The first new listing in a few weeks arrived yesterday from Mike Jung at Saint Mary's College of California. Mike has just been hired there as Web Editor, College Communications.
Congratulations to Mike. You can ask him about his new position at mej3@stmarys-ca.edu or just send your own congratulations.
To see the full list, look under the Web Writing topic for the August 8 entry.
Is this my moderately advanced age showing?
This week I've been finishing the "Online Marketing Bootcamp" presentation for the University Continuing Education Association meeting next month in San Francisco. When I do presentations for special audiences, I always try to find examples from websites relevant to the audience. And that means I've been looking at a larger than normal number of continuing education and distance learning websites. That's about done now. Just over 100 slides for 3.5 hours on Web Writing, Web Advertising, Search Engine Possibilities, and Continuing Website Engagement.
More than a few websites have discovered podcasts. I presume that these are meant to engage prospective students when they visit.
I don't fall in either of the above categories, that's for sure. Particularly if I can barely hear the person talking to me. Minimal changes? At least put a picture of the person talking up on the web page. And do more testing of the volume level.
Blogs presented in web-friendly fashion, on the other hand, are pretty easy to read and the act of reading maintains engagement and reinforces memory of what's being read. When there's a photo of the person blogging, that's even better. This just might be why so many more web users read blogs than listen to podcasts.
By the way, so far the absolute champion for number of blogs at a single location must be the Wharton School where 55 MBA students write with varying frequency. And its pretty easy to scan the list and pick a couple to start with based on what they are studying and city or country of origin.
Go along to http://diaries.wharton.upenn.edu/ and see for yourself. Must be a pretty popular way for the MBA folk to take a break from their academic endeavors.
I've just finished updating my next "Writing for the Web" presentation, a 3 hour run in February for Academic Impressions. The session description is at https://www.academicimpressions.com/conferences/0207-brand-messaging.php
One section in the presentation highlights the virtues of employing people with direct marketing copywriting backgrounds to write for your website or to show others using your CMS how to best add new web content. And that took me back to a long series of tips from direct marketer Nick Usborne at his Excess Voice website.
If you're already a convert to direct marketing style or if you're open to conversion, then visit Nick's tips at http://www.excessvoice.com/web-copywriting-tips.htm The 39 vary in length and substance but all are easy to read and you can quickly scan the full list of titles for what most interests you.
From reviewing as many college and university websites as I do, three really stand out:
Title pages http://www.excessvoice.com/web-copywriting-tip29.htm (Follow these tips and you are very likely to increase your search engine visibility.)
Landing pages http://www.excessvoice.com/web-copywriting-tip7.htm (A reminder to focus clearly on the single action you want people coming to this page from your ad to take when they arrive. If you're disappointed with website conversions from advertising or "search" efforts, this is a "must read and remember" item.)
Long copy http://www.excessvoice.com/web-copywriting-tip44.htm (Every direct marketer knows that long copy isn't bad copy... only boring copy is bad copy. If you struggle about the best way to present information, be sure to read this one.)
You'll no doubt find other personal favorites here. Read well and write well. Your website visitors will thank you for it by spending more time on your website.
I had an email from someone recently reporting that the new web person at his college was happy. A new CMS had just been installed and the web leader expected that all would be well now in the world of new web content. But will it? How is that content going to be written and presented on the website? A CMS can be a great tool in the hands of someone how knows how write for the web. Or it can be a disaster in the hand of those who don't.
Can people on your campus use help in writing better web content?
Contact me at bob@bobjohnsonconsulting to bring a Writing Right for Web seminar to your campus. In a half-day session, we'll raise the skill level of everyone who attends and get them off to a fine start on making your web world a much friendlier place to visit.
A good Saturday morning to everyone. Leaving soon for the AMA Symposium for the Marketing of Higher Education. Reviewing the list of people signed for my Web Writing tutorial on Sunday, I've found another position for the growing list at the August 8 post at Laval University (Web Communications Manager).
And earlier in the week, Dan Lewis at SUNY Plattsburgh sent along an email note about his postion. Dan has been Web Editor at Plattsburgh since 2001 and that just might be close to a record for longevity.
