3. As web content writers,
You have the greatest impact on the user
experience of the ACE site
(no pressure!)
3
4. "Content is the heart of a brilliant user experience. From the body content to the alt text
to the footer, the words that shape the page lie at the very center of an engaging visit. If
the words aren’t beautiful and meaningful, the sleekest design in the world won’t
compensate for it. The body can never replace a missing heart."
- Amber Simmons, http://www.alistapart.com/articles/revivinganorexicwebwriting
4
7. Agenda
Part 1 Part 2
Planning Content Writing Content
Audience DELETE! DELETE! DELETE!
Use Plain Language
Crafting a Message
Make your content SCANNABLE
The Difference Between Content and Copy
Links
7
8. Part 1
Planning Content
Audience
Crafting a Message
The Difference Between Content and Copy
8
10. User personas to determine what content you need and how it is written
“My work is often focused on the big issue of the
Jennifer has been president of a large state university for
day. I need to be able to easily find information on
the past 3 years. Before that, she was a chief academic
an issue, quickly get a high level overview of it and officer at 2 other state schools and one private college.
be able to dive into deeper details when needed.”
Key Characteristics Goals Tasks Frustrations and Pain Points
• Has been in academia her entire • Keep up to date with the latest • Read the daily higher education • Too much information to wade
career information in higher education news through everyday
• Prefers interacting face to face • Improve the quality of their • Research a specific issue the • Can only address limited amount
rather than online institution institution is currently dealing with of email
• Relies heavily on email to get • Keep institution in compliance • Participate in annual meeting • Difficult to prioritize content
information and communicate with state and federal regulations panel through all the clutter
• Doesn't actively participate in • Find and maintain high quality • Collaborate with others on ACE • Newsletters come out in the
online social networks leadership staff initiatives middle of the day when I have
• Has a busy schedule • Maintain fiscal health of the less time to consume information
• Travels a lot institution Questions
• Influence policy makers to make • What are the current policy issues
• Uses an iPad especially when
better decisions for higher that I should be concerned with?
traveling
education • What is ACEs position on issues?
• Is an ACE member
• Network with other higher
education leaders
10
11. Audience
Busy
On the go
Uses a mobile device
Keeps up-to-date with latest in higher education
Keep institution in compliance with state and federal regulations
Improve the quality of their institution
Develop their career
In Academia Entire Career First Position in Academia
11
12. Audience
How we should write it Busy
On the go
Uses a mobile device
Keeps up-to-date with latest in higher education
Keep institution in compliance with state and federal regulations
Improve the quality of their institution
What we should write Develop their career
In Academia Entire Career First Position in Academia
12
14. Crafting a Message
Gather a collection of messages you want the
user to learn or the user wants to see
14
15. Crafting a Message
Messages should be tied to your business goals
(you do have these business goals written down, right?)
15
16. Crafting a Message
Messages are not content
Messages are the information that you want to convey
16
17. Crafting a Message
Anatomy of a message
Primary Message: The single most important thing you want the user to learn. It
should support a business objective
Secondary Message: A group of key messages that extrapolate the primary
message.
Details: All the facts, data, anecdotes, philosophies that prove your messages.
Call(s) to Action: What you want the user to do after they get your message
17
18. Crafting a Message
Anatomy of a message
Primary Message: TransportZ is a product that allows you to transport yourself
anywhere in the world instantly
Secondary Message: Low cost, easy to use, portable
Details: Uses less energy than all of the other transport products. The user
interface allows you to easily select your destination and avoid transporting to non-
habitable locations. Home button instantly gets you back home. Each transport is
less than $10.
Call(s) to Action: Buy TransportZ today
18
19. Exercise
Construct a message for the program you are associated with
The purpose of the message is to describe your program to someone
who has never heard of it.
Use this format:
Primary Message: The single most important thing you want the user to learn.
It should support a business objective
Secondary Message: A group of key messages that extrapolate the primary
message.
Details: All the facts, data, anecdotes, philosophies that prove your messages.
Call(s) to Action: What you want the user to do after they get your message
19
23. Part 1: Planning Content
The Difference Between Content and Copy
23
24. The difference between Content and Copy
Copy is heartless filler that takes up space and
takes on the appearance of information
24
25. The difference between Content and Copy
“The Mission of ***** ****** ****** is to enrich lives by
revealing the wonder, relevance, excitement, and value
of creativity, laughter, and learning. This is
accomplished by facilitating inspiring, innovative, and
energetic education and business consultation services
whenever and wherever they are needed with a sense
of pride, respect, and integrity.”
25
26. The difference between Content and Copy
“Providing solutions in real time to meet our customers’ needs.”
26
27. The difference between Content and Copy
Content establishes an emotional connection
between people
Thoughtful, personable and faithfully written
Meaningful
Reflects your brand
27
28. The difference between Content and Copy
“********** vision is to be the world's best quick service
restaurant experience. Being the best means providing
outstanding quality, service, cleanliness, and value, so
that we make every customer in every restaurant smile.”
28
29. The difference between Content and Copy
“******* mission is to organize the world’s information
and make it universally accessible and useful.”
