January 23, 2006
Video Game Writers
Ever wonder who writes the stories (dialogue) in your favorite video games? I hadn't until I read this article over at the Hollywood Reporter on video game writers, and the future of video game writing. If you, like me, find the gaming industry fascinating, it's worth a read.
Posted by Martin at 01:40 PM | Comments (0)
February 22, 2005
Copyright
Note: when the year changes from 2004 to 2005 your copyright notice should not change from 2004 to 2005. It should change to 2004-2005. Otherwise you are telling the world that you make no copyright claims in previous years. Thus, in the worst case scenario, someone could claim they invented your idea first because clearly you didn't invent it until 2005.
Copyright notices are not trivial little bits of text. They are a legal reservation of intellectual property rights. They are important and the dates should represent the dates of creation of every aspect of your web presence. Most sites that say © 2005 should probably say © 2000-2005 or something like that.
Posted by Michael at 01:31 PM | Comments (0)
January 28, 2005
No, Click HERE!
If I see the words "click here" in one more copy deck, I'm going put a hot fork in my eye.
Okay, not really, but there is a better way to write online.
Most web users (even you, admit it!) scan copy to find headings or links that are what THEY are looking for, and often ignore the rest. So, saying "Click here to visit techevangelists.com" forces the user to read everything after "click here," making it harder for them to complete whatever task they came to the site for in the first place. Boo! Hiss!
Next time you're writing copy for an email or website, and are tempted to type those two forbidden words, try to turn your phrase a bit differently. A few alternatives include:
Visit techevangelists.com for more great tips.
See our website for more!
Get more information.
There is no law that says your link can't be the whole sentence; heck, if it makes it easier for the user, go for it!
Check out Nick Usborne at A List Apart for some great articles on usability and web copywriting.
Posted by Meghan at 09:18 AM | Comments (5)