Writing Imperfectly

As I've come to expect from myself, I'd sat through about 3 minutes of day two of training before I was reminded that my memory is far from perfect. Or my interpretation of my memory... however that best makes sense to you.

what I meant yesterday about writing on an 8th grade level. You should still aspire to do this, don't get me wrong, but in doing so, don't talk down to your audience - but rather, write in a way that makes sense to a wide audience and simplify... focusing on that 8th grade level.

One other thing I can't believe I forgot to tell you about (it's true that the most obvious things are often what escapes us) is Search Engine Optimization (SEO). Both users (90% of the time people use search engines, rather than a specific pages' Search, for open-ended queries) and search engines have become so much more sophisticated - users are inputting longer search requests so that miniscule little "Search" box is becoming inadequate.

I'm personally ready to move on, though. Enough with the Web Usability... and onto Writing for the Web (which nicely picked up right where day one had left off):

• Who are we (us, online)? We don't want to read a lot, we're impatient, and we are on the move. Keep this in mind as you create content (and I'll continue to write more of what you don't want to and don't have time to read).



• Do NOT attempt to take printed material and just 'paste' it onto a website. It just won't work.



• Committed readers (people who stay on a page to read at least 1/2 of the content) are few and far between:



• Pages with 50 words are optimal with 80% committed readers (this doesn't mean to cut all of your pages down to 50 words but to focus on chunking your content into readable sections)


• Pages with 100 words fall down to 50% committed readers


• Pages with 200 words gain an obismal 30% committed readers


• Users love lists!! Bold words! We see these as shortcuts to finding what we're looking for.



• The words "Click here" or "Link here" are lost opportunities to give your readers more information; instead make an 'article heading' (or other content rich text) a link.



• Accessibility is important! But not just for the handicapped. If you write with Accessibility in mind, you're designing a page so that all users can more quickly receive the information they desire.



• Stock photos... oh, stock photos. They present a credibility loss for the site as users find them off-putting and they might incorrectly portray an image for your site. People are more drawn to non-professional pictures that they can relate to.

And with that, I have given you a classic "do as I say, not as I do" as my writing here certainly would be an embarrassment to the lecturer who imparted her wisdom to us yesterday. Hopefully, though, we can all continue to learn and practice together.

Learning!

Embarrassing fact: the term “web usability” meant about well, nothing, to me a month or so ago

Remedy: as of today, “web usability” means a whole lot to me (and it's all sorts of interesting!)

A happy coincidence has found me in the Windy City this week for some work and a little bit of play. With my employer rather keen on professional development and my day-job involving a fair amount of website design and content creation, it was a given that the Nielsen Norman Group’s Web Usability Week Conference would be ideal for me in this time of (strictly work-related) transition (from our current website to our upcoming “spiffy” new site – keeping in mind that “spiffy” is relative).

One day in... consider me a happy customer. I couldn’t be more pleased after my day-long session. I learned so much and had fun doing so. And since we all find ourselves here, right now, on the web, I thought it’d be fun to share some tips that I gathered today during the “Fundamentals in Web Usability” session that might just apply to you (though, admittedly, if you do website design full-time, this will be old hat):

• It turns out that users actually will scroll (beyond “the fold” – the first screen that you see on any given monitor)… but only a total of 2.3 pages worth.



• Less is more! Cluttered (with the wrong images, content, etc.) websites just distract your user from what they came to do in the first place.



• When writing content for a general audience, do so as if your users have the literacy level of an 8th grader (yes, I'm serious... and no, this doesn't have anything to do with the American education system).



• Be consistent within your site, whether in link and text colors, placement of navigation on the page, etc.



• You have a lot more flexibility (i.e. room for error) with a highly motivated or extremely loyal user; do not design with that user in mind.

Now that I've dispensed web design and usability guidelines here (amid this not-so-by-the-book-following-designed if-you-can-call-it-that blog), I will proceed to hide my head and never come out again... or at least not until tomorrow when I'll hopefully have some handy writing for the web tips (and with any luck, written in prose flowing like fine wine).

With Open Arms

I greeted this (glorious!!!) spring that we are enjoying (oh, are we enjoying it) rather hesitantly. I was so sure the first day or so of sunshine and warmth were just a tease, and I was right. But sooner than I foresaw (or so it seems), the real spring popped back up - and this second time, I was sure to welcome it with open arms.

After testing the too-good-to-be-true weather for a few days last week, I deemed spring officially in season and decided to make it feel right at home in our home and yard this weekend.

At risk of sounding like a whiner, I must warn you (in case your weather hasn't yet begun to mirror ours) that it can be quite discouraging to survey your yard after a winter of neglect (and of three record-breaking snowstorms) and discern how to begin.

