Recently in Writing Right for the Web Category

Writing Right for the Web: Carewords Quotes on Font Size and Content Density

We added an option for an open-ended question to Customer Centric Index (CCI) surveys about 9 months ago. That feature has been far more popular than anticipated. At least 50 percent and sometimes over 70 percent of the survey respondents answer this question:

• "If you could change one thing about our website, what would you change and why would you change it?"

And so hundreds of visitors to higher education websites are adding comments that expand on the regular survey statisitics. These web visitors come from a variety of audiences: alumni, future students, current students, faculty and staff, and parents. Whatever the background, their recommendations are remarkably similar.

Dense Blocks of Text Drive People Away

When people first come to a web page, they scan quickly in search of content that interests them. Dense blocks of text make that difficult, often impossible, to do.

You can't force people to read.

Every page on your website... every page... should include subheads and bullet points that quickly communicate the key points of the page in 5-seconds or less. Keep paragraphs to no more than 5 or 6 lines of text. Keep most sentences as simple as possible. Hint: If you have to use semi-colons, your sentence is getting too long.

The first paragraph on a page is an especially bad place to "go long" on content presentation.

In their own words, here are responses from some of our CCI survey takers:

• "Simplify the page content, because I'm coming to learn something in particular, rather than to read a book, per se. I like books, just not on web sites."
• "Easier to read with less paragraphs and more bullets."
• "Some of the pages have too many words on them."
• "There is too much plain text on the home page. It would be better to give brief explanations and have links for further information."

Font Size: Don't Make Them Squint... Give Visitors Control

This might seem really basic but many websites need to pay more attention to the size of the font  used to present content in the center of the page. Of course, different people can reasonably prefer different font sizes. One solution: an easy-to-see tool that lets visitors increase or decrease the font size on whatever page they are reading.

• "Have bigger print, because the print is a little too small right now. It is harder to read with small print."
• "I would make the font size a little bigger because my friends and I have to look close on the screen."
• "Some of the font is too small and should be enlarged."

Especially for Mobile Websites

Everything here about content density and font size is even more important on mobile-friendly websites that people will access from small screens on their smartphones.

That's all for now.

Alumni magazines in the social media world: can they survive Facebook? 

Given the short attention span to most tweets (at least for mine... bit.ly tracking shows that most things get noticed in about 5 to 10 minutes or not at all), I always pay close attention to anything that breaks the norm and continues to draw interest over an extended time.

One of those this week has been a link to a report in the NY Times re the challenge for alumni magazines to retain interest in the social media era. In "College Alumni Magazines Struggle to Compete with Facebook," the NYT notes that young alumni have little patience with "password protected sites" that restrict the immediacy of posting information similar to what's in the popular class notes section of printed and online alumni magazines.

So far, 8 people have done RTs on the original tweet and 67 people have followed the link since June 15. That includes readers in Canada, Finland, Australia, the U.K. and four "other" countries besides the U.S.

Controlling the "privacy" of class notes at Colgate University

The reason most often given for restricting immediate posting of class notes is privacy. Without some form of screening, how can anyone know that an item about a particular person is indeed coming from that person? In the social media era, the answer is that you can't.

At Colgate University, for instance, a 2000 graduate who wants to submit a class note to the online magazine sends it by email to a member of the class who has, presumably, volunteered to do the screening. That step preserves the "walled garden" approach that keeps rabbits from eating the plants. But in the social media world, the rabbits have other places to play. Why worry about a wall when you can just hop to another garden without one?

Colgate alumni at the official FB site

Compare that to the Colgate University site on Facebook, where 6,216 people "like" what's happening. Visit soon and note the update from alumnus Andy Krulewitz that includes a link to a new YouTube video about his recent trip to Europe, comments re the last alumni reunion event, and an invite from a local restaurant to stop for breakfast. Colgate on FB is a lively place.

As the NYT notes, alumni magazines and their expensive budgets exist in no small part to maintain alumni engagement that leads to alumni donations. How much will this role change over the next 10 years?

That's all for now 

Social Media Empire: University of Chicago Magazine is (Almost) Everywhere

Regular readers know that I've long featured the University of Chicago's alumni magazine as an early and excellent example of moving a print publication to online status without using a PDF format or some form of "flip" technology. It has been included in every presentaton of "Writing Right for the Web" for at least 3 years.

The May-June issue of the magazine is online now.

When you visit, you'll likely see entry points at the bottom of the front page to the social media world. The magazine isn't only online at a traditional website, it has extended itself into Twitter, Facebook, Flickr, and YouTube.

