Ale 2.0

Who will win red or blue? You stupid bast*rd.

2009-12-14T17:02:00.001Z

via vimeo.com

I love this video, simple concept with a gripping delivery. I almost like the stupid techno non music drivel in the background which undeniably adds to the experience though without the visuals I'd be wondering who was trying to get their car started.

and http://www.twitter.com/tweetingtwankey

Ale 2.0 dressed up as Widow Twankey

2009-12-11T13:13:00.001Z

via blog.skive.co.uk

One minute you've started at a new agency the next you're being asked to dress up as a woman and parade up and down Oxford Street.

The Tweeting Twankey is Skive's cross platform Christmas card.

During the lunch hour everyday next week one Skive member will be cavorting around Oxford Street tweeting as she goes. If you follow the tweets and find The Tweeting Twankey and tell her the magic word you win a cash prize and an equal amount is donated to charity.

The website will stream her justin.tv, foursquare, twitter and facebook channels (all iphone compatible) to help the public find out where she is.

Join the facebook group http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Tweeting-Twankey/

Pigs ear beer fest!

2009-12-05T21:55:00.001Z

Tom
@ale_2point0

Worst Ever Creative

2009-12-03T17:52:00.001Z

This is an advert for Rizla, it's the gherkin made out of Rizla, rubbish

Tom
@ale_2point0

Parents...

2009-12-02T09:01:00.001Z

30 Interesting, Useless and Pointless Social Media Observations

2009-12-02T08:36:00.001Z

via jeffbullas.com

Here's some more social media crack....

Pre Christmas Ale 2.0 Charity News

2009-12-01T18:45:00.001Z

Two months ago attendees of a meetup called Ale 2.0 donated small amounts of their own time to a project that aims to provide marketing support for a charity with a low to no marketing budget.

The donated time will be organised by Ale 2.0 and the donators to help support the charity to achieve some of its marketing objectives. This is the first attempt at crowdsourcing help for a charity that Ale 2.0 has undertaken and the main objective is to learn how to do it better next time whilst hopefully helping out a charity on the way.

The past few weeks have seen a small group of charities pitch to the Ale 2.0 community and they have voted on the charity they think would benefit most from the time. The votes are in...

The recipient of the Ale 2.0 Charity donated hours will be the African Prisons Project.

"Hurrah - this is fantastic news!" was the official response from the APP.

It's been a good week all round for APP founder and director Alexander McLean won the Legend award for leadership in the first annual national V Inspired Awards (recognising young volunteers)!

The next step is to clearly define what exactly the APP wants to achieve and how the donated time available could be used to help. Both the Ale 2.0 community and the APP need to have the exact same expectation for the project and it's milestones need to be set out clearly and early.

Ale 2.0 met with Emily Webber (who also runs the remarkable London Shop Fronts) on Thursday to use up the first hour of the donated time. Emily has donated 6 hours of much needed project management and was totally brilliant in giving the following advice.

1. The time available isn't representative of an actual project (at this stage) and we should look to create a document that paves the way a successful campaign could run. It will show the APP how they can achieve their goal even if the donated time only gets them to phase one.

2. A lot of the time donated is strategy.

3. People are VERY busy with their own lives. It was all well and good that people were generous and had given their time but it will be another thing them actually doing anything.

4. We need to create a core team that feel ownership.

5. The APP need to meet the team so that a personal connection can be made.

6. Create a committee that will see the project through.

7. Tom - get on the phone and invite everyone involved round for dinner.

So massive thanks to Emily and congrats to the APP.

Watch this space.

Tom

The Dark Side Lighter Than Air

2009-11-27T08:50:00.001Z

via estb.msn.com

Why is it that Star Wars iconography is continuously interesting/entertaining when re appropriated? Would it still make goods content if the films were bad? Let's not talk about 1, 2 and 3 obviously but is it just evocative of childhood or is it just genuinely cool?

