writing Archives - What Does This Mean to Me, Laura?

writing

Make your library’s headlines better (without turning them into clickbait)

“Clickbait” From Oxford Language: noun (on the internet) content whose main purpose is to attract attention and encourage visitors to click on a link to a particular web page. I have an intense dislike of clickbait headlines. However, I do…

writing

I’ve written something new.

I’ve taken much of what I’ve thought and learned about website work for libraries, and put it down on paper. You can get a (digital) copy of my Library Technology Report for the American Library Association here, with your ALA…

writing

Stop saying this, because you’re making me cry

I’ve been doing web work for libraries for more than a couple of decades. When I started out, during the early days of the graphic web, libraries were spending significant amounts of staff time introducing the web and how it…

writing

Exclamation points. Don’t use them.

“Exclamation points, you see, are evil. “ James Chartrand, Men With Pens I’m fairly certain that I’ve talked about this in nearly every web-related workshop or presentation I’ve ever done; despite this emphasis, I still see exclamation points appearing on…

writing

Beware of “smelly” content

Many libraries give a lot of thought to how their website looks, and some even spend a significant time thinking about how people actually use their sites. However, one aspect that often gets overlooked is the content. Content especially…

writing

Writing so people give a darn

This week, the OPLIN 4Cast took a look at how social media does or does not affect attention. I thought I’d supplement that with something else that tends to lose people’s attention on the Web. All too often, when I…

writing

Where’s the payoff?

I’ve been doing a lot of teaching about social media lately, and one of the points I drive home constantly is that human beings are inherently selfish. When presented with anything new, the question in our heads is always and…