Check each one to get the full flavor of how the magazine is integrating itself into the social media world:

• Twitter: Daily tweets (2800+ so far) go regularly to 1300+ followers at http://twitter.com/UChicagoMag
• YouTube: 18 videos since early 2009 at http://www.youtube.com/user/uchicagomagazine
• Flickr: 705 photos since March 2009 at http://www.flickr.com/photos/uchicagomagazine/

And how about the social media giant at Facebook?

• Since starting the site in January 2009, the magazine has gathered 432 people who "like" the site at http://www.facebook.com/uchicagomag

Prefer an email newsletter?

If you don't find a favorite way to stay connected here and prefer the "old media" world of email, you can also sign for a bi-weekly email newsletter. Check the archives at http://magazine.uchicago.edu/uchicago/index.shtml

In the Future?

Is there an app for this? I haven't asked directly but let's not be surprised to find an app for University of Chicago coming for the iPad and similar mobile devices in the future if they continue to grow in popularity.

Stay tuned.

That's all for now 

Web Writing... some progress but not nearly enough

On Monday this week I sent off my updated "Writing Right for the Web" presentation for the upcoming webinar on April 20 with Academic Impressions. Having done these for about 4 years now, I took a trip down memory lane back to the original one. Here are a few key points that stand out from then until now.

Print publications to online versions

• My wish that PDFs for alumni magazines, annual reports, and admissions viewbooks woujld vanish from higher education websites has not made nearly as much progress as I'd hoped for. Some change has taken place. Magazines are online now using WordPress and that's a great step forward.
• One of my favorites from The Johns Hopkins University is always worth a visit, especially as you can compare with a "flip technology" version that's also available when you scroll to the bottom of the online magazine page. The Carleton University magazine is another long-time leader in this area.
• Flip technology is often substituted for PDFs to no great advantage. Visitors still have to increase initial page size to read text. The two reasons I hear most often for a "flip" approach: (1) it is quick to do and (2) it shows the original print design on the web the way the design person intended it to look. I can understand the logic of the first when resources are slim. The second makes no sense at all.
• One of my long-time favorites, a "blogazine" at Mount Holyoke College, is gone from the April webinar as it has been replaced by a new "flip" version.

Other points to note:

• Blocks of dense text still appear often, especially in welcome statements from deans and presidents and in academic program descriptions. Time with a cursor to limit paragraphs to 5 or 6 lines and add white space between paragraphs would help a lot.
• "Don't make them squint" is a maxim not followed often enough. See a nice use of type at University of San Francisco to introduce brand elements at the start of a page. 
• The ability to let visitors adjust font sizes themselves hasn't spread much. I'm still using my original example from East Stroudsburg University. 
• Language remains overly filled with jargon beloved within higher education but not so common outside academe. A recent example was the words "Articulation Agreements" rather than "Transfer Agreements" on the title of a page prepared not for a Registrar's conference but for potential transfer students.

The "5 second rule" is most important:

• You have about 5 seconds to capture someone's interest when they arrive at one of your web pages. Take longer than that and people will simply leave the page and perhaps your entire website if you violate that rule on the page they start at.
• Make a list of your web pages that are visited most often by new visitors to your site. Compare the bounce rates (percent of people leaving without going anywhere else on your website) on those pages. When the bounce rate is over 35 percent you have a "first impression" problem that needs fixing.

That's all for now 

Web content editors... 500+ to train and learn from

Early in November I traveled to Denmark to the J.Boye Aarhus 2009 conference in Aarhus for a presentation on "Rating Higher Education Websites: The Student Experience" that's posted now at my SlideShare site.

Rie Zimmer Rasmussen, web coordinator in the project office at University of Southern Denmark (17,000 students in 5 major academic areas), joined me to outline how that university works with more than 500 "web editors" throughout the university to achieve visitor-friendly web content. My first impression: this was a more organized program than any I've seen here in the United States.

Review the complete web management system

The university enjoys a well-structured web management system. Rie has sent a 6-page PDF that outlines it. You can read online or download a copy from SlideShare.

What first attracted me was the plan to improve the skills of the web editors and the recognition that doing this throughout the University was an essential part of building an effective website.

Web editors learning together

Web editors are not full time. Rie notes that "at least" 70 percent of their work time is spent on other tasks. Editors have access to the CMS, but not without training. The flexible program allows for different existing skills on the part of people about to become web editors.

