There are many differences between magazine writing and online writing. One of the most important is the need for timelessness — that is, web writing works best when its value and relevance won’t be affected by time.
Each magazine issue tends to be circulated for a month. Hence, the focus is on timely material — stuff that addresses current trends and issues. Online content, on the other hand, tends to be posted on the web for posterity. It will be indexed on Google, archived on Wayback Machine, bookmarked on multiple social sites and, generally, kept around for a long, long time.
Good magazine content only need to be relevant for the month of its circulation. Not so with web content. Since people are likely to find it weeks, months and years after it originally goes up, it pays to make it something that people will still care about down the line.
Is timelessness possible with all kinds of web content? Of course not. I mean, you likely won’t be able to do that if you’re writing about celebrity gossip or a current event. However, if a topic you’re writing about a topic that may remain relevant for longer, do your best to make how you write it in a way that preserves it over time. That is, by avoiding the use of language and references that can date it — such as using terms like “by this time next year” or citing a Charlie Sheen rumor that people are likely to forget in a month’s time.
