Transcript Making Your Content Count

Making Your Content Count
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An Invitation to Your Audience
Nancy DuVergne Smith
MIT Alumni Association Editorial Director
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How Do Readers See?
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F-shaped eye scans
What Do Readers See?
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Eyes seek text first
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Images are secondary
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Headlines
Summaries
Navigation
Captions
Medium to large photos hold attention.
Small photos and thumbnails do not.
EyeTrack07 Key Findings
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People read more online than in print
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77% online; 62% broadsheet; 57% tabloids
Alternative story forms—Q/As, bulleted
lists— attract more attention that paragraphs
Photos of real people doing real things get
more attention that staged photos
Source: http://eyetrack.poynter.org/
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How Do We Know?
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Research tracks users
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Poynter Institute-Stanford University
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Web usability guru Jacob Nielsen
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Eye-tracking study
Credibility guidelines
User experience
Web Style Guide, Yale Center for Advanced
Instructional Media
Why Is Web Viewing Behavior
Different from Print?
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Limits of screen loads
Poor screen resolution
Lost scent of information
25% slower reading online
Why Should We Care?
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Web = professional front door
Global reach
24/7 availability
Accurate and timely information
Matches audience needs
Provides a web of information
Why Use Writing Guidelines?
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"The main ideas keep popping out at you.
Boom. It's very easy to follow."
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Nielsen found that concise writing, objective
language, and scannable text improved usability
by 159% in satisfaction, task time, task errors,
and memory.
Source: http://www.useit.com/papers/webwriting/rewriting.html
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Online Writing Style
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Web Style Guide recommendations
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Concise, not verbose
Factual, not vague
Cultivate a voice
Think globally
Example: http://web.mit.edu/mitpep/asp/index.html
Source: http://www.webstyleguide.com/style/online-style.html
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Using Microcontent Strategically
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Readers look at headlines first.
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Links should identify actual content.
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Begin each page with a headline
Use subheads every three to four paragraphs.
Avoid generic “click here.” Instead use actions or key words, such
as “Sign up for online services” or headlines.
Write captions for photos.
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Readers do see captions, sometimes before the images.
Example: http://www.nytimes.com/
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Headline Style
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Headline style
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Down style
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Initial caps for key words in the headline
Cap first word of subheads
Avoid all caps
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Perceived as shouting
10% slower to read
Example: http://emailuniverse.com/ezine-tips/?id=1094
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Sentence Style
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Start with the subject ~ SVO
Use a dynamic, active verb
Limit sentences to 15-25 words
Limit paragraphs to two-three sentences
Use concrete, familiar words
Example: http://storybank.stanford.edu/story.php?id=96
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Attractive Web Images
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Images related to page content
Real people, smiling at the reader
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Single face
Small groups where faces are distinguishable
Items a reader might want to buy
Source: http://www.poynter.org/column.asp?id=31&aid=103505
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How Do We Bring This Home?
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Fresh site, fresh content.
Focus on audience needs.
Make your ideas pop by using the MITAA
Web Content Style Guide.
MITAA Web Content Style Guide I
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Web writing should be clear, concise, and
engaging.
Writing tone should be conversational.
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Mostly use third person (he/she)
Second person (you) or direct address works for
limited, informal use.
Only use first person (I/we) with an acknowledged
author.
MITAA Web Content Style Guide II
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Headlines should top every page; long
articles need subheads every three-four
paragraphs.
The lead—an inverted pyramid paragraph—
should deliver the main point of the page's
contents.
Sentences and paragraphs should be short
and focused.
MITAA Web Content Style Guide III
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Top level pages should be sticky—fresh
content should be added on a regular basis.
Write captions for photos.
Use photos to tell a story or illustrate an
event.
Set up photos with small groups so faces are
visible; avoid lineups if possible.
Transitioning Our Web Pages
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Example: Profile of Eric Mibuari ’06
http://alum.mit.edu/ne/noteworthy/profiles/mibuari.html
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Microcontent checklist:
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Headline?
Subheads?
Summary/Inverted Pyramid Lead?
Caption?
Midsized photo with face?
Conversational tone?
Short sentences and paragraphs?
Transforming Headlines
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Noun phrase
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Gerund phrase – verb+ing
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Educating Executives
SVO – subject-verb-object
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Executive Education
Executives Bring New Knowledge Back to Work
Headline Writing Exercise
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Write a new headline for the ALC page:
http://alum.mit.edu/ne/alc/index.html
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Headlines:
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Use an active verb
Capture the gist
Make sense independently
Run eight words or less
Inverted pyramid
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An inverted pyramid paragraph presents the
main idea immediately
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Most news leads use the inverted pyramid style
Summarize or present the conclusion
Why, what, when, where, and why
Which paragraph is an
inverted pyramid?
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Even those enriched by U.S.
tax law generally
acknowledge that it's a
pitiable mess. Devoid of
underlying principles and
with provisions variously
inspired by noble purpose,
opportunism, and outright
bribery, it's a labyrinth that
annually absorbs billions of
unproductive dollars in
advice, preparation, and
enforcement.
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U.S. tax law is generally
acknowledged as a pitiable
mess, even by those it
benefits. Tax law is devoid of
underlying principles and
shaped by both noble
purpose and opportunism.
Annually this labyrinth
absorbs billons of
unproductive dollars in
advice, preparation, and
enforcement. The solution?
A universal transaction tax.
How Are We Going to Get There?
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Web Redesign Content Team Support
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Content Inventory assignments
Image galley development
Content partners work with
area managers
Editing and feedback
Content Resources
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MITAA Web Content Style Guide: server location ~
\\Addsalum\assocsrv\PUBLIC\Work Area\AA Web Redesign
2007\Content and Style\Web Style Guide
Making Your Content Count: http://web.mit.edu/ndsmith/www/
Web writers resources (Nancy):
http://members.aol.com/nancyds/resources.html
Poynter Institute: http://www.poynter.org/
Jacob Nielsen: http://www.useit.com/
Web Style Guide: http://www.webstyleguide.com/
Stanford Credibility: http://credibility.stanford.edu/guidelines/
Contentious: http://www.contentious.com/