Video of Ale 2.0 'Dutch Night' Venue

2009-11-17T16:35:00.001Z

via video.google.com

thanks to @jamescridland for recommending the venue!

Good Advice For the Ale 2.0 Charity Boost

2009-11-13T07:55:00.001Z

I posted a link to the blog asking for advice for the Ale 2.0 charity push on the

'SMCC - Social Media in a Corporate Context' Group on LinkedIn. I received this reply from Louise David I think its good advice and I'll be paying heed to it. I thought I'd share it here as there are some sound points that should be noted for anyone else attempting something in the same vein.

"Crowdsourcing and charity help needed!"

Hello.

I am intrigued but not sure I fully understand what you mean by a crowd sourced push. Whatever you set up - you'll need to make it clear what it's all about and how it works for your stakeholders. What are the objectives and the benefits?

Your posterous blog doesn't quite manage that.

Start with the basics, define your 'offer', identify your stakeholders, segment them and understand who they are, what they need to know.

Then figure out how to reach them.

This will give you some insight into what basic set up you need, and how to promote it.

You also then figure out how to capture information from your stakeholders. (Time donors, supporters, charities etc). So you can keep them informed of progress for each project, calls for new time donations etc.

(Even if you intend to just use WoM techniques, you need a plan!).

Your calls to action need to be clear, easy and meaningful for each set of stakeholders.

I can't retweet your post's information if I don't really understand the concept, or what I'm asking my network to do/feel/know.

Personally I also want to know how the charity will be supported to use the time - lots of people giving small amounts of time to support a marketing project for example - feels like it could end up being a nightmare for the charity. So regular updates that are easy to find, and/or pushable might be a feature of your project.

Perhaps a good start would be to write a basic plan and a marketing/communication strategy to implement your plan. If you are finding people who will help donate marketing/comms time to charities, maybe you could get some upfront help from them to get your idea well set.

All the very best.
Posted by Louise David

Abbey Road

2009-11-12T17:58:00.001Z

via users.linkfilter.net

ah, anything with the Beatles, just anything with the Beatles keeps Tom happy...

Tom's One Minute Guide To Organising a Meetup

2009-11-11T08:40:00.001Z

Digital Strangelove (or How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Love The Internet)

2009-11-10T08:51:00.001Z

via slideshare.net

This is by far the best slideshare I've seen. It's a real move away from the 'it's all about the conversation' yawnsome chat we've become accustomed to. I'm going to stalk this bloke!

With great augmented reality comes great responsibility

2009-11-09T13:59:00.001Z

via vimeo.com

I work with this guy at Skive, it's like being at Xavier's school http://bit.ly/1Nqilk. check out the rest of Jim's AR skills on his blog...

Facebook Forever

2009-11-09T12:15:00.001Z

via jeffbullas.com

A great Banksy on the @alexdunsdon blog

2009-11-09T11:16:00.001Z

via outnext.com

I love this

2009-11-07T10:57:00.001Z

via whatleydude.com

By rights this should be the crappest video ever, but it's charming as hell and a nice way to start the weekend knowing I'm not getting on a tube today!

Which charity should receive the 72 hours of the Ale 2.0 donated time?

