Liz Strauss at Successful Blog

Thinking, writing, business ideas … You’re only a stranger once.

How Do You Transition or Repurpose Content for the Web?

Filed Under Comments, Marketing, Successful Blog, Writing | 11 Comments

Don’t Endow Me

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Anyone who has had to give a demonstration, deliver a report, or teach a class knows the importance of tuning the information to the audience. Anyone who been to a class that involves learning software knows that students is likely to include folks new to the subject and the most savvy experts who want to refine their skills.

Sharing information with people is easier, more efficient, and more meaningful …

It’s hard to do these when we’re working with a group that is all in the same room. This problem becomes even more difficult on the web. Here, we’re tasked to share information meaningfully when we’re in a new genre and blind to the audience. We’re writing for an unknown number of people who could be from anywhere and know absolutely nothing on our subject or have significantly more experience than we do.

How Do We Write Meaningful Content for People We Can’t See?

Writing for the web gets easier when we realize the words carry a different load than words in print. Words online are lit and hit the eye differently. People access them with a different intent. It’s a different experience to read a device than to read a book. It’s different experience to read and respond to a blog than to read a newspaper and write an email back.

I’ve been repurposing content and publishing online and offline since the 20th century. Here are some tips about transitioning and writing content for the web.

Great titles, short paragraphs, small words, subheads for navigation, a learner’s voice, and content leveled and chosen by you as a partner with the audience <-- that's a formula for transitioning content to the web.

Have you repurposed content for the web? What have you found works best?

--ME "Liz" Strauss

Liz can help with a problem you're having with your writing, check out the Work with Liz!! page in the sidebar.

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Imitation

Filed Under Successful Blog, Writing | 12 Comments


“Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.”
Coined by Charles Caleb Colton in 1820 in his ‘Lacon.’

“Imitation” happens all the time on the web and is the source of much frustration for newspaper and other print media. The concept of “fair use” and “scraping the web” are terms mostly used when talking about copyright infringements for print media producers. The idea that citizen journalists can now report on news and other happenings with information taken from news sites it a disturbing phenomenon for many journalists to deal with, not to mention print media in general.

But is this type of imitation really flattering? Is this plagiarism? You’ve worked hard on your post. You’ve taken the time to think about it and possibly, do some research. You’ve carefully written and posted it on your blog. It’s your content based on your idea. Later , you discover through Twitter, or a friend that the very same content has been taken, copied and posted on someone else’s site! Sound incredible? It happens.

I’ve even seen it happen even on Twitter! We all know, or learn quickly (there is a LOT of twitter advice out there) the idea of the RT. You see something of value from someone else and you share. The RT is the attribution, the link back. Twitter has been called micro blogging - when you see something you’ve found and shared go by two seconds later from one of your followers with no RT, do you feel flattered by the “imitation”? I don’t.

I think it’s important to protect you work, your ideas, your content. The very idea of taking the time to think about, write and post your ideas deserves respect. That respect should allow you the right to not have your work copied without permission. Creative Commons is an excellent resource to help you with this. There are different licenses you can apply to your work that will protect it. A great resource for questions regarding this issue is Jonanthan Bailey, @plagiarismtoday on Twitter. He would be happy to discuss anything related to “imitation” with you.

Have you had experience with this and your writing? Do you see this as a problem?

from Kathryn Jennex aka @northernchick

photo credit: The Green Album

Seven Ways to Offer an Irresistibly Readable Blog to the Undecided Readers of Your Blog

Filed Under Marketing, Successful Blog, Writing | 18 Comments

Who Decides to Read Your Blog?

I went back to the archives to find, revise and expand, and bring this one back to you. The content is even more relevant now that the conversation has moved to so many locations and the noise is so much louder.

In just a brief one-twentieth of a second–less than half the time it takes to blink–people make aesthetic judgments that influence the rest of their experience with an Internet site.

–Kamakshi Tandon
REUTERS, Internet users judge Web sites in less than a blink
Jan. 17, 2006
Liz reading computer

We’ve got less than a blink to grab a reader’s attention. The reader clicks in. Looks. Decides and then . . . and then what? . . . Do they stay or do they leave? If they stay, did what they see lend our words more credibility or did it take some away?

