I didn't agree with every example, but this book did exactly what I want all marketing/social media books to do: GIVE EXAMPLES! LOTS OF EXAMPLES!
The I didn't agree with every example, but this book did exactly what I want all marketing/social media books to do: GIVE EXAMPLES! LOTS OF EXAMPLES!
The only thing that would have made this a stronger read were if there was a clear thumbs up or thumbs down next to each example, so that you knew before reading it whether it was an example of a successful social media post or a failed one.
Weird Tidbit
The "Like" button was originally supposed to be called the "Awesome" button. ...more
I have a major crush on Common Craft and what they're able to do with a bit of paper, some markers and a video camera.
The book fell a little short foI have a major crush on Common Craft and what they're able to do with a bit of paper, some markers and a video camera.
The book fell a little short for me in comparison to the , but I jotted down a handful of ideas that will help me "sell" the library's new website, so yay! ...more
Already a bit outdated, as this was published pre-Facebook timeline, but the basic principles still apply: Be responsive. Be human. Be conversational.Already a bit outdated, as this was published pre-Facebook timeline, but the basic principles still apply: Be responsive. Be human. Be conversational...
Nothing I hadn't read before, but served as a good reminder.
This book essentially dissects the process of website creation, clearly defining every element that goes into planning and implementing a website. ThiThis book essentially dissects the process of website creation, clearly defining every element that goes into planning and implementing a website. This would have provided an invaluable visual map during our last website redesign. Rather than a tangled ball of yarn, I can now see all of the wheels and cogs fit together in a logical manner.
It seems that, of the five planes of the user experience development process (the surface plane, the skeleton plane, the structure plane, the scope plane and the strategy plane), I am most interested in the skeleton plane (i.e. navigation, interface and information design) and the structure plane (information architecture).
I might have to own this book.
Favorite Quotes:
If your site consists mainly of what we Web types call "content" - that is, information - then one of the main goals of your site is to communicate that information as effectively as possible. It's not enough just to put it out there. It has to be presented in a way that helps people absorb it and understand it. Otherwise, the user might not ever find out that you offer the service or product they're looking for.
Habit and reflex are the foundation for much of our interaction with the world...
If it involves providing users with the ability to do things, it's interface design...If it involves providing users with the ability to go places, it's navigation design...If it involves communicating ideas to the user, it's information design.
Making your interface consistent with others that your users are already familiar with is important, but even more important is making your interface consistent with itself.
An interface that gives a small number of extreme cases the same weight as the needs of the vast majority of users ends up ill-equipped to make either audience happy.
Presenting a style on your web site that's inconsistent with your style in other media doesn't just affect the audience's impression of the site; it affects their impression of your company as a whole.
[Information architecture] draws on a number of disciplines that historically have been concerned with the organization, grouping, ordering, and presentation of content: library science, journalism, and technical communication, among others.
[Information architecture and interaction design] are about understanding people, the way they work, and the way they think....more
I truly have no understanding of the different roles people play and the different workflows that exist within large firms that handle the creation ofI truly have no understanding of the different roles people play and the different workflows that exist within large firms that handle the creation of web sites & web presences. (Information architecture, user experience design, graphic design, programmers, etc. They're all a mystery to me.) That was my biggest problem while reading through this book. I think the 2-person team I work in makes it hard to think of the different roles that could be played if we had more manpower.
Nonetheless, this book was helpful.
Favorite Quotes/Tidbits:
Your brand is what users think and feel about your organization.
Whatever brand characteristics your organization chooses, the way in which your messages are delivered - your online tone of voice - makes an enormous difference in the way your users perceive your organization and your messages...Voice and tone are the most flexible components of your brand.
To write truly effective web content, a writer needs to care deeply about - and take responsibility for - helping online readers find information and complete tasks.
The web writer's mission? Useful, usable content that's also enjoyable. It's her job to begin a conversation with the reader that results in mutually beneficial outcomes all around. A problem solved. An article found. A connection made.
Provides extremely practical advice on how to write with more impact, including examples and writing exercises to help bring home each point.
I wish IProvides extremely practical advice on how to write with more impact, including examples and writing exercises to help bring home each point.
I wish I'd had a whole semester in college devoted to the study of this book. Darn Roy Peter Clark for waiting to publish this until 2006. Darn me for being old....more
Though I think this offers some useful tips, the tone is very much that of a salesperson who is trying to maShould have requested the newer edition...
Though I think this offers some useful tips, the tone is very much that of a salesperson who is trying to manipulate people to do what s/he wants. I know that this tone turns me off, and I imagine it does for others as well. If you're going to manipulate people, you should be less obvious about it!
Useful tips:
Write editorial headlines instead of advertising headlines: 9 Facts You Must Know about Hair Products vs. Buy This Hair Product Now! (People come to the web first for information and facts, then to buy.)
Always give a reason why your reader should do something.
Offer a "What's in it for me?" sentence, such as "Intel's new microprocessor for mobile PCs has a speed of 2GB, which means that you can play online games wherever you go."
To build headlines: arouse curiosity ("Words that Command People to Do Your Bidding"), begin with the word "how to", ask a question or use the imperative voice ("Land a better job.")...more
A good introduction for how to write more effectively for the web.
Especially liked the concept of finding your patrons/users/clients "carewords". I aA good introduction for how to write more effectively for the web.
Especially liked the concept of finding your patrons/users/clients "carewords". I am still struggling to get an idea of what patrons care about and how they would describe it in words.
Wish there were a newer edition, however.
Useful advice:
-Read every page of your website at least every 12 months. -Define your customers carewords and then use them in your content. -Use "you" instead of "we". Be sure that all of your content is written from the point of view of your customer. -Create reader "personas" and write content for them. -Make sure your content is caring, compelling, clean, complete, concise and correct. -The top left, first half of the first sentence in a paragraph is the most important. The first sentence of the second paragraph is the second most important. -End content with a call to action. ...more
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