2009-11-07T08:44:00.001Z

Here is a summary of the charites who have expressed an interest in the 72 hours of donated time at the last Ale 2.0. If you'd like to vote which charity you think should receive the time click here... Kathmandu Arts - www.kathmanduarts.org In Nepal there is a need for an apolitical, world-class arts centre, independently funded, where artists are free to express themselves without judgement. This will develop and promote contemporary art and artists in Nepal. Kathmandu need more coverage to help the arts centre Macmillan - http://www.macmillan.org.uk/coffee Macmillan Cancer Support is a leading cancer care charity that seeks to improve the lives of people affected by cancer, their families and carers. The World’s Biggest Coffee Morning (WBCM) is our flagship fundraiser, last year the event brought in £7.6 million for people affected by cancer. We want to find a way to use our existing networks to make WBCM appeal to a male audience. IYDT - www.iydt.org.uk The International Youth Development Trust (IYDT) focuses on helping youths primarily in Sierra Leone that have been orphaned as a result of AIDS, and youths infected with HIV/AIDS. Development of the IYDT website to a level where it makes an immediate impact on a wide range of users as they enter the site, enticing them to read more about the charity and inspiring them to get involved. Tatenda - www.tatendatrust.org.uk Tatenda Trust is a small London-based charity. We support the work of Tatenda Early Learning Trust, a Zambian trust that runs an educational project in the capital, Lusaka, providing education to orphans and other vulnerable children. "Our website is very amateurish and as such requires redesigning." African Prisons Project - http://www.africanprisons.org/ African Prisons Project (APP) has been working tirelessly for over five years to improve the lives of prisoners in Africa by supplying them with education, healthcare and access to justice. APP needs a communications strategy and skilled people to implement it

Untitled

2009-11-07T08:38:00.001Z

Vote

2009-11-07T08:36:00.001Z

<a href="http://answers.polldaddy.com/poll/2170916/" mce_href="http://answers.polldaddy.com/poll/2170916/">Which charity should receive the 72 hours of the Ale 2.0 donated time?</a><span style="font-size:9px;" mce_style="font-size:9px;">(<a href="http://www.polldaddy.com" mce_href="http://www.polldaddy.com">surveys</a>)</span>

This makes me like google wave again....

2009-11-04T06:57:00.001Z

via bitrebels.com

but I think it's a clunky monkey...

Hey Jude

2009-11-03T07:51:00.001Z

via files.posterous.com

I can't tell you how much I love this...

Motorola take the fight to iphone

2009-10-30T14:52:00.001Z

A great bit of creative and does a great job of having a dig at the squeaky clean iphone

Another worthy cause?

2009-10-27T23:06:00.001Z

Here is the second of the charity "pitches" for the 72 hours of donated time given at the last Ale 2.0.

Have a good read of the answers to the questions to see if you think the Tatenda Trust will be the best match for the time we have available.

Thanks for keeping up to date with our charity push!

Tatenda Trust

1. Describe what your charity does in 140 words

Tatenda Trust is a small London-based charity. We support the work of Tatenda Early Learning Trust, a Zambian trust that runs an educational project in the capital, Lusaka, providing education to orphans and other vulnerable children. It has its own nursery and primary school, and also supports older children in their education. We support this project by raising funds through trading and our education sponsorship programme, and by promoting the work amongst churches and schools. Because we are all volunteers, practically everything we raise is used for charitable purposes. We personally know and trust the recipients in Zambia, so we know that funds always reach their designated target. We normally raise about £10,000 per year, although last year this rose to £30,000. We hope to continue at this level and recognise the importance of a decent website if we are to achieve this.

2. What is your solvable communication problem?

Our website www.tatendatrust.org.uk is very amateurish and as such requires redesigning. It is mainly a design and layout matter as we can rewrite it, although comments on the type of information to be included would be welcome, as would hints on the type of writing style to be used, and assistance in the best use of links.

3. What would you hope to achieve working with Ale 2.0 - Drink Ale for Charity?

We would like to have a professional looking website that clearly communicates everything it should do in an interesting manner.

4. Why should "the crowd" choose your charity?

You have volunteered to help! Also you sound perfect for the job, as you have web designers in your midst.

5. How could the donated time benefit your charity?

By you helping us obtain a good website, our charity should benefit by an increase in direct financial support and increased enquiries about the various aspects of our work.

6. Who do expect to support your charity (target market?)

Visitors to our site would be both interested parties who know a bit about us and those who know little about us but have seen our shop or eBay pages.