Design, curb appeal, packaging — whatever you call it — it’s what brings customer-readers further into our businesses and our blogs. They recognize what works for them and what doesn’t. If it doesn’t, they’re gone so quickly that even our stats programs don’t know. Try the Blink Test if you want a baseline idea of what your readers are seeing before they blink.

What about reluctant readers, undecideds who decide to stay a little longer? What can we do to convince them to stay? Better yet, how can we turn them into fans?

Capturing the Attention of Reluctant Readers

Uber Reader Sign

In educational publishing, we use a euphemism, “reluctant readers.” It’s meant to describe kids who, rather than read, they turn away to find their inline skates or a shiny object online. To get those customer-readers engaged you don’t forget them, you off them something. As a product builder, they’re my favorite customers to write for and to write about.

Why am I talking about this when you write for literate adults? The interwebs offer so much that this information has become vitally important to every person who writes a blog. .

. . . You see, with no time and too much information to sort and process, we’re all reluctant readers and becoming so more and more. If you’re a skeptic, try reading the tax code –or any “have-to” document on your least favorite subject. You’ll wish that there were something more to see than long columns of endless text, something to break up the boring words.

If we want our customer-readers to stay long enough to hear what we’re saying, we need to offer an experience that’s irresistible. We’ve got to

Irresistible is all about the engaging the folks who come in all three ways above.

Reader Support as Part of Your Brand

Those kids we call reluctant readers leave their inline skates to read what they’re madly interested in — books on extreme sports and the latest gaming websites and blogs — if they’re made right. As educators, we keep them using the research that show us how to construct information so that they’re reading faster and with more satisfaction.

You can use that same educational research to engage your customer-readers. Brand your blog as a worthwhile source of quality content. It’s one more way, that you can make customer-reader support a resounding part of your offer.

  1. Tell the story of the information. Quality is essential, but know that quality information can’t carry the load. If people only want information sources are plenty. The story of the facts, your experience or response to them is only where you are. It’s the story that gives connects people to the information. Give your words and your blog life, appeal, and meaning and you’ll be most of the way there.
  2. Use sub-heads liberally. Sub-heads break the text into shorter bits. Subconsciously that not only tells me what this bit is about. It also says I only have to read this far and then I get to breathe again. Our brains like subheads. Search engines like them too. The keywords are guideposts that organize our thoughts.
  3. Use everyday words. Everyday words keep the reader moving forward. Big words make us stop to consider them. Think about it. The word use is a fine one, use it. Do you really mean utilize? Use keeps me going. Utilize makes me stop to wonder whether you mean something other than the what use would have said. Anything that stops a reader works against your message being heard.
  4. Use one or two pictures, images, art, and color to enhance your message. Place them with care where add value to the text. Put images where readers expect to find them. If you’re not sure ask a customer-reader to give you feedback on how you’re doing. Design seems easy, but it’s not.
  5. Take the time to write something short. The point here is to make every word count. Be lethal. Remove every word that you don’t need. It’s amazing how many extra words you can find when your quest is to go looking for them. A few sentences ago, I turned this into two posts instead of one.
  6. Use typographic cues, such as bold and italic, to show what’s important. Be consistent and try not to make everything important. If you use underlined text to show what is a link, don’t use an underline for anything else. If you make everything important, then nothing is.
  7. Show up to let folks know you want them there. Write with room for them to add their view. Consider the questions you ask them. When they take the time to respond, let them know that you heard. Take time to answer back with your thoughts and if you can, ask another question.

Each of these points are about helping reluctant readers access your message in the easiest most straightforward way. When you support me like that I feel like we’re both smart.

Ever read something that made you feel like the writer was saying something you always thought? . . . or something that just made you feel smart for reading it? Bet you went back to see what else that writer had to say . . . . These are just a few more ways to a fan.

What makes an irresistibly readable blog for you?

–ME “Liz” Strauss
Work with Liz!!