29
30. The difference between Content and Copy
"A snappy design might catch their attention, but
it's the words that make the real connection.”
- Jason Fried, 37 Signals, http://www.inc.com/magazine/20100501/why-is-business-writing-so-awful.html
30
31. Part 2
Writing Content
DELETE! DELETE! DELETE!
Use Plain Language
Make your content SCANNABLE
The Secret of Links
31
32. Agenda
Part 2: Writing Content
DELETE! DELETE! DELETE!
32
34. DELETE! DELETE! DELETE!
“It can scarcely be denied that the supreme goal
of all theory is to make the irreducible basic
elements as simple and as few as possible
without having to surrender the adequate
representation of a single datum of experience.”
- Albert Einstein
34
35. DELETE! DELETE! DELETE!
“On the average Web page, users have time to read at
most 28% of the words during an average visit.”
- Jakob Nielsen, http://www.useit.com/alertbox/percent-text-read.html
35
41. Agenda
Part 2: Writing Content
Use Plain Language
41
42. Use Plain Language
Plain language is communication your audience can understand the
first time they read or hear it.
42
43. Use Plain Language
Plain Language Characteristics:
Logical organization with the reader in mind
Active voice
Short sentences
Common, everyday words
43
44. Use Plain Language
http://www.plainlanguage.gov/
http://www.plainlanguage.gov/howto/guidelines/FederalPLGuidelines/FederalPLGuidelines.
pdf
44
45. Use Plain Language
Before
In our endeavor to ensure guest safety at all times, can visitors please note that fire bell
testing is carried out every Monday at 9.30am.
After
We test the fire bell every Monday at 9.30am.
45
46. Use Plain Language
Before
When the process of freeing a vehicle that has been stuck results in ruts or holes, the
operator will fill the rut or hole created by such activity before removing the vehicle from the
immediate area.
After
If you make a hole while freeing a stuck vehicle, you must fill the hole before you drive
away.
46
47. Use Plain Language
Before
If you fail to comply with your duty of disclosure and we would not have entered into the contract on
any terms if the failure had not occurred, we may void the contract within three years of entering into
it. If your non- disclosure is fraudulent, we may void the contract at any time. Where we are entitled
to void a contract of life insurance we may, within three years of entering into it, elect not to void it but
to reduce the sum that you have been insured for in accordance with a formula that takes into
account the premium that would have been payable if you had disclosed all relevant matters to us.
After
If you fail to disclose any relevant matter and we would not offer you insurance if this matter were
known, we may within three years:
(1) void the contract or
(2) reduce the sum for which you have been insured.
If your nondisclosure is fraudulent, we may void the contract at any time.
47
48. Use Plain Language
Before
I give my Agent the power to exercise or perform any act, power, duty, right, or obligation
whatsoever that I have or may hereafter acquire, relating to any person, matter,
transaction, or property, real or personal, tangible or intangible, now owned or hereafter
acquired by me, including, without limitation, the following specifically enumerated powers. I
grant to my Agent full power and authority to do everything necessary in exercising any of
the powers herein granted as fully as I might or could do if personally present, with full
power of substitution or revocation, hereby ratifying and confirming all that my Agent shall
lawfully do or cause to be done by virtue of this Power of Attorney and the powers herein
granted.
After
I give my agent the power to do anything that I have a right or duty to do, now or in the
future.
48
49. Agenda
Part 2: Writing Content
Make your content SCANABLE
49
51. Make your content SCANNABLE
Users don’t read
Users SCAN and then READ
51
52. Make your content SCANNABLE
Headlines
- Use headlines and sub-headlines to break up longer text
- Headlines and sub-headlines should be short
- Meaningful trigger words should appear in the first 2-3 words
- Should be understandable out of context
52
53. Make your content SCANNABLE
Headline Examples:
Noun Verb
Italy buries first quake victims
Romania blamed over Moldova riots
Ten arrested in UK anti-terrorism raids
Villagers hurt in West Bank clash
Mass Thai protest over leadership
Iran accuses journalist of spying
53
54. Make your content SCANNABLE
Paragraphs
- First sentence should contain the main idea/message of the paragraph
- Subsequent sentences should contain content supporting the the main
idea/message in the first sentence
- Inverted Pyramid
- Use bullet points when writing lists
54
55. 3 Keys to Great Web Writing
Concise text
- Reduce the number of words. Fewest words that still gets the point across
Plain language
- Natural rather than subjective language. Pain language, not formal.
Scannable layout
- Headers, bullets, main idea in first paragraph, reverse pyramid
55
57. The Secret to Links
Three types of links
Descriptive
Action
Contextual
57
58. The Secret to Links
Descriptive
Describes the content you will see if you click on it
58
59. The Secret to Links
Action
Describes what will happen when you click on it
59
60. The Secret to Links
Contextual
Provides access to additional information about text inside of a paragraph
60
61. Exercise
3 Keys to Great Web Writing
Concise text
- Reduce the number of words. Fewest words that still gets the point across
Plain language
- Natural rather than subjective language. Pain language, not formal.