7. Relevant links...

www.tatendatrust.org.uk

@alrobertson's Media 140 Breakdown

2009-10-27T14:32:00.001Z

via disappearing.wordpress.com

I like this short video, it helps that I'm a big fan of Al I suppose but nonetheless it's better than reading it.

Ale 2.0 Charity Update

2009-10-27T10:59:00.001Z

There are a number of us in the Ale 2.0 gang but one's been off wining awards and globetrotting and as for Louis (well he's pushing up foursquare's market value single handedly). Due to this and my personal inherent crapness this project hasn't been racing forward as much as hoped. But hopefully we're not entirely to blame...

I wrote to the charities a week or so ago and asked them to articulate their problem and how they felt that the time donated by the ale 2'ers could help. I have been surprised and as little unmotivated by the lack of response. It's taken a long time and some of the charities who originally expressed an interest have been slow in coming back (if at all) to say what it is they need.

In my experience if the client (or in this case the charity) don't know exactly what their problem is then there is little chance of anyone, including us being able to help out. So I will assume if they can't find the time to respond to some straight forward questions there's not much chance of working anything out in the long term.

Despite this I'm very excited about the next phase. We've got a shortlist of four charities and shortly after this blog I'll be posting the first charities pitch for the work and then asking you all to vote on which charity should get chosen.

Tom

cabin fever

2009-10-26T09:33:00.001Z

I've been left alone for an hour and am already feeling loopy so i've decided to hide in the attic for a bit

See and download the full gallery on posterous

What Ale 2.0's colleagues think Tom looks like as an animal

2009-10-23T15:46:00.001+01:00

Today is Tom's last day at We Are VI before he starts at Skive next week.

As a special leaving gift the staff at VI have been sending group emails round of how they see Tom as an animal every hour on the hour.

Here's some of the best...

Hiring a website design agency - sound familiar?

2009-10-21T16:24:00.001+01:00

I love these videos more than I can say...

Ale 2.0 vs The Charlotte Street hotel

2009-10-16T14:22:00.001+01:00

I've learnt my first major lesson about organising large groups of people...

Don't have a meeting at The Charlotte Street Hotel and buy all the drinks!

A classic error...

Saying that though my chat on Wednesday with Fleur, Charlotte and Anke was priceless and inspiring.

There were many insights but the main job that was identified was to really understand what the charities needed.

So I've emailed all the charities who have put themselves forward and asked them the following questions...

1. Describe what your charity does in 140 words

2. What is your solvable communication problem?

3. What would you hope to achieve working with Ale 2.0 - Drink Ale for Charity

4. Why should "the crowd" choose you?

5. How could this project benefit your charity?

6. Who do expect to support your charity (target market?)

I will be posting the charities "pitches" on the blog when they get back to me. Based on this feedback I will be running a poll for "the crowd" to decide which they think is the charity that would benefit the most from the donated time.

Hopefully soon we will have a charity lined up and we can start the next stage.

I'll keep the next steps for the next blog but I can't tell you how helpful Fleur, Charlotte and Anke have been!

Tom

The Best Creative Brief Ever, Amen

2009-10-16T09:48:00.001+01:00

Hangovers Vs Charity (please RT)

2009-10-13T11:23:00.001+01:00

Trying to run a charitable / social experiment is not a good mix with moving house. In fact its not an amazing mix with a real ale hangover but these are the logistical speed bumps I was hoping to iron out in this first version of Drink Ale for Charity.

My aim this week is to have a charity signed up to receive the 72 hours of donated time and a crystal clear idea of what we can do for them.

In order to do this I need to do the following:

1. I need people to think of local charities who have a problem that we could solve with the 72 hours. We then need them to send them the link to the original blog outlining what we are doing to the charity of their choice. Then we need the charity of your choice to email me - mrtomollerton (@) gmail.com with an introduction to their charity and how we could help them.

2. I'll add these charities to the ones who have contacted me already through the Coalition. Then I will post all the different charities' pitches on this blog and I'll invite the crowd to pitch in with their comments.

