1. They’re not all using their desktop computers. Seen all those people trying to meld with their Blackberries? They may be looking at your site on that thing, so make sure it looks good. 2. They have the patience of a puppy chugging espresso. Get to the point. Fast. 3. They like pretty things, but […]

We talk a lot about discovering who your audience is and talking directly to them through your website. If you’ve been a faithful reader, you know by now that it’s an exercise in self-aggrandizing to focus the website on the big wigs at your organization. However, you should also be looking at less visible audiences.

[[{“type”:”media”,”view_mode”:”media_large”,”fid”:”734″,”attributes”:{“class”:”media-image”,”typeof”:”foaf:Image”,”style”:””,”width”:”375″,”height”:”500″,”title”:”Scissors and friends by BOSSoNe0013, on Flickr”,”alt”:”Scissors and friends”}}]] Scissors and friends by BOSSoNe0013, on Flickr We’re halfway through our 10th year and still celebrating. For August, we asked you what you wanted for a freebie, and you spoke. You want a crash course on how to write for the web. We’re taking registrations through

You’d never throw a party without sending invitations. Who wants to sit alone with four dozen spinach triangles and a couple cases of beer? (If you just answered, “I do!” then you might want to get out a little.) That’s effectively what you’re doing if you’re like one of the many people I talk who

It’s true that your website should be a reflection of your organization’s goals and audience, but there are a few proven tools that we suggest again and again because they simply work. They make a more interactive website. They drive more support. They deliver information most efficiently. I happen to be right, but you don’t

Thou shalt break up long pieces of text with bullets, for it is easier to scan that way. Thou shalt use short sentences, even if it feels thou art using more periods than commas. Punchy maketh for better reading. Thou shalt bow down and worship thine spell checker. Honor the inverted pyramid style of writing.

If you’ve never seen the words “how to” followed by “design by committee” without words like “throw yourself out a window because you were involved in this horror show known as” in between, you may be shocked to read on. You may be one of those people who’s been trapped on a committee and all