I attended my first event sponsored by the Minnesota Interactive Marketing Association. They hosted a salon with the great title of "Ugly Ducklings and Happy Accidents."
The idea was for us all to offer examples of successes that surprised and miserable failures. There was a lot of discussion about affinity groups and blogs. Even though I think Peggy Rader and I were the only people attending from outside the business world, sites like http://www.thefacebook.com/ were discussed. It was refreshing to hear tales from outside of higher education. I think we really have some catching up to do.
The event was at Solera and they provided good food and a cash bar. (Really the food and drink is what matters at any event.) We weren't the only newcomers in attendance. I'd go again. Their next event is "TARGETING A DEMOGRAPHIC ONLINE" and will be held in August.
The next meeting is scheduled for July 19th. I really want to try out the 5-second tests, but I just don't have the time to coordinate that. Anyone else up for it?
Karen talked about demonstrating a few PDF tricks. I'd like to see that on the agenda (such as we have) and I'm going to try out a content brief next week so I can report back on how that went and show you my example.
Eight simple guidelines and the first one is the hardest: use clear and simple language. That's why I going to stop right here. Short is good, too.
I'm excited about this article: Content Brief. D. Keith Robinson writes "I think many of you agree with me that content is probably the hardest part of getting any kind of Web site up and running..." And then he actually offers an idea for a solution: a content brief.
I want to try creating and using a brief on whatever my next major project is. Actually it should probably be done for those that appear to be simple updates, too. I've sometimes found it hard to get people to be clear about what they want a page or site to accomplish, to limit the number of audiences it's for, to see how their pages fit in with others out of their control, and to follow through with their responsibilities for content creation.
Anybody doing anything like what the author suggests?
P.S. I have Kelly Goto's first version of her book if anyone wants to see it. It's good; I recommend it.
More reading: Breadcrumb (contextual) Links And Search Engine Optimization
We might not often be asked to write breadcrumbs, but perhaps we should be paying attention to them. The research I've read certainly implies that this tool doesn't get used as links, but I sometimes find them helpful in reminding me where I am in a site and giving me an idea of how deep.
This article suggests that breadcrumbs play a part in how well a page might rank in respect to keywords, as long as those keywords are contained in your breadcrumb. I see this as another reason to avoid acronyms, although I have to confess to using them in at least one breadcrumb trail.
Do you get help from your clients in determining what keywords they need to rank high for? When most people go to the U's home page and search rather than browse, I think it's important that we get those keywords right. Have you ever re-written content simply to improve it's search engine rankings?