3. Once the debate is over I will ask the original donators to collectively decide on which charity we are going to help.

4. Then "the crowd' will help decide what exactly we can do for the charity.

I appreciate this might seem simplistic but I think this is the way forward - as ever your thoughts are welcome.

I carry round the business cards with the donations of time in my back pocket as a reminder I need to keep on pressing on with this. If I can get all this nailed by next week I'll be a happy man so please pass this message on and see if we can't get some amazing work done for a small charity that needs it.

I'd also like to send massive thank yous to

@radiokate

@JimAnning

@the_anke

@caspiapam

@claireatwaves

who have gone out of their way to be wonderfully helpful in the last weeks...

The Social Media Guru

2009-10-09T15:46:00.001+01:00

A few people spring to mind each time I see this ; - )

Ale 2.0 Drink for Charity Update

2009-10-08T09:38:00.001+01:00

Hi,

It's been a week since the Ale 2.0 superstars donated some hours of their collective brilliance to charity. This is a quick blog post to keep you up to date with what is happening.

Outside of the hours donated I've had a handful of brainy people offer their free advice on how the whole process could work. Particularly Claire Thompson (@claireatwaves) who has gone out of her way to point Ale 2.0 on the right direction!

I've drafted up a "Super Rough Plan" which is as follows (and where I am with each one.)

Super Rough Plan

1. Work out what we can do with the donated hours

So far we have 72 hours of very disparate skills and I can't see the wood for the trees with what I should be doing with it. My approach has been that I will galvanise the support of the handful of brainy people to work out what to do with the time and then use the 72 hours to fulfil the plan.

It has been difficult to get all the brainy people together in the same room at the same time, which is of no surprise.

2. Find a charity that wants, can use and will benefit from the above

I've been approached by Macmillan, Tatenda Trust (www.tatendatrust.org.uk), International Youth Development Trust (IYDT) (www.iydt.org.uk), African Prisons Project (www.africanprisons.org), icommons (www.icommons.org)

3. Work with a clever person to plan who will do what and when.

I'm not sure who this should be and the volunteers haven't got back to me yet.

4. Ensure the work for the charity gets done.

5. Measure the usefulness of this exercise

6. Blog the whole thing

You're reading this!

7. Repeat

Maybe

Claire was totally right in saying that this was going to be a lot of work for me, and it is! I'm really enjoying it and will carry on working at it till it is successful.

I'll be writing more as it happens.

Thanks for reading this!

Tom

Graphic Designer vs Client

2009-10-05T14:19:00.001+01:00

thanks @commanderkeane for this

Beatles Russian Dolls

2009-10-04T09:52:00.001+01:00

We'll have to do a Ale 2.0 version of this soon...

Thanks for all the Ale 2.0'ers who donated their time last night!

2009-10-02T18:20:00.001+01:00

I found this on my desktop, no idea how it got there.. thought I'd share it with you

2009-10-02T16:23:00.001+01:00

72 hours

2009-10-02T14:21:00.001+01:00

Here's a breakdown of the hours collected at Ale 2.0 Drink Ale for Charity

1 hour afternoon of commercial strategy (4hours)

7 hours of copywriting

2 hours of "brain" - thanks Charles

2 hours of "person" - thanks Charles

3 hours - admin

5 hours of 3D motion graphics

4 hours of research/ideas/strategy

1 hour of "front end stuff"

6 hours of marketing strategy/presentations/training/sales/ideas/creative

4 hours social media

6 hours of Outdoor Advertising Consultation

8 hours of objective opinion development

7 hours of graphic/digital design

6 hours of "senior producing"

2 hours of scathing criticism (thanks Allix)

8 hours of Kai

72 Hours

What are we going to do with it all?

Louis, Tom, Kate, Fleur, AJ

Mickey Mouse is coming to Ale 2.0

2009-09-30T19:49:00.005+01:00

With 30 of his pals..