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Video Blogging - Try Something New

Filed Under Successful Blog, Writing | 8 Comments

Do you ever want to try something new with your blog? How about video blogging or vlogging? I’ve been thinking about it for a while. Every time I visit a blog where there are video posts my first reaction is always, “Wow that took courage.” There’s something very inviting, very personal that I like about it. It’s like a welcoming invitation to get to know someone a little better. Not unlike that message on Twitter that turns into a DM, then to an email exchange. And sometimes a phone call and, if you’re lucky, a face-to-face conversation.

The film person in me screams, “You need good lighting, you don’t have the right camera, etc. etc.” The vain part of me screams, “You don’t look on camera - you sound okay, but you look funny.” Truth be told, some people just do look better in front of the camera than others, but I when I settle into watching a good video post, it’s like good writing: I become engaged - I’m listening. Processing and thinking. So, having said that, here are a few hints that will help your video look better:

- First and foremost, be you. Don’t change the way you communicate just because there’s a camera on. For instance, if you need to laugh, use your hands when you talk, use a certain turn of phrase, do it. Be you.

- Think background - it matters. Point your camera at where you’ll be talking from, then stand behind the camera and have a look. It’s called setting the frame. Anything distracting there? It could be as simple as a picture on the wall, bulletin board with something flashy pinned on it, a mirror (always a definite no) or anything that causes your eye to drift from where you’ll be talking.

- Think lighting - it matters. If you’re using natural light streaming in from outside, uncover all those windows and let in as much as you can. Shoot a little test and see how it looks. You may have to change to get the best positioning for the optimum lighting advantage — lighting that makes you look good. If you need to add light, move some lamps, etc. around to get the best effect. Lighting from behind usually does not look the best. Light your face from the front, point a lamp at your face from beside the camera or on the floor in front of you. Move things around, experiment and play with it - have fun.

-Think sound - You really do need to have it quiet when you record. You can have a bad background and poor quality lighting and still have an ok post. If you have poor quality sound you have nothing. Viewers automatically disengage when they can’t hear. You can look like a rockstar but if they can’t hear you it doesn’t count for anything!

- Think timing - Most people watch videos that are between 3:00 and 4:00 long. After that, unless you’re giving an informational talk or doing an exercise video you lose people’s attention, sad, but it’s true. Think about a regular post you would write and how long it would take to read it. Maybe you’re doing a vlog as something special or just for fun. Stick to what you’re hoping to convey.

- Think articulation - If you’re nervous, you may have a tendency to rush your speech. Think about being clear and delivering your words effectively so others can make them out. This doesn’t mean drone on in a monotone. It just refers to being aware of how you are talking. Sometimes when speaking in public or on camera it’s helpful to think of reading a story to a child out loud . It helps to slow you down a bit.

Last but not least, have fun!

Have you tried a video blog? If you have, please leave a link — I’d love to check it out. I need inspiration too! If you haven’t, what’s stopping you?

from Kathryn Jennex aka @northernchick

6:00 - Vicky H on Writing for the Web

Filed Under Successful Blog, Writing | 59 Comments

The theme of SOBCon09 is the ROI of Relationships. Relationships with customers, employees, colleagues, coworkers, builders, contractors, developers, and CUSTOMERS — in the form of readers, buyers, clients, and others — are the success of any business.

How do we form the best relationships; bring our best to them; build environments that nurture them; and measure our success?

Join the Comment Box Conference. Ask questions. Discuss answers. Meet people in the comment box. Find out.

Vicky H

Vicky H explains the role of technology in parenting this way at her site, Remarkable Parents :
Our site will help you make better use of your precious time. We will help you become more organized and productive. This will enable you to be part of the conversation, instead of fighting it.

“Because … technology tools aren’t just for teens. Adults are using them to connect with each other, to learn new things, and to be more productive at home and at work!”

Technology is not going away and the web is not going anywhere. … Our kids, in this era, have never experienced life without computers. We have some catching up to do, and this is where Remarkable Parents comes in.

Vicky H will be talking about

Writing for the Web

Ask this remarkable mom your questions.

Vicky has worked in higher education field for more than 10 years experienced on both the academic side and the Information Technology/administrative side of the college. Vicky writes at Remarkable Parents where she shows parents how to keep with the technology that is part of their children’s world.
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