NO BORING CONTENT ALLOWED! Since designers and developers have been busy creating standards-based work, it’s understandable that they haven’t necessarily kept sharp on their written word. But are we so focused on conceiving, designing, developing, and marketing the most mind-blowing ideas that we’re apathetic to (correctly) adding a space between “log” and “in?” <a>Steph Hay</a> says, no way José! (The question is, do you? And who is José, anyway?) In this talk, she discusses ways in which web folks can write compelling, credible content that piques interest and encourages action from readers. Refreshees will leave with tips to elevate their content game -- whether they're aiming to more successfully write dynamic résumés and cover letters, describe their work in creative portfolios, or convey value to gain one more paying subscriber.

1. NO BORING CONTENT
ALLOWED!
WRITING COMPELLING TEXT FOR
COVER LETTERS, RESUMES+ PORTFOLIOS
steph hay {refreshdc} july 22, 2010
1

2. http://www.flickr.com/photos/headlouse/1484615917/sizes/m/in/photostream/
YOU’RE KICK-ASS
CONVEY TO READERS THAT
2

3. Client: ACME is the world’s
largest manufacturer of
ineffectual weapons for
coyotes. I made wireframes,
created a new design, and
integrated Drupal for
content management.
View the website >>
Skills: Drupal, XHTML/CSS,
javascript, Flash, Ruby on
Rails, .NET, SharePoint,
Google Analytics, Captcha
3

4. GRAPHIC DESIGN
XHTML
WORDPRESS
BROWSER-COMPATIBLE
AJAX
FRONT-END DEVELOPMENT
USER EXPERIENCE DESIGN
JQUERY
CSS
INFORMATION ARCHITECTURE
CONTENT MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS
JS
SOME PHP
EDUCATION
BANNER ADS
4

5. TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN,
I AM SUBMITTING MY...
AS ADVERTISED ON...
...OVER 5 YEARS EXPERIENCE
I HAVE DESIGNED 90 WEBSITES...
...TALENTED AND CREATIVE
MORE DETAILS IN MY RESUME
...HOPE TO HEAR BACK SOON
THANK YOU.
5

6. TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN,
I AM SUBMITTING MY...
AS ADVERTISED ON...
...OVER 5 YEARS EXPERIENCE
I HAVE DESIGNED 90 WEBSITES...
...TALENTED AND CREATIVE
MORE DETAILS IN MY RESUME
...HOPE TO HEAR BACK SOON
THANK YOU.
?
6

7. 3 ELEMENTS OF COMPELLING CONTENT
Focus
Credibility
Consistency 7

8. MAKE NO MISTAKE...
This
is
Hard 8

9. FOCUS
IN WHICH AREAS CAN
BE DEMONSTRATED ?
9

10. 3 CHARACTERISTICS OF FOCUS
Audience
Medium
Network 10

11. Copyright © Lemuhr http://acidcow.com/pics/4553-dead-flies-art-15-pics.html
AUDIENCE 11

12. Copyright © Lemuhr http://acidcow.com/pics/4553-dead-flies-art-15-pics.html
MEDIUM 12

13. Copyright © Lemuhr http://acidcow.com/pics/4553-dead-flies-art-15-pics.html
NETWORK 13

14. CREDIBILITY
IN WHICH WAYS CAN
BE CONVEYED?
14

15. 4 CHARACTERISTICS OF CREDIBILITY
Engagement
Results
Humility
Intent 15

16. Copyright © Lemuhr http://acidcow.com/pics/4553-dead-flies-art-15-pics.html
ENGAGEMENT
DEMONSTRATE
16

17. “
DEMONSTRATE ENGAGEMENT
Objective: To earn a project
management position with a
revered firm in the DC area.
“
17

18. DEMONSTRATE ENGAGEMENT
Don’t be a cog.
Explain how you enthusiastically
made great things happen.
18

19. “
DEMONSTRATE ENGAGEMENT
In 2008, I completed the
design and development of a
2nd generation, enterprise-level
RIA using object-oriented
event-based AJAX techniques
and made heavy use of the
“
JavaScript. I built the app on
Dojo framework (v.1.1.0).
19

