ABNY11 Week2 - Content

© Jade Tang | Term Two, Semester Two | Week 2

A Brand New You: The importance of Content/CharacterBachelor of Design | Year Two Elective

http://abny2011.tumblr.com/

A Brand New You:

Content & Character

‘Content is King’ - Bill Gates




“Content is King”- Bill Gates

--Content is King by Bill Gates (1/3/1996) http://www.craigbailey.net/content-is-king-by-bill-gates/




“Steve Jobs Tim Cook”- King of Content

--The Coronation of Steve Jobs, King of Content (26/1/2010) http://theappleblog.com/2010/01/26/the-coronation-of-steve-jobs-king-of-content/




On the Internet content is king and always will be. This is because the Internet is the information superhighway...




Content is King:How can you help your readers know whether your site can really help them? Do you need a web designer/developer to make it happen? Why is writing content for the web different?

•Web Design: Scannability•Practical Application•Self-Directed Design•Writing for the Web




Content is King:•Web Design: ScannabilityWould it interest you to know that most web users don’t come to your site to

appreciate the attractiveness of the design? That’s not to say that an attractive

web design isn’t important... It is.

However, the majority of site visits happens because the consumer was motivated

to look at your site. The web is based on small resolution sizes. The words read

online aren’t even as clear as newsprint. The pictures are often low resolution and

a computer screen can often try the best of vision... Even with a Mac.




Content is King:•Practical ApplicationOne of the most cost effective applications this information can produce is

that you may not need a website filled with all the toys such as Java Script

or Flash design. These tools add spice to your website, but can often detract

or even annoy visitors who are simply looking for information they expect

to find on your website.

A well ordered website can reap incredible rewards. Effective bullet points,

keywords or phrases accented in bold type and an easy to navigate page may

have a greater impact.




Content is King:•Self-Directed DesignIf you know what will help make your site better you can self-direct the

development of the site through template rich designs that allow you total control

over the text in an easy to use environment that does not require the use of

complicated code or extended training seminars to use.

If you can utilise the tools available to make your site user friendly and highly

scannable you will likely find you can achieve your own success in web design.




Content is King:•Writing for the WebContent writing for web pages is not the same as writing for any other type of

content. Thoughts must be compact and content must be scannable.

This means when you write for the web you must help your reader find the subject

they are most interested in using a sub-heading or indexing system that allows a

quick scan to determine if your web page contains the information they need.




If content is King, then what is Design?

[Brainstorm]




Design is Queen.




“If content is King, design is Queen”• Quality content should be the focus of any website. • It is necessary for search engines but more especially end users. • A solid design isn’t complete without content of equal quality.

However, design remains an essential part for any website, which is why: content is King, design is Queen.




The Perfect Royal MarriageIt’s always great to have good content or design grace your website. When they’re married, however, they become much more powerful than the sum of their parts.

- Content is King- Design is Queen

http://www.papertastebuds.com/?p=1125




The Perfect Royal Marriage•Design, a loving queen and wife, does what she can for her husband. In the

perfect web kingdom she takes care of many things that most of the villagers

(visitors) never even think about, from the infrastructure to general beautifying.

The kingdom (site) looks great, certainly, but there’s a purpose behind her

decorating. The roads (navigation) are orderly and well-marked. Nobody ever

has to stop to think twice about which road to take to arrive at their destination.

She even uses a grid* system for the kingdom’s infrastructure! Design knows

that visitors from afar will want to speak to her husband and facilitates this

process. On occasion a visitor will specifically thank her for her work, but she is

satisfied knowing that foreigners have an easy and safe time in her kingdom.

--*http://960.gs/




The Perfect Royal Marriage•Content, for his part, takes care of most of the grunt work. He is well-groomed

and dressed, but not extravagant. When visitors come, he does his best to

keep them engaged and informed. He is formal and professional. Sometimes,

however, he is forced to shout at them to get their attention. Other times, a

whisper is just as effective. He is grateful for everything his wife does.