We set about to tackle one of the obvious (and honestly, the most clearly lacking) spots... our front door and stairs. The solution was obvious... we needed a long-lasting, compact shrub with some height and a few touches of color. Oh, and a planter... with enough substance to sit alone on our front porch but not too big to obstruct the front door.

The answer(s) revealed itself in a Sky Pencil Japanese Holly surrounded by a lush patch of thyme (yes, the herb) and some pansies. The latter will be switched out or added to throughout the summer as more colorful options are available and the former will find its way into the kitchen from time to time (horrible pun embarrassingly sorta intended).

An unexpected gem that we came across to brighten up our spring weekend (which will hopefully last well into the summer) was a lush, dark green-leaved strawberry plant! Last summer we regretted not having (attempted) growing our own berries so I jumped at the chance to make one of these beauties our very own.

We were also treated to a little gift that I can not explain (but won't fight either)... so I choose instead to chalk it up to an ushering in spring surprise. Our once all perfectly light-pink camellia has taken on a new hue... but only in a distinct section of the shrub! A few fuchsia blooms poked through this weekend, which made it all that much happier for this girl.

This next move might, admittedly, have been a bit pre-mature, but honestly, with the 75+ degree weather beating down on my back, I couldn't not buy a couple of pots of herbs. Now it's up to me to endure some constant prayer for continued pleasantly warm temperatures, similar to what we experienced this weekend, so these fragrant guys stick with us through the summer.

No pictures document this next important part of our early spring weekend, but there's no denying that a variety of green leaf lettuce, spinach, and romaine seeds were planted. One of the things that I look forward to most each summer is our vegetable garden, full of tomatoes, peppers, beans... and the annual planting of our lettuce seeds has always marked the start to another (hopefully fruitful) season.

Quite possibly as a result of figuring out what causes hundreds of little seedlings... er, weeds, to rear their ugly heads (though I will only claim a partial-victory because I still remain completely bewildered as to how to prevent more of them from dropping), on this first weekend of spring, I actually enjoyed weeding and tidying our flower beds. Sure our lavender plant was as unruly as it gets, but a haircut later, things were looking up. And amidst straw-like (past-their-time) stalks of last year's peonies, new peonies greeted us, pushing up through the now cleared flower bed.

Oh! The yellow flowers popping off those woody stems? I cut a couple sprigs of our forsythia (trying to capture flowers in all stages of their life - buds, barely opened, and wide opened) and with some help, artfully displayed them for some bits of cheerfulness around the house. It's spring, by golly... make sure to enjoy it both inside and out!

I am pretty confident this goes without saying but if this past weekend was any indication of what Spring 2010 holds in store for us, well, I am happy to do my part ushering it in... even allowing it to take up permanent residence here with us.

Change Your World

I'm here (hi there!) with a trick that is certain to blow your minds. Really. I even hesitate to post this knowing how it's sure to revolutionize kitchens across the globe.

It's the secret to my sanity... well, that is, aside from our freshly painted and organized closet. Honestly, though, without this little plate of magic, my time in the kitchen would undoubtedly be less enjoyable.

Before I dazzle you and earn years of your devotion, I must give credit where it is due. Yup - you guessed it, this comes straight to you (via me) from the sparkling clean kitchen of my mom (sorry dad, you had your day in the sun (though surely more to come)... what would I, er - the snow, do without your table?)

You see... I am one of those clean-as-you-go types. But in the unusual event that I either can't immediately clean the utensil that I just dirtied or it's just impractical to do so (i.e. I'm about to use it again), I use said magic plate. Note: your impression of how magical this plate might be is admittedly subject to your own opinion It couldn't be easier. The only catch is that you remember your plate before you dive into your recipe (otherwise your sticky hands inevitably defeat the whole purpose).

I've found it's best laid as close to your primary work-surface as possible but that can be adjusted to how you move around your kitchen. Then get started... as you work, any utensil, measuring cup or spoon, spatula, is quickly placed on your plate in between uses. This allows for easier-than-you-can imagine access and re-use as well as a spotless countertop (at that you hear an audible sigh from this gal).

This same method can also be used to "catch" pesky coffee/tea stir spoons. *How's that for a 2-for-1* Simply place your cutest saucer or salad plate next to your hot beverage set-up with a clean spoon (or two) resting on it et voila, presto clean counter and obvious real estate for those used stirs.

How do you keep your sanity while cooking and baking? Am I the only one who enters the kitchen with (an embarrassingly detailed) strategic plan?

And with that, I promise to turn it back to edible treats from this kitchen, not just the tools I use to make them.