I am not a comics nerd (I don’t think my Archie obsession as a kid holds muster), though I have befriended many — and married one. So while I’ve never sniffed at comics and graphic novels as child's play, I didn’t fully realize the complexity of the form until I picked up a copy of Scott McCloud’s seminal text, Understanding Comics, in which he explains many principles of visual communication and what makes comics tick. I had heard of the book … [Read more...]
Editorial Style for Inline Links
June 1, 2011 by
The power of the web is its ability to connect, or link, people with ideas and information. Inline links — links within a body of text — enhance usability and comprehension by enabling readers to find valuable information, made relevant by the surrounding content. However, links are not made valuable by "click here." Without an editorial plan for using inline links appropriately, your greatest usability asset can become … [Read more...]
What Does Your Legacy Content Say About You?
May 31, 2011 by
Remember that timeline you created for the sesquicentennial? Or that page with thumbnail profiles of students engaged in public service? How about the photo gallery of new campus buildings... that happens to be missing the two dorms built last year? Sometimes, content that we create -- whether because a higher-up suggested it, because the idea struck us on a slow summer afternoon or because of a content plan that later goes awry -- ends up … [Read more...]
What’s the Right Content for the Job?
May 26, 2011 by
"We should do a video." "We need more photos with this article." "The site is sparse; we should add a few more pages." How many times have we heard such suggestions? Well-meaning, surely, but not necessarily in the best interest of our goals or our users' needs. If you think about it, it's kind of like saying, "We need more hamburgers" without considering whether our audience is hungry or thirsty, let alone whether or not they're … [Read more...]
This Must Be the Place
May 20, 2011 by
Location-based services (LBS), writes Leen Jones, offer a powerful way to take our content marketing on the road, engaging users with content that is relevant to their physical location. Rick wrote last month about the importance of planning for the context in which content is consumed, and LBS is a prime example. She cites North Carolina State University's customized location-based service On Campus as an example of this, helping members of the … [Read more...]