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 … [Read more...] about Web Content Insights Through ‘Understanding Comics’
content strategy
Editorial Style for Inline Links
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 … [Read more...] about Editorial Style for Inline Links
What Does Your Legacy Content Say About You?
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 … [Read more...] about What Does Your Legacy Content Say About You?
What’s the Right Content for the Job?
"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 … [Read more...] about What’s the Right Content for the Job?
This Must Be the Place
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 … [Read more...] about This Must Be the Place