• First step often is an introduction by a local "web coordinator" in the area where the web editor will work, including web content guidelines.
• An alternative option (sometimes combined with the coordinator's intro) is a 6-hour basic course offered about 6 times a year for up to 10 people at a time. Content of the course is outlined near the end of the SlideShare document.
• A "web editor's workshop" is offered as an advanced course for people who are already working with the CMS. Content is set with the participants and might include anything from stucture/navigation, graphics, text, search engine optimization and more.

Two key (and obvious?) lessons

First, it takes many people to keep a website up-to-date for the people who use it and they will benefit from a structured program that gives them the skills needed at the start.

Second, it makes great good sense to plan a way for people to share what they've learned and to identify new areas where additional training is needed. The advanced course can meet that need.

How about your university? What would it take to implement a web editors program like this? If you have something similar, let me know in an email to bob@bobjohnsonconsulting.com

Next J.Boye Conference in Philadelphia

The next conference for those who work on websites is in Philadelphia, May 4-6. A higher education track is included and there is extra value is meeting people building better websites from areas outside the college and university sector. Check the program as it develops. 

That's all for now.

• Join me on Twitter at http://twitter.com/HighEdMarketing
• Subscribe to "Your Higher Education Marketing Newsletter" at http://www.bobjohnsonconsulting.com/ 

Web Content Coordinator Postion

Time for another addition to the list of position descriptions for web content editors and similar spots. Today's comes from a 2-year SUNY college. Applications are being taken now. If you're interested, visit the original listing at SUNY Orange.

More than 12 other descriptions are here on the blog.

From "Duties in Brief":

• "Managing a strategic web editorial program" from the Advancement area.
• A "primary focus" on "information content, site currency, and visual design."
• "Oversight" of social networking communication strategy.
• "The ideal candidate will possess superior writing and editing skills and a keen eye for compelling visual design."

Among the "Qualifications":

• "A proficient knowledge of HTML, social networking platforms, and web accessibility standards, as well as demonstrated proficiency in MS Office Suite and PhotoShop."
• "A working knowledge of Dreamweaver and Flash software programs."
• "An ability to analyze web traffic data and an understanding of CSS and Fireworks software programs."
• At least a bachelor's degree; master's preferred.

Salary: Minimum of $39,000.

If you don't yet have a position like this on your campus, keep pleading, praying, and proposing. Despite scarce resources, or perhaps because of them, web content is getting more attention than ever before as print publications are moved online. 

New Writing Right for the Web Webinar 

Web Writing... Direct Action Calls Increase Results

Web writing that includes a clear call to action brings more results than words that do not. Direct marketers have known for decades that when you tell people to do what you want them to do, more people will do it if they are at all inclined to take the step. Works online and everywhere else.

Gerry McGovern, Customer Carewords founder and partner, sent along another example of that this morning.

4 Steps to Increase Conversions from 4.7% to 12.81%

Dustin Curtis wrote on his blog about his success in gathering more Twitter followers with relatively slight but clear changes in the wording. Here are the various efforts and the improved conversion from various renditions:

• "I'm on Twitter"... 4.7%
• "Follow me on Twitter"... 7.31%
• "You should follow me on Twitter"... 10.09%
• "You should follow me on Twitter here"... 12.81%

Pretty clear results that will work for much more than Twitter followers. Note the boost from adding "here" to the list. While "here" isn't needed in every text link, more marketers should use it when making specific calls to action like this. Create a right column web design that makes the call to action prominent on the page.

Carleton University Alumni Magazine Gets It Right

The Carleton University alumni magazine gets it right with a strong call to "Interact!" that's highly visible in the right hand column of the online magazine. I've been including this in my "Writing Right for the Web" presentations for years. The Curtis results suggest that Carleton might benefit from a change to "Interact here!"

"Writing Right for the Web" in December 

I'll be adding the Curtis example and more new content to my next "Writing Right for the Web" webinar with Academic Impressions on December 8. Review the content now and register right here.

That's all for now.

• Join me on Twitter here at http://twitter.com/HighEdMarketing
• Subscribe to "Your Higher Education Marketing Newsletter" at http://www.bobjohnsonconsulting.com/ 

WordPress for "Very Readable" Web Content at Charleston Southern

After the recent blog post here about Alfred University and The Johns Hopkins University using WordPress to format magazines for online reading, John Strubel, director of integrated marketing at Charleston Southern University, sent along this note that's worth repeating:

• "Wordpress offers a nice selection of 'magazine' style formats. It's very readable and easier to navigate than the pdf providers. I encourage any university relations/development department to consider the cost-effective options. We've also been able to connect to archives and cross-promote other online publishing platforms, etc."

