mind is on track from his/her first sentence. Thus, "Suggested improvements for Helium... from a writer's perspective" or "Suggested improvements for Helium... from a reader's perspective" gives me a clue about the author's direction.
Furthermore, my printer does not automatically include the title, and I often print out interesting articles for personal reference. I must remember to hand-write the title on them so I can file them correctly.
A writer should not HAVE to repeat the title exactly, BUT he should set the stage for what to expect in the article from his very first sentence.
AND the first sentence should be a variation on the title, with key words that are optimized for search engines.
Learn more about this author, Karon Brandt.
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No
When learning to write an essay in school, one of the first things students are taught is to not regurgitate the article's title in the opening sentence. The best way to begin is to indicate your stance on a subject through the rewording the title. This shows an understanding of the subject matter as well as the position you are about to defend and puts it all in your own words.
Creative writers grab attention early. They provide a thought-provoking or emotion-stirring first sentence or two and then build on it to retain interest and compel the reader forward. It's referred to as the A.I.D.A. approach. Attention. Interest. Desire. Action. Reiterating the article's title in the opening inserts a visual speed bump. It's slows things down because it's boring, unimaginative and shows a lack of expertise on the part of the writer. The initial attention is strained, interest is lost, desire to continue wanes, and the only action the audience wants to take is to stop reading altogether.
I write radio commercials for a living and teach how to write in a variety of formats for radio and TV at a local college. In the world of :30 to :60 audio, you have approximately 3-4 seconds...yes, seconds...to pull the listener in. While there are marked differences between audio and visual writing styles, one thing remains true to both - you absolutely must grab the audience's attention early and retain their interest. If you've rated articles on Helium for any length of time, you know this. Punctuation and grammar mistakes quickly turn the reader off, but a slow starting article - one that repeats an article title verbatim - is also one that causes at least this reader to start skimming instead of delving into the text.
While all the attention-grabbing information I've put forth here is true, there is an even more compelling argument I haven't made yet. Here on Helium, don't most of us read the title before reading or rating an article? If so, then why would the repetition of the article title make sense? It simply doesn't. So essay writers, the bottom line about the first line is this - we're creative, expressive people here at Helium, who should never resort to being a parrot! Express your unique, intriguing thoughts in a way everyone can get excited about from the very first sentence. It will help your article get noticed, and the resulting action of the reader will be to rate your essay highly!
Learn more about this author, T S Campbell.
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