Mini
Pluto
Daffy
erm...

Mickey Mouse is coming to Ale 2.0

2009-09-30T19:49:00.003+01:00

With 30 of his pals..

Mini
Pluto
Daffy
erm...

Mickey Mouse is coming to Ale 2.0

2009-09-30T19:49:00.001+01:00

With 30 of his pals..

Mini
Pluto
Daffy
erm...

Marilyn Monroe painted in er.. paintballs

2009-09-28T23:07:00.001+01:00

Needless, pointless, wasteful, wonderful

Bizarre (but funny) Ale 2.0 fan mail...

2009-09-28T18:02:00.001+01:00

@radiokate smashes it on trendsmap

2009-09-28T15:03:00.001+01:00

One of Ale 2.0's oldest supporters breaks it globally! Well done Kate on the Radio Academy nomination for @bbc _sos

Truffle on the Beach

2009-09-26T10:12:00.003+01:00

In typical Ale 2.0 style the most exciting takeaway from Flash on the Beach is a bottle of truffle oil. I think they saw me coming...

Ale 2.0 Rough it in Brighton.

2009-09-26T10:12:00.001+01:00

At the Adobe post FOTB event sat out on the decking feeling that working in new media can have its benefits

Chaboost : Ale 2.0's Small Charity Booster

2009-09-25T15:05:00.001+01:00

Ale 2.0 Small Charities Booster (Chaboost)

Ale 2.0 is a meetup for people who work in the digital industries and like drinking real ale. They meet once a month to talk shop, and make the world a better place one pint at a time.

At the next Ale 2.0 meetup (next Thursday at the Harp) a pint glass will get passed round. Each person puts in their business card in the pint glass. On the back they write what their specialism is and an amount of time, an hour, afternoon, day, week etc that they can commit to between two agreed dates.

At the end of the night all the cards are amassed and divided up into different skill sets - strategy, design, creative, social media etc.

Once we have an overview of the time/skill-sets available we will work out what could be done eg. website, viral, video, social media strategy, event etc.

Inbetween the two agreed dates the individuals will at different times give their agreed time to the charity on the given project.

We will offer the time and services to a small charity that could never afford to work with London's top talent.

I've set up a google account so we can collectively hone the idea. It's really in its formative stages and any brainpower/problem spotting would be hugely appreciated.

Please email me at mrtomollerton@gmail.com and I'll invite you to the group.

If this is a sh*t idea lets find out before we make di*ks of ourselves!

Louis, Tom, Kate, AJ

Ps: Chaboost is a rubbish name, lets see if we can do better

Milk 2.0

2009-09-24T17:56:00.001+01:00

I was walking down shoreditch high street and i saw my friend the milkman. I jumped on the back of his float and he gave a bottle of full cream milk! I feel like i'm in Quadrophenia or something

Jay-Z is one of the most uniquely unattractive men, this should not be encouraged

2009-09-23T14:02:00.001+01:00

Ale 2.0 would never lie to you

2009-09-17T12:07:00.001+01:00

Are You Happy?

2009-09-17T11:52:00.001+01:00

I'm trying to work Ale 2.0 into this...

The Hierarchy Of Digital Distractions - Thanks PutITout

2009-09-09T13:13:00.001+01:00

via informationisbeautiful.net

Best Creds Dec I've Seen in Ages!

2009-09-09T11:45:00.001+01:00

via theattentionspam.blogspot.com

I can't tell you how much I love this video for BooneOakley.com

It's nauseatingly close to what I've been trying to do at VI for ages - damn them.

The Stone Roses - Fools Gold

2009-09-08T22:53:00.001+01:00

Possibly our best blog post ever?

