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Feed the robots rock-m, sock-m web heads (and other web text tips)

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Presentation by Anita Stoner for the SIUC Web Conferece on August 10th, 2009. Feed the robots, rock-m, sock-m web heads (and other web text tips).

TRANSCRIPT

  • 1. Feed the robots rock-m, sock-mweb heads
    (and other web text tips)
  • 2. Types of Titles / Heads
    Page titles you must write for search engines
    Many systems insert your page-specific headline into the title tag
    Page specific write to elaborate
    Subheads add details and breaks
    Local heads the links your regulars /fans follow
    Combos may work well locally AND globally
  • 3. Titles / Headlines
    Page specific headlines
    Can be different or same as titles
    Head/Title all pages well for search (you may want to add Something-colon)
    School of Journalism: Message from William Freivogel, the director
    Post Entertainment: Celebrity critic Chick Flick pans Tilt movie
  • 4. Subheads
    In traditional writing courses, teachers say there are NO magic bullets
    In Web writing, bullets are MAGIC
    Organize everything into short sections
    Use lots of subheads
    Use tons of bullet boxes
  • 5. Local headlines
    Local headlines The NEWS links you want your fans/regular users to find and follow
    This audience types in, wanders in or has bookmarked your main page (pbpost.com) or a top section page (pbpost.com/sports/) to SCAN
    A more creative head may attract the scanner to news items
    You have less than 20 seconds
    You may be less global or less keywordy
    Cole slaw: Cdale mayor chefs at homeless shelter
    Understand what makes your audience tick
    Morgan Fairchild - NAKED!
  • 6.
  • 7.
  • 8. On local or fan user pagesHeadline Writing as Poetry
    The headline writer is the journalist most like the poet, stuffing big meaning into small spaces. -- Poynter Institute
    Creative heads draw clicks from your regulars:
    Clever
    Catchy
    Balanced with title/ searchhead writing that is
    Clear
    Concise
    Precise
    Informative
  • 9. Review Example
    First consider the basic who what etc.
    The lead singer for Molly Hatchet died from diabetes complications
    The bands big hit was Flirtin with Disaster
    Remember, search engine recognition and creativity draw two different types of clicks
    NOTE: Because of space restrictions, the head has to fit in just four words.
    Identify which is what type of head:
    Diabetes -- not Disaster -- kills
    Molly Hatchet mourns lead
    Diabetes kills Hatchet man
    1. subhead 2. title/search 3. local
  • 10. Combo heads
    Sometimes a title/head works well for local audiences AND search
    My all time favorite example works well for BOTH search engines and for the home page. consider reading this on a high school newspaper home page
    How to get served alcohol underage
  • 11. Headline Writing as Poetry (a creative tip)
    Play with words, sometimes even for serious stories
    PLAY, meaning choose words the average writer avoids
    But, words the average reader understands.
    Jubilant mob maulsfour dead Americans
    What word makes this headline distinct?
    Also, invite the user to an experience
    Explore the space station with seven former astronauts
  • 12. Description Text
    The best systems give you a little box to type into
    but sometimes they just rehash
    You may have to stick it in the meta-info yourself
    This is what search engines stick under the result
    Another place to put the most attractive catch-phrases
    how to make a peanut butter banana sandwich
  • 13. Readable Text on the Pages
    Shoot straight to the point
    Cut excess, be specific / CONCISE
    Offer visual cues (bullets, boxes)
    Stay focused kill verbose text
    Provide links
    The right amount
  • 14. Traditional Writing Sample
    Southern Illinois is filled with nationally recognized events that draw large crowds of tourists every year. In 2002, some of the most popular events were the Big Muddy Film Festival (25,000 attending), the DuQuoin State Fair (75,000), the SIU Salukis (140,000), Sunset Concerts (83,000) and Parade of Lights (18,000).
  • 15. Rewriting for the Web: Bullets Scan
    Southern Illinois is filled with nationally recognized events that draw large crowds of tourists every year. In 2008, some of the most popular events were
    SIU Saluki games (140,000)
    Big Muddy Film Festival (25,000)
    DuQuoin State Fair (75,000)
    Sunset Concerts (83,000)
    Parade of Lights (18,000)
  • 16. To the Web: Concise, Objective, Scannable
    In 2008, top events in Southern Illinois included:
    SIU Saluki games
    Big Muddy Film Festival
    DuQuoin State Fair
    Sunset Concerts
    Parade of Lights
    (or title a box, Southern Illinois: Top Events)
  • 17. Academyspeak example
    In fact, the revisions are less changes, than they are re-conceptualizations and the development of a new distribution system for getting information about campus events to you and your students.
    Translated:
    An intern will send you information about campus events.
    You will change the assignment
  • 18.
  • 19. The Conceptual Change What we Call it and Why that Matters
    Although in our documents to you, we are now calling it the co-curricular requirement, we would like for individual instructors to consider renaming it in a way that makes sense for your own individual courses. For instance, because my course is themed heavily on the idea of community as it relates to success and learning, I may choose to call it the Community and Culture requirement.
  • 20. How to change the Co-curricular or Passport requirement
    1. Rename it in a way that suits the theme of your course
  • 21. We suggest this renaming possibility because we are trying to find ways to embed co-curricular occasions into the heart of courses, rather than have them feel like add-ons, disconnected to course theme, etc. This is a disconnection we (and our students) have struggled with in the past. In fact, we hope instructors will help us begin thinking about the ways in which we can use co-curricular events, not to meet simply a goal of having students participate in co-curricular events but to meet one of our other learning outcomes for INQ 101 (I will be sending more information about thoughts on this soon)
  • 22. 3. Ask students to attend events that match up with one of the learning outcomes
  • 23. This doesnt mean you cant just call it the Co-curricular Requirement. You can, if youd like. We are just suggesting you consider renaming it based on theme and begging you not to call it The Passport Program.
  • 24. 2. Do not call it the Passport Program
  • 25. While you can certainly have students do what many of us did last year require them to attend a certain number of events in each category we ask you to consider re-imagining this by linking either certain categories or events more closely to your course theme.
  • 26. 4. Require events that pertain to your course theme
  • 27. How to change the Co-curricular or Passport requirement
    1. Rename it in a way that suits the theme of your course
    2. Do not call it the Passport Program
    3. Ask students to attend events that match up with one of the learning outcomes
    4. Require events that pertain to your course theme
  • 28. More Writing Tips
    http://jrnl.siu.edu/~stoneranita/312/
    PoyntersnewsU: http://newsu.org
    Cyberjournalist.net and others