So now when you visit the master list, you'll find 33 schools and titles waiting for you. Use them for leverage at your own place to get more resources moving in this important direction.
I didn't expect the item on web writing and web editors in today's Your Higher Education Marketing Newsletter to creat almost twice the clicks as the next most popular item, but that's what happened. And that's a great and good thing, demonstrating that more and more people realize the value that better preparation and presentation of content can add to the marketing impact of their websites.
And people have sent along the names of their schools to add to the list at the original August 8 posting. I'll include the new ones here, and also add them to the "master" list.
Here are four new schools sent along today:
Concord Academy, Web Editor
Hobart and William Smith Colleges, Web Editor
University of Denver, Web Editor (two positions)
University of Waterloo, Faculty of Environmental Studies, Web and E-Communications Coordinator
The position at Concord (in Concord, MA) has been approved and a search is in progress. Tara Bradley, director of communications, welcomes inquiries about the position. Contact her at tara_bradley@concordacademy.org for more information. Tara writes that "our greatest hurdle has ben finding someone with web writing skills."
I've just added another position to the growing list of people with "Web editor" and related titles to the original August 8 posting.
This one, at Drury University, came along on the registration list for the Aslanian Group seminar in Chicago in November. Carol and friends are doing a new focus with these Chicago and Orlando meetings, an emphasis on "New Techniques for Reaching Adult and Graduate Students" through Internet Marketing. We're very happy to see that the first Chicago event has sold out at about 100 people. The end of the month meeting in Orlando still has space available as registration builds.
One of my two presentations is "Writing Right for the Web," including some new examples selected for Carol's audience. If you recruit in these areas and haven't already seen the seminar content, you'll find it at http://www.aslaniangroup.com/
Excited today to be leaving soon for the University of Waterloo and an on campus presentation of Writing for the Web on Thursday. Should be a fine drive through Ontario this afternoon. Nearly 70 people are expected. It really is good to see the continued strong interest in improving content presentation to web visitors. Without that, Internet Marketing will not deliver the results we all expect from it.
Just back from the CASE Annual Conference for Publications Professionals, a wonderfully creative event in San Antonio where I did a version of my Writing for the Web session. Congratulations to co-chairs Nancy Bartosek (TCU) and Ron Lambert (Montana State University-Billings) for building a fine program.
A query to the audience resulted in two more positions to add to my earlier list of colleges and universities with web editor position. I've added both to the orginal posting that now includes 26 schools that have made a commitment to an this essential function.
If your school has or is searching to fill a position like this, let me know at bob@bobjohnsonconsulting.com. The more comprehensive this list becomes, the more valuable it is to those of you struggling to convince someone of the value of this investment.
Late this afternoon I started revising August's web seminar on Writing for the Web for a CASE session for publications professionals in October. And as often happens, minor tweaking turned into a substantial revision based on new examples found while doing competitive web reviews these last few weeks.
Pepperdine University does a great online annual report
Here are thoughts on the current state of web writing based on these recent reviews:
I've also revised the section on writing for more search engine visibility to put more emphasis on content elements that writers can influence without being technical wizards. The most important thing for search engine marketing is significant content rather than tech tricks. This session will cover that better than earlier ones.
You really should try Wordtracker
Everyone, for instance, can write better title tags for website pages and learn how to explore relevant key words. If you've never taken the free trial at Wordtracker, for instance, get right along to http://www.wordtracker.com/ and see how easy it is. If you decide the value is enough to pay a fee, you're looking at less than $200 a year to use it however often you want. That's a bargain.
If you'd like to spend a couple of fine days and evenings in San Antonio in the fall, come along to the CASE Annual Conference for Communications Professions that starts October 16. Details are at http://www.case.org/conferences/chfpub/frames.cfm
"What role does the website play within the context of the entire communication strategy, e.g. magazine, broadcast?" was the big picture question from Michele during the Academic Impressions web seminar last week...
The right strategy for university websites...
"That's truly a large question. And the answer depends in part on the audience and the nature of the engagement with you at a particular time. That said, it is best to assume that the website is the core of your communication strategy in more cases than not. It is very often the first place that people will come to learn things about you. Because of this, that's why websites need to (1) profide the information you know your most important visitors want, (2) enable asking questions about that information, and (3) provide a way to engage for ongoing contact (RSS feeds, newsletters, blogs, podcasts and such).
