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

_______________________________________________
Mobile-l mailing list
Mobile-l@lists.wikimedia.org
https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/mobile-l


--
Jon Robson
http://jonrobson.me.uk
@rakugojon

_______________________________________________
Design mailing list
Design@lists.wikimedia.org
https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/design