Given that all navigation in cyberspace requires substantial effort in terms of time, interest, and access to technology, any writing that leads the reader to seek it out can be called good writing. Although value as a standard of judgment of good writing in cyberspace is one answer to a complex question, its application is controversial. Some critics feel that stronger standards for writing on cyberspace should be maintained, while others feel that value should be taught. A representative of this viewpoint is Dr. Tina Lesher, advisor to the electronic newspaper WPC Cybernews who feels that the strongest need for journalistic writers online is training in recognizing value on the Net. IRL writing is that of linearity.
Traditional print is linear in nature, while hypertext is non-linear.
Good writing in cyberspace must recognize and incorporate this non-linearity. As Dr. Stephanie Gibson, editor of the online journal media ecology points out, online writers' use of large chunks of text defeats the purpose of cyberspace. Thus good writing for cyberspace must integrate content and organizational factors. In addition to non-linearity, interactivity distinguish online writing greatly from IRL writing. The Web is a global hypertext system unique in its capacity to interface with other systems.