20. 20

21. Copyright © Lemuhr http://acidcow.com/pics/4553-dead-flies-art-15-pics.html
RESULTS-ORIENTED
KEEP STATEMENTS
21

22. “
KEEPING STATEMENTS RESULTS-ORIENTED
Participated in design
discussions with clients
Generated logo concepts
Learned WordPress to provide
maintenance support
“
22

23. KEEPING STATEMENTS RESULTS-ORIENTED
Don’t just list what you did.
Explain how you did it
differently or extraordinarily.
23

24. “
KEEPING STATEMENTS RESULTS-ORIENTED
Weeks ahead of schedule, I
coded and delivered Section
508-Compliant HTML and CSS
for the development team’s
seamless integration. “
24

25. 25

26. OliveCrush knew just how to
translate our text into a
beautiful, artistic product,
especially appealing to the age
group we sought to target.
26

27. Copyright © Lemuhr http://acidcow.com/pics/4553-dead-flies-art-15-pics.html
WITHOUT CONCEIT
BE CONFIDENT
27

28. “
BEING CONFIDENT WITHOUT CONCEIT
I can help you with your sr. web
interface graphic designer
(bethesda) Resume attached.
Check out my captcha enabled,
“
ajax/java interface and massive
on-line database skills at ...
Thanks
28

29. BEING CONFIDENT WITHOUT CONCEIT
Don’t rely fully on aesthetics.
Complement portfolios by
describing how you think.
29

30. “
BEING CONFIDENT WITHOUT CONCEIT
I believe in clear and honest
communication. You can count
on me to listen to your business
objectives, be available when
be transparent about my
process.
“
you need to contact me, and to
30

31. KEEPING STATEMENTS
RESULTS-ORIENTED
31

32. I wanted to mimic the displays
of his many exhibitions - no
distractions and minimal info. All
forms of navigation remain
hidden until requested, allowing
the imagery to commandeer the
screen.
32

33. Copyright © Lemuhr http://acidcow.com/pics/4553-dead-flies-art-15-pics.html
WITH INTENTION
WRITE CONTENT
33

34. “
WRITING CONTENT WITH INTENTION
The webiste has greatly
improved their web marketing
and consiquently improved
sales of their debut album...
“
34

35. WRITING CONTENT WITH INTENTION
Don’t be careless.
Take the time to ensure your
writing sings beautifully.
35

36. “
WRITING CONTENT WITH INTENTION
I have helped strengthen the
PBS Parents brand through my
design leadership. It is now a
major funding and partnership
won the 2006 and 2009
“
opportunity for PBS and has
Parents Choice Gold Awards.
36

37. 37

38. CONSISTENCY
IN WHICH AREAS CAN
BEST BE ACHIEVED ?
38

39. 3 CHARACTERISTICS OF CONSISTENCY
Structure
Voice
Style 39

40. Copyright © Lemuhr http://acidcow.com/pics/4553-dead-flies-art-15-pics.html
STRUCTURE 40

41. + Promote experience over education
+ Include only what’s most relevant
+ Scatter keywords throughout
STRUCTURE 41

42. Copyright © Lemuhr http://acidcow.com/pics/4553-dead-flies-art-15-pics.html
VOICE 42

43. + Write in a genuine tone
+ Avoid bloated technical statements
+ Rewrite anything that sounds
ridiculous when read out loud
VOICE 43

44. Copyright © Lemuhr http://acidcow.com/pics/4553-dead-flies-art-15-pics.html
STYLE 44

45. + To end (or not to end) bulleted
lists with periods
+ Stick with one tense (past)
+ Website, website, or web site
STYLE 45

46. 46

47. 3 ELEMENTS OF COMPELLING CONTENT
Focus
Credibility
Consistency 47

48. NOW GO
Thanks a bunch for listening!
+
ROCK IT. stephaniehay.com/blog
http://speakerrate.com/talks/4131-no-boring-content-allowed
48