Try a triad of rhyming words My husband used to leave the room when I turned on “Queer Eye for the Straight Guy.” Then he’d stand behind his chair in the living room while I watched. Finally he sat down. When I saw him spray, delay and walk away, I knew he was hooked. “Spray, delay and walk away” is a mnemonic Kyan Douglas used to teach men to use aftershave. Instead … [Read more...] about ‘Spray, delay and walk away’
Archives for December 2010
Cut videos short
2 minutes or less online Two minutes and seven seconds. That’s the average length of time people spend viewing videos on Twitter, according to “Online Video Best Practices” (PDF), a new study by TubeMogul, Brightcove and DynamicLogic. The researchers analyzed the average viewing time of more than 100 million random video streams on social networks and search engines. … [Read more...] about Cut videos short
Out of the picture
Avoid photo fluff Online visitors scrutinize some photos and ignore others. So how do you post images that get attention on the Web? Make sure your images are content, counsels “king of usability” Jakob Nielsen — not decoration. Avoid ‘visual bloat’ Online, readers are looking for two kinds of images, Nielsen says: Product photos that help visitors buy People … [Read more...] about Out of the picture
Eat your budget dust
Invest your year-end money before it gets swept away 'Tis the season for many of us to use what remains of our 2010 budget … or lose it altogether. Here are five ways to invest your budget dust this year to improve communications for years to come: Schedule 2011 writing workshops today. Lock in 2010 prices for 2011 events and save 5 percent when you prepay my speaking … [Read more...] about Eat your budget dust
‘Sundays at the Shelter’
Make the photo the story You don’t have to know me for long to know that the crazy cat lady inside of me is just the tiniest nudge away from getting out. And, were it not for geography, “Sundays at the Shelter” would be that nudge. “Sundays at the Shelter” is my favorite e-zine. (You can also follow the blog.) I forward it, archive it, respond to its every call to action, … [Read more...] about ‘Sundays at the Shelter’