When they’re both happy, so are the visitors. They can easily reach their King and the kingdom’s appearance is oddly comforting.




Design separated from ContentUnfortunately, however, the marriage weakens. Maybe the king has been flirting with a new Design, instead of just realigning with his current Design.

Where does this metaphor put services like 99designs?

http://99designs.com/




Design separated from Content

DesignwithoutContentfindsherselfwithoutpurpose,triestomakeeverything look beautiful, but ends up having to resort to placing “Kingdom in Construction” signs about the entrance.

She is distressed to find that no foreigners care how beautiful her signs are without having Content around.




Content without designContent sometimes tries to find a Design that is not so high-maintenance (expensive), and finds himself disappointed at every turn.

WithoutaqualityDesign,foreignersstruggletoevenfindContent.




“If content is king, then design has to be the shiny robe and crown that the king wears.” It’s what makes the king look good and it helps the king portray the positive image that he is after. If he came out to hold court in house slippers, a dirty, stained tank top and old shorts, who would really take him serious? Your website design is the same way and should be treated like it was the icing on the cake for your king content.

--If Content is Really King, Then What is Design?http://designbump.com/originals/if-content-really-king-then-what-design




Never judge a book by its cover People don’t follow that rule - ever. So, what are people thinking when they come to your website for the first time? Are they impressed with the design like people who visit Tutorial91 or Web Designer Wall2 or are they looking at it like just another run of the mill site?

Remember the “make money online” sites?

1 Tutorial9: http://www.tutorial9.net/2 Web Designer Wall: http://www.webdesignerwall.com/




Never judge a book by its cover John Chow1 and Shoemoney2 had their sites duplicated so many times people thought that is what it was supposed to look like.

Standing out, taking your time and getting a design that is worthwhile and high quality will go a lot longer when you’re making that first impression with your visitors. Attract their attention and then get them to read your king content.

1 http://www.johnchow.com.2 http://www.shoemoney.com.




A Brand New You:

Content & Character

[ Examples ]




Examples:Googlehttp://www.google.com/




Examples:Googlehttp://www.google.com/




Examples:Wikipediahttp://www.wikipedia.org/




Examples:Wikipediahttp://en.wikipedia.org/

A List Aparthttp://www.alistapart.com/

An Event Aparthttp://aneventapart.com/




Examples:




Examples:Jason Santa Maria:http://jasonsantamaria.com/Jeffrey Zeldman:http://www.zeldman.com/

Happy Cog:http://happycog.com/




Examples:Content Heavy Websites With Beautiful Layouthttp://www.thedesigncubicle.com/2009/10/content-heavy-websites-with-beautiful-structure-layout-and-hierarchy/

© Jade Tang | Term Two, Semester Two | Week 2: 5th October 2010


http://groups.google.co.nz/group/abrandnewyou2010

A Brand New You:

Content & Character

[ Exercises ]




Exercises:1. Brand Statement2. Brand ID/Avatar3. Content Portfolio projects (3 minimum) Introduction post




1. Brand StatementYour bio, elevator pitch and any other descriptive text about you will invariably start out with your personal brand statement.

So, before you write blog posts for the masses, before you apply for those positions, before you even set up your LinkedIn profile there is one thing you should do

– craft your very own personal brand statement.




What is a personal Brand Statement?Your statement is 1-2 sentences answering: •What you are the best at (value), •Who you serve (audience) and •How you do it uniquely (USP).

It sums up your unique promise of value. Your personal brand statement is distinctive to you and you alone. You could liken it with a tagline, strapline or even a catchphrase that product brands will have.




... It’s not a Job TitleThe personal brand statement is not a job title. A job title is what others will try to classify you with, what employers and others want you to be to fit you into a corporate setting. You deserve better than that.

Job Title vs Personal Brand Statement:

Job Title = What corporations want you to be, to fill their organisational hierarchy.

