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).
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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