I agree with the need for friendlier or more inspiring copy where appropriate. The thoughts I'd add to this are:
1. Let's not overdo it (e.g. a search button shouldn't say "*Search the largest knowledge base on the planet*"). 2. The visual treatment should always match the character of the copy to maximize its impact.
What I mean by (2) is that, say, an inspiring message, such as "Join the movement" should be prominent and stand alone.
Some resources on this topic: http://bokardo.com/archives/writing-microcopy/ http://voiceandtone.com/freddies-jokes http://www.slideshare.net/mulegirl/copy-is-interface
On Tue, Dec 11, 2012 at 4:18 PM, Jon Robson jrobson@wikimedia.org wrote:
Bit out dated but resurrecting this thread.
I think we would benefit from having a better strategy / better thought process around copy text.
http://www.mail-archive.com/mobile-l@lists.wikimedia.org/msg00134.html
---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Maggie Dennis mdennis@wikimedia.org Date: Mon, Apr 16, 2012 at 1:18 PM Subject: Re: [WikimediaMobile] Copy text on mobile site To: Mobile-l@lists.wikimedia.org
Interjecting, I think it's a great idea to try to find the most friendly, effective language to draw people in that we can get. Wish I had expertise myself to help out, but, alas, writing short has never been my strong point. The idea of bringing in community feedback on mobile language is an interesting one. :) We have all kinds of expertise out there, although finding it can be hard. Obviously, we'd just have to be clear that we're bringing in advice from multiple streams, so that people aren't disappointed if the ideas they propose prove unworkable for some reason, such as if they are not accessible to ESL users.
I've been trying to think of any discussions that could be useful already on Wiki for this kind of thing, but it's such a different skillset, writing this succinctly.
In terms of copy-text experts, there must be somebody out there who teaches people this stuff. Not sure how easy they are to find, though, or if they'd be in budget.
Maggie
-- Maggie Dennis Community Liaison WikimediaFoundation.org
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-- Jon Robson http://jonrobson.me.uk @rakugojon
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