Charleston Southern had indeed made a strong entry in what those of us fond of online reading can only hope is a growing movement. Really folks, the effort is well worth it to get results like this that are far better than anything I've yet seen using a "flip" tech approach.

Love your readers. Don't just "flip" the print version of your magazine to your website. 

Read the current issue of "CSU Magazine" and see for yourself.

Web Writing Webinar in December

Join me December 8 for my next "Writing Right for the Web" webinar. Check the outline and register soon.

That's all for now.

• Join me on Twitter at http://twitter.com/HighEdMarketing
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Writing Right for the Web: Online Magazines in Blog Format

The discussion/debate continues among those responsible for website content: quite a few favor a "flip" technology solution to get printed publications online. Proponents note that creating a "flip" book from a print publication like an alumni magazine is easy to do. And some add that it replicates the original print design in the new online format.

Fortunately for people who actually might want to read online publications, there is another school of thought that says "flip" techniques create something that is just not reader friendly on a website.

Since my first "Writing Right for the Web" session about 4 years ago, I've taken a clear stand on this one: PDFs and flip techniques are an evil way to place things online if we really expect people to read them.

Alfred University, The Johns Hopkins University

And in that spirit, recognition should go to those who move in a different direction, Each of these examples uses blog software (Wordpress in this case) to create an interesting, entertaining, and readable online magazine. 

• The Alfred University magazine at http://alfredmagazine.alfred.edu/
• The Johns Hopkins magazine at http://magazine.jhu.edu/

You'll note, of course, that these two universities are quite different in size and resources. Where there's a will, there's a way, is there not? 

Congratulations to the responsible people at Alfred and Johns Hopkins.

And if you have people on your campus interested in learning more about "Writing Right for the Web," invite them to join you at my next webinar on December 8. Read the content outline and register soon.

That's all for now.

• Join me on Twitter at http://twitter.com/HighEdMarketing
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Web content: What role for "flip" technology in moving print publications to the web?

Two unrelated events are driving increased interest in moving print publications online:

• Growing pressure to reduce print production costs.
• Increasing preference for getting information from online sources.

Perhaps that's what generated a June discussion among higher education web developers on on the virtue of "flip" technology to move print publications to an online format.

The discussion started with a question about Issuu's product, which isn't the only technology available to make this move. The original question, from Brian Page at Springfield College, brought 24 replies from 13 people.

People weighed in with pros and cons. If you've ever been at one of my "Writing Right for the Web" sessions, you'll know why I think that Paul Dempsey at Dickinson College got right to the heart of things:

• "At the risk of sounding like a curmudgeon...Has anyone actually tried to read a magazine or article posted in this format? I don't find it usable at all. The display looks exciting, and it's a neat way to show what a publication looks like (particularly in terms of design). But I don't think it makes sense to take something designed for one medium and try to force it into another. The two or three column format of most publications, for example, doesn't translate at all to the web, where a single column of text works better."

Experience both print publications online from "flip" technology and publications prepared as Dempsey recommends and decide for yourself from the two collections included here.

Publications Using "Flip" Technology

This group of links to "flip" publications was sent by people who participated in the web developers discussion: 

• http://www.terp.umd.edu/spring2009.html
• http://www.sage.edu/publications/crossroads/spring09/
• http://www.flash-view.com/pub/ebooks/8968c7965e/view_book.html
• http://jamesmadisonuniversity.v1.myvirtualpaper.com/MadisonMagazine/2009031201/en/?
• http://issuu.com/umson/docs/university_of_maryland_nursing

Publications in Web-Friendly Format

Here is a varied group of publications from my Link of the Week selections:

• http://www.terp.umd.edu/
• http://www.risd.edu/undergraduate/Default.aspx
• http://www.alumnae.mtholyoke.edu/blogs/blog/mount-holyoke-alumnae-quarterly
• http://www.publicaffairs.ubc.ca/annualreports/2008/profiles.php
• http://magazine.uchicago.edu/
• http://magazine.carleton.ca/

Note that Terp magazine from the University of Maryland is available online in more than one format. You won't find a more direct comparison than that.

The really good news? None of the web developers recommended a practice that's still more common than it should be: just converting the print piece into a PDF and placing that online. PDFs have their place for online content, but it isn't with long, multi-colored viewbooks, annual reports, and alumni magazines like those listed here.

Happy reading!

That's all for now.

• Join me on Twitter at http://twitter.com/HighEdMarketing
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