Future-proofing authors: The new rules of writing for the web. Confab London 2013

First a little story that starts back in 2001…

Thankfully, the web has changed a lot since then…

We are flexible and mobile

http://www.flickr.com/photos/tomas_sobek

Looking beyond the desktop

• Customers are consuming content differently.

• We are designing sites that work regardless of screen size.

• 1 in 3 of us would rather give up television than be deprived of our smart phone. (Our Mobile Plant: US, Google/Ipsos OTX, May 2012.)

Structured content is in

http://www.flickr.com/photos/oskay

Flexibility demands structure

• To make flexible websites we need content that’s structured.

• Structured content requires thought, consideration and long-term planning.

• People care about metadata again.

WYSIWYG is under siege

Breaking away from traditional ideas about ‘publishing’

• We can’t control how our content is going to be used.

• Our authors need to start writing for the chunk, not the page.

• Moving away from the reliance on the preview button.

The rise of the CMS has meant the demise of editorial control

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“In most situations, the decentralized publishing model has been disastrous. The people trained tended to be relatively junior staff, for whom publishing to the website was just one more responsibility. The result was lots and lots of poor quality content that was never updated or reviewed.” Gerry McGovern.

http://www.gerrymcgovern.com/new-thinking/decentralized-publishing-equals-amateur-web-management

The changing web team

• Writing has devolved out to the business areas.

• Some web teams have retained a content specialist, but many have not.

• A focus on operations rather than strategy means it is hard to make things different.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mikefats

Meanwhile, content has turned into a production line

Content is everywhere

• Publishing content is easy and isn’t restricted to the ‘website’ (think social media, knowledge bases, help desk info, libraries, call centre scripts, databases).

• Everyone is talking about content marketing.

• Customers expect to find the information they want, or they go elsewhere.

Head exploding yet?

© www.dirksbigbunnyblog.blogspot.com (used with permission)

But wait! What about our authors? You know, the people writing the content.

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Content is easy, people are messy

Managing and training teams of authors across an organisation is hard work

• Range of abilities and interest, means there is no one-size-fits all approach.

• Internal politics and silos take the focus away from long-term strategy.

• Competing interests, budgets and skills.

- Trent Walton on collaboration.

Future-proofing our authors. 5 new rules for writing for the web.

Rule 1: Everyone is an author Look beyond your CMS publishers

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Train the front line

• Get all publishers on board, not just the people with access to the CMS.

• Everyone should be looking for ways to do content better.

• Focus on front line staff – how do they use content and more importantly, how do your customers use content?

http://www.flickr.com/photos/quiltsalad

Rule 2: Someone needs to be in charge The rise of the content czar

“Not having a content czar means that teams run the high risk of reactive and ad hoc operations, with little focus on where to prioritize efforts.” Erin Scime, Razorfish.

Creating order from chaos

• Give someone editorial control.

• This person needs to be constantly looking for ways to improve the connection between content.

• It also means you can focus on teaching authors what they need to know to do their job well – not every single thing about content management.

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Rule 3: Content still has a soul Authors are your new brand ambassadors

Make your authors great brand ambassadors

• Clear tone and voice direction with examples.

• Metadata that helps with storytelling.

• Robot-ready content can still have a personality.

© Tourism Queensland

http://www.flickr.com/photos/stevensnodgrass

Rule 4: Mind your verbs Separating content from action

Watch out for tying content to action that’s specific to one type of context

• Use with care: hover, resize, hold, rotate, stretch, press, pan, scroll, swipe, zoom, select, drag, drop, surf, tap, click.

• Also think about: below, beside, above, to the left, to the right.

Rule 5: Create style at a micro level Keeping consistency across ‘chunks’

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Attention to detail counts

• Breaking content into chunks makes little inconsistencies more obvious.

• Applies to micro copy, calls to action, links, social media.

• Be clear on use of case, capitals, linking and tone.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/tsausawest

Also, use what’s in the pantry Some old rules are as important as ever

“There is no “how to write for mobile.” There’s only good writing. Period.”

Karen McGrane, Content strategy for mobile

Some things will never go out of fashion

• Planning, content briefs and copy decks (the perfect places to start applying structure).

• Get the point across quickly (the inverted pyramid still applies in this character-restricted world).

• Links and headlines are important (the ultimate decision makers).

A quick recap

The new rules:

1. Everyone is an author.

2. Someone needs to be in charge.

3. Content still has a soul.

4. Mind your verbs.

5. Create style at a micro level.

Continue the conversation

Sally Bagshaw

sally@snappysentences.com

@snappysentences