This guest post comes from Cal Evans (no relation that we know of), author of Avoiding a Goat Rodeo: How to get the website you want. I’m a lucky man. I get to talk with a lot of developers and web development shops. No matter where in the world I am, one constant refrain I … Read more
Woot knows how to entertain us with its content. The company — located within a couple of miles from me (!!!) — sells one product per day. Every product comes with smile-inducing descriptions. Since then, the company has added Woot-Offs! (selling one product until it runs out of stock, then selling another product, repeat until … Read more
The day before a state-wide math assessment test, my husband humorously asked our oldest who took algebra at the time, “Do you remember how to add, subtract, multiply and divide?” “I don’t know. When I do a math problem now… if the answer is simple, I think it’s wrong because it has to be more … Read more
Well, my dear, they come from many places. If you go to the library known as Freelance Folder, you’ll see people sharing how they find their clients. When a freelancer and a client meet, they check out each other to ensure they are a fit. It may take some bio and web site reading to … Read more
I’m hooked on As Time Goes By, a British TV show starring the Judi Dench and Geoffrey Palmer. I’m also getting into British-based Prime Suspect with Helen Mirrin. Not only do I enjoy the repartee between Dench and Palmer, but also hearing the British accents. While I may not have good hearing, I can see … Read more
How often do you get an e-mail from a prospect who asks, “I need help with my web site’s content” or “I need five articles on such ‘n’ such topic”… “How much do you charge?” Web content — one page takes less time than five pages. Even one page can vary depending on the page’s … Read more
Bulleted lists on Web pages help readers scan and find what they want. Two situations that do well with bulleted lists are series and instructions. Also, beware of indenting, spacing, formatting, and whitespace. Series For situations where three or more items appear separated by commas, they might work better as a list. Instead of, “Bring … Read more
Tom Johnson offers a great writing tip especially for tech writers and others who write instructions. This method also works well with Web content and forms. Watching people use a Web site, a product, a service — anything is a superb way to get insight on how others use the product or service. Those involved … Read more
Draw your customers in with a handful of powerful copy. No, no, you don’t have to go to college to make it happen nor do you have to buy a doorstopper-sized book, which gets dusty before you muster the strength to crack it open. Are you like me? A kid in a candy store when … Read more