Scannable layout
- Headers, bullets, main idea in first paragraph, reverse pyramid
61
62. Exercise
Rewrite the provided text, using the techniques we have mentioned.
How to Become a Member or Associate
As a member or associate, you will become a partner in providing leadership and a unifying voice for higher
education.
First, download and complete the appropriate application form—Institutional (PDF) or Non-Institutional (PDF). If
you're not sure which application to complete, you can familiarize yourself with our opportunities and criteria for
involvement online or contact a member of our membership department for more information.
If you are a member of the business community, visit our web pages for The Alliance Program to learn more and
download an application.
Then, complete the application and return it us at the address or fax number listed at the bottom of the form.
Your institution or organization will be activated in the database and in our Members and Associates Directory.
Prepayment of dues is not necessary; an invoice will be mailed to you following the activation of your membership or
affiliation.
For additional information check our membership FAQ page or contact a member of our membership department.
62
63. Exercise
Possible Solution:
How to Become a Member or Associate
1. Download and complete the appropriate application form
Member (PDF) or Associate (PDF).
Which application should I choose?
2. Complete the application and return it us at the address or fax number listed at the bottom of the form.
3. Your institution or organization will be activated in the database and in our Members and Associates
Directory.
4. An invoice will be mailed to you following the activation of your membership or affiliation.
For additional information check our membership FAQ page or contact a member of our membership department.
63
Why? Because we all learned to write before this whole web thing began.Writing for the web is different than writing for print.The incentives are often to write MORE, not less.Authors are paid by the word/pageAcademic papers have to be a certain number of words, pages, etc.But, writing for the web properly is important because….
When people come to your site, they are looking for information.We measure usabilityFindabilityUndestandabilityHow you present your information will determine If your user can find the informationIf your user will understand your message – we’ll talk about messages a bit more later
con·cise/kənˈsīs/Adjective: Giving a lot of information clearly and in a few words; brief but comprehensive.
Fail to plan, plan to failPlans are worthless. But planning is everything.
use these personas to determine- what you will write- how you will write it - Editorial style guide is coming
What do you want users to know?What do users want to know?Crafting messages allows us to create a model for what we need to say.
You should map messages to your business objectives and user goals
We craft messages to inform our content creation.Messages are a strategy document to inform your writing.
It doesn’t matter how these are written, the verbiage doesn’t matter. The end user will never see these.Just capture the general idea, and use these as a tool for deciding when and how to write content
Primary Message: The single most important thing you want the user to learn. It should support a business objectiveSecondary Message: A group of key messages that extrapolate the primary message.Details: All the facts, data, anecdotes, philosophies that prove your messages.Call(s) to Action: What you want the user to do after they get your message
Each page on your site might contain multiple messagesWe need a way to envision what those message are, how they will work on the page before we begin constructing and writing the page.How do we do this?I said messages are strategy documents for content.Page tables are strategy documents for web pages.
The page table is terrific: it tells your writers exactly what needs to be on the page, how to say it, and what supporting materials need to go along with it.Great for About content, program/initiative information, topic discussions, etc.Not so great for e-commerce product descriptions, news sites, etc.
The page table is terrific: it tells your writers exactly what needs to be on the page, how to say it, and what supporting materials need to go along with it.Great for About content, program/initiative information, topic discussions, etc.Not so great for e-commerce product descriptions, news sites, etc.
This is actually not what Albert Einstein said.What he said was:“It can scarcely be denied that the supreme goal of all theory is to make the irreducible basic elements as simple and as few as possible without having to surrender the adequate representation of a single datum of experience.”
This is actually not what Albert Einstein said.What he said was:“It can scarcely be denied that the supreme goal of all theory is to make the irreducible basic elements as simple and as few as possible without having to surrender the adequate representation of a single datum of experience.”When you write content that is beautiful and meaningful, it becomes MEMORABLE.
Simple as possible, but not simpler.
Start with your headlinesThen move on to paragraphs, sentences and phrases
Active voice: the subject is doing the action“Steve loves Amy”Steve is the subjectAction is LovesObject is AmyPassive Voice:The target of the action gets promoted to the subject position“Amy is loved by Steve”
Formal, almost snooty language
Users don’t ONLY read
They scan until they identify trigger words that match the information that they are interested in.Then they read.This is why things like headlines are so important
SEO relies on headlines. Writing good headlines.Don’t try to be clever. Clever doesn’t help SEO, doesn’t help users scan, usually isn’t understandable out of context.
Talk about trigger words
- Don't burry the lead - Idea for "inverted pyramid" came from the invention of the telegraph - Western Union charged 1 cent per character - Technology shapes content
Global navigation, other text linksIt is important that the link include words that will give the user information about what they will see when they click on it.Tell the story of screen readers and links
Delete, edit, submit, add newIn the past, these were more associated with desktop applications.Since the web has become application friendly, we can use both the desktop button and the web link as actionsIt is the words used matters more than the form factor.
Works really well on a desktop sized screen and a mouse pointer.Not so good on a tiny touch screen.Should be kept to a minimum, no more than one per paragraph
