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Best Practices: A Worthwhile Discipline
Web publishers, like myself, often promote best practices: design with web standards; think like a publisher; develop a content strategy; make your site accessible, usable, and SEO friendly. Most advocates talk from experience, which makes the advice more meaningful. After all, practice makes perfect (or at the very least, better). However, I was recently reminded that “saying and doing [...]
Content First: Step One in Web Marketing
I often find myself having to convince people of the need for and value of content in web marketing. Valuable content is necessary to attract and retain readers. I recently participated in a web marketing planning session where we addressed concern over lack of repeat website visitors, especially within the organization. The problem seemed apparent to me: outdated content. However, making [...]
FAQs Pages: Good Web Usability or Outdated Content Strategy?
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) pages are a common component of business websites (including higher education) and an important consideration when developing your content strategy and web usability plan. But, is it the best option for your organization’s website? The answer depends on the needs of your target audience and how your FAQs page is implemented and maintained [...]
#FollowFriday Recommendations for Web Publishers
I think #FollowFriday on Twitter is a great way to recognize and recommend people that you feel add value to your Twitter stream. However, I’m often more interested in why people follow those they recommend. For this reason, I’m explaining my recommendations. Below are three people I follow on Twitter because I appreciate their contribution to the field of web publishing and [...]
Should site visitors always get what they want?
I recently helped a school publish an online orientation guide that included a listing of recommended books for this fall’s incoming class. The reading list was not a mandatory one, but rather a collection of favorite books offered up by faculty and staff. I thought the list was a good idea and added value to the guide. In creating the page I linked the book titles to Amazon.com. Offering this [...]
Share to Learn
People naturally like to share what they know. It’s validating to show expertise in a subject and get positive feedback. Still, I continue to meet people who conceal what they know, particularly in the work place. They are either worried about exposing what they don’t know or consider it job security to protect what they [...]