Everything that's important to advertise in any format and everything that is highlighted in publications should have a corresponding location on your website for people who want to follow up and learn more about what they have heard in your ad or read in your publication. Consider this rule of thumb: if it is important enough to advertise about or to feature in a publication, isn't it important enough to include in a substantive way on your website? The answer should pretty much always be 'Yes.' "
A new role for print publications...
I'll be talking more about this in my presentation at the TargetX "Recruiting Revolution" workshop in September in my session on "The Evolution of Publications in an Electronic World."
Print isn't going away anytime soon, but more and more today needs it needs to be developed as part of an overall communications strategy with your website at the center. Many universities already go through an elaborate and valuable process of determining what content to highlight in print to gain audience interest. Relatively few do the same to decide what content to highlight on their websites. Universities with a true marketing orientation will lead the way in changing that and others will follow.
Join me in Philadelphia to explore why magazines are hot and view books are not.
Register for "The Recruiting Revolution"
To see the entire program and to register for the "Recruiting Revolution" visit http://www.targetx.com/workshops/index.html
Here is another question from last week's web writing seminar for Academic Impressions.
If you've ever been to one of my web writing sessions, you know that I'm on a crusade to eliminate the practice of posting view books, alumni magazines, and annual reports on websites as PDFs if you have any expectation that a sane person is goint to read them in that format.
Take the test for yourself. If you want to see a full page, you have to view the image at about 50 percent of the full PDF size. If you want to read the text, you have to increase the size to 100 percent or more. And you have to keep doing this as you move through the view book or magazine. That's just nuts.
To top it all off, you probably paid good $$$ for the photography in the publication. In a PDF file, you usually can't see the full photograph as you are trying to read the text, or if you view the page small enough to show the full photo, you most likely can't see the detail in it.
The bottom line: just don't do it. If you are creating archives for posterity, OK. But don't post them in public where they become frustration points for someone who might be interested. Instead, repurpose the publication in a web-friendly format.
"Q: Is there merit in making pdf viewbooks available for those who want to print them and read later?"
Not in my mind. That's an incredible use of ink and only on the very best printers will the quality, especially of the photos, even be close to the quaiity in the original print version. If you want the view book to make the impression it was designed to make, send one in the mail. I just can't imagine that very many people, for instance, would want to print the Boston University view book from a website rather than have one in the mail."
For a good example of a publication done right for the web, see the Carleton University magazine at http://magazine.carleton.ca
My web writing seminar last Thursday for Academic Impressions went out to just over 120 colleges. From the three dozen or so follow-up questions a few seemed especially important and I'll repeat those here over the next few days.
"Q: what is the recommendation for the use of photos and other visual aids in text?
Photos and visual should not dominate the primary text content. Exceptions include things like showing the interior of dorm rooms in the appropriate places. But for the most part, think of visuals and photos as accent marks to primary content.Also follow a rule that works in print. If the photo image is small, don't make it an image of something that people have to squint or use a magnifier to identify. Check that Smith College photo again as a great use of a small photo as accent and the photo itself is a head shot that is easy to see. If that were a crowd or group shot, the value would be much less and might even be considered a "frustration point" that really weakens the page.
Also consider the option of allowing a visitor to see a larger version of a photo. That might be appropriate, for instance, on pages for athletic events. Just make sure that the photo retains detail when enlarged."
The perfect web page at Smith College
The Smith College page used in the presentation is one of the best I've ever seen on a college website to illustrate the value of being able to scan quickly from the primary headline to a connected subheading. You don't have to "read" a thing on this page to get the key message in a second. And the photo used is the perfect accent that breaks up the text without getting in the way of the message.
Mountains are moving when new position titles begin to emerge, reflecting the reality that websites are best viewed as publications and publications need editors and publishers and writers to make them work best. How many "web editors" existed two or three years ago? Not many, for sure.
Today, the landscape is changing. That's great news for anyone who uses websites regularly. Content is becoming more relevant. It is becoming easier to read. And it is becoming easier to engage in ongoing communication with the people who produce it. Higher education websites are coming alive.