Personal Brand Statement = What you want to be in a single sentence that

answers two questions: what are you the best at and who do you serve (audience)




... It’s not your Mission StatementIt’s also not your personal mission statement, career objectives or even life purpose.

These are much more long-term concepts intended to guide you through life and not aimed at marketing you to anybody.




A personalBrand Statement is...A personal brand statement is memorable, punchy and solution oriented.

As opposed to simply saying “Bob is a boiler man”, why not “Bob keeps families warm through bespoke heating installations”?




Why do you need a Brand Statement?How many times have you been asked what you do? Do you feel like people

really understand what you do or is it merely pleasantries? I bet you can tweak

what you say and leave a lasting impression with that person, an impression that

might just lead to business one day. When you don’t stand out, you will have to

compete against everyone else on price which isn’t a great situation to be in. To

be successful in today’s economy you have to specialise; you have to choose a

topic and master it.

Your statement will clarify exactly what you do, how you do it and for

whom. By communicating this, you and your target audience will know

exactly what you are capable of.




How do you write a Brand Statement?Look at your unique values and key attributes and you should be able to develop a 1-2 sentence brand statement, answering these questions: • What value you provide (what problem do you solve)•Howyoudoituniquely(yourUSPs)•Whomyoudoitfor(yourtargetaudience)

Remember to be clear on the value, don’t confuse anyone with any fluffy terms that don’t mean anything. Furthermore, what makes you unique in one place may not be unique in another, e.g. big cities will have lots of specialists and experts in certain fields, small towns only one and that makes him or her unique to that location.




How do you write a Brand Statement?Remember:

• Target your audience

•Stayauthentic

•Makeitpunchyandmemorable

• Keep it reasonably short

• It is not cast in iron




How do you write a Brand Statement?•Target your audience

Whom are you aiming your services at?

A particular industry, geography, age demographic?

Try to stay somewhat focused on a sector of the market and don’t spread

yourself too thin.

The reason personal branding has become critical for business and career

success is that nobody wants to buy from the person that does everything

for everyone. Look at what target audience would benefit the most from your

services and zero in on this.




How do you write a Brand Statement?•Stay authentic

When writing a personal brand statement it’s easy to get carried away and

putting down what you’d like to be one day.

The old “fake it until you make it” approach does carry some merit but don’t

overdo it. Never call yourself a guru, ninja, samurai, expert or even thought

leader unless you truly are one.

Only your audience can determine whether you are an expert and you will know

if that is the case. The aim of your statement is to inform and inspire the reader,

not to scare them off with fancy titles.




How do you write a Brand Statement?•Make it punchy and memorable

Using technical or big words could alienate your target audience. You want a

seven year-old to understand and be able to repeat what you do.

Whenever you introduce yourself at a networking event, stay punchy and

memorable. Ideally you will want that person you were talking with to tell other

prospective customers what you do – this will cover a lot of ground, trust me.




How do you write a Brand Statement?•Keep it reasonably short

As they say, less is more.

Your ability to describe exactly what you do in one sentence says a lot about

your introspection and professional focus. In some cases you have to take up

two sentence but always aim for one.




How do you write a Brand Statement?• It is not cast in iron

You will soon find that you are going to tinker with your statement after it’s

written up.

It’s easy to change it but just don’t get carried away and change it every week.

On the flipside, some people will never look at it again. Even though it’s time

consuming, your personal brand statement should be revised at least once a

year to reflect changes and advancements in your professional career.

In order to be effective, it needs to stay current.




2. Brand ID/Avatar

[ VIDEO ] Gravatar: http://en.gravatar.com/




3. ContentPreparing quality content for your personal blog (online visual diary)

• Brand Statement• Brand ID/Avatar• Portfolio projects (3 minimum)• Introduction post




A Brand New You:

Content & Character

[ Questions ]

Date post:	30-Aug-2014
Category:	Technology
Upload:	abrandnewyou
View:	741 times
Download:	0 times

ABNY11 Week2 - Content

Technology