To encourage the changes already taking place, I've created here a list of titles that emphasize copy and content in some way. The original list was built almost entirely from people who registered for my Writing for the Web seminars for CASE in February and for Academic Impressions in August. About 397 colleges and universities registered for one of those sessions. And that, my friends, is encouraging indeed.
If your college hasn't yet caught the spirit, best wishes that it will happen soon.
If your college should be listed here, send me the information at bob@bobjohnsonconsulting.com
Web editors, content managers, and more at 35 colleges and universities.
Ball State University, Web Managing Editor
College of Saint Benedict/St. John's University, Director of Electronic Communications
Colorado State University, Web Content Manager
Concord Academy, Web Editor
Connecticut College, Web Content Editor
Cuyahoga Community College, Web Editor
Drury University, Web Editor
Eastern Menonite University, Web Content Editor
Excelsior College, Web Content Administrator
Hobart and William Smith Colleges, Web Editor
Laval University, Web Communications Manager
Longwood University, Director of Web Communications
Mount Saint Mary's College of California, Web Editor, College Communications
Nazareth College, Web Content Editor
Northwood University, Web Content Writer
Princeton University, Web Editor
Sacred Heart University, Director of Web Content Management
Saint Anselm College, Managing Editor/Director of Web Publishing
Skidmore College, Alumni Web Editor
Stony Brook University, Web Content Coordinator
St. Edward's University, Web Editor
SUNY Plattsburgh, Web Editor
University of Denver, Web Editor (two positions)
University of Exeter, Web Editor
University of Louisville, Director of Web Communications
University of Missouri - Columbia, Director of Web Communications
University of Redlands, Web Publisher
University of San Diego, Electronic Publications Editor
University of Texas at Austin, McCombs School of Business, Web Editor
University of Waterloo. Faculty of Environmental Studies, Web and E-Communications Coordinator
University of West Florida, Web Content Manager
University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire, Online Editor
Washington and Lee University, Web Editor
William Paterson University, Web Information Manager
Yale University, Communications Web Editor
One on of the popular and important topics in my presentations over the past year has been "Writing for the Web," recently expanded to a new section on writing to improve visibility for search engines.
Start rewriting your text.
What comes through as strongly as anything else is a growing awareness that improving a website doesn't always mean a comprehensive redesign that can easily cost $150,000 and more, depending on the size of the website. Add to that the time involved and it isn't hard to see why people are also interested in things they can get started on right away and make meaningful improvement.
Take this simple step.
Visit each important page of your website. See how many of those pages present the visitor with a large block of single spaced text, possibly without even space breaks between paragraphs. That's one of the most intimidating things you can use to confront a web visitor. All but the most highly motivated will turn away.
Pay special attention to press releases, messages from presidents and deans, and even the way students present blog entries.
Now do this.
Rank the pages in priority order. Then start breaking long paragraphs into short ones that are not more than about 5 lines long. Then make sure that your sentences are short. In most cases, break long, complex sentences into short ones. Then go back and add at least one subhead visible when the page opens. Craft that subhead so that it flows naturally from the lead topic on the page. Continue adding subheads every few paragraphs.
If you have really important points in that text that you want to make sure make an impression on the visitor, present them as bullet points so that they are almost impossible to miss by someone who is going to quickly scan the content on your page. And if those bullet point topics are likely to be of high interest, link them to more information on the same topic elsewhere on your website.
Continue that process one page at a time through your website. Not long from now you are going to have many more happy visitors than you do now.
Remember this. You can't force anyone to read. Especially on your website. You have just a couple of seconds to deliver a key point that will capture a person's interest.
A perfect page at Smith College?
To see a page that I think is just about perfect in the way it communicates one single point, visit http://www.smith.edu/about_howsmithfeels.php and find out "How Smith Feels" in one quick glance.
Web writing seminar on your campus?
We had a great time at the University of Missouri-Columbia. We can have a great time on your campus. Ask me about web writing seminars at bob@bobjohnsonconsulting.com
Or join me in August for an online webseminar sponsored by Academic Impressions. Details at https://www.academicimpressions.com/web_conferences/0806-web-writing.php
That's all for now. More soon.