The Beatles Monopoly

2009-09-06T08:59:00.001+01:00

via thebeatles.com

Matches 2.0

2009-09-04T12:23:00.001+01:00

via idcollective.blogspot.com

cheers for this @charlescadbury

Cigarettes 2.0

2009-09-04T11:19:00.001+01:00

Beware the dangers of having a dating website as a potential client

2009-09-02T18:19:00.001+01:00

>
> Hello my new friend!!!
> My name is Svetlana. I am 28 and i was born on July 20, 1980.
> Today I havewoke up with very good mood and has come to the Internet
> cafe and has visited a site of meeting be2.com.
> And I did not carry out time on this site, because I have found the
> man, interesting for me.
> I want to find the man who will fond of me. For me is not important > his face and religion.
> He should be sensitive, kind, responsible, romantic, sympathetic and
> sincere man. That will be a person whom I will be able to trust and
> who will trust me, to whom I can rely at difficult moment. I want to
> tell you some words about myself. I was born in city named Samara. I
> am the independent woman, I achieved everything in this life by
> myself. I was not married and I have not got any children. I was
> interested in your profile and consequently I want to get acquainted
> with you closer. You can write me on mine E-mail > address:

Yawn, go on yawn

2009-09-01T21:04:00.001+01:00

Ale 2.0 caught schmoozing at the Bricklane Gallery

2009-08-20T14:23:00.001+01:00

via thebricklanegallery.com

Tom - Put your tongue back in your mouth man!

Are you a boy or a girl, or a bit of both asks Amazon?

2009-08-19T14:26:00.001+01:00

via blog.wearevi.com

Is this the future of non-sexual discrimination online?

Social Media Crack - enticing mesage, even better execution

2009-08-19T11:54:00.001+01:00

Thanks again to reflectionsof.me

Classic redesign backfires

2009-08-18T20:31:00.001+01:00

via redesignme.com

We might hand these out to lager drinkers at the next Ale 2.0 (only joking...)

Social Media - Actions talk louder than Word

2009-08-14T12:54:00.001+01:00

Michael Brito says active listening is worthless without action. He has a nice analogy. “A man gets home from work and starts engaging in a meaningful discussion with his wife about his bad habits (or rather, she engages with him). She insists that she is tired of picking up his dirty socks from the living room floor; and asks him to be more mindful of picking up after himself. He actively listens to her, agrees; but forgets to put his dirty socks in the hamper that evening.” According to Brito, brands like Dell and Starbucks “do more than just listening. They actually pick up their dirty socks and put them into the hamper every night.”

Baby 2.0

2009-08-14T11:33:00.001+01:00

Here's one of Ale 2.0's colleagues' new born getting down with social media!

ahhhhh

Microblogging/copy gets the grown-up treatment

2009-08-10T18:20:00.001+01:00

Writing Microcopy

by Joshua Porter

I remember the first time I realized how much even the smallest copy can matter in an interface. It was on an e-commerce project at UIE for which I had created a checkout form asking for billing information. I had coded up a system to notify me when an error occurred (even if people can overcome the error it was very helpful to know when one occurred). I kept getting notifications of billing address errors…it turns out that transactions were failing because the address people were entering didn’t match the one on their credit card.

So I ended up adding the copy “Be sure to enter the billing address associated with your credit card” at the top of the form. And just like that, the errors went away. It was clear the right copy meant I didn’t have to worry about that problem anymore, thus saving support time and increasing revenue on the improved conversion.

Ironically, the smallest bits of copy, microcopy, can have the biggest impact.

Microcopy is small yet powerful copy. It’s fast, light, and deadly. It’s a short sentence, a phrase, a few words. A single word. It’s the small copy that has the biggest impact. Don’t judge it on its size…judge it on its effectiveness.
Five Simple Steps ~ Designing for the Web

Here’s another example. On the purchase page of Mark Boulton’s wonderful book Designing for the Web, he’s written a bit of microcopy that is crucial for people considering purchase. The copy is “Transactions are handled through paypal but you don’t need a paypal account to buy this book“. This turns out to be a huge question of would-be purchasers (I’ve seen it in several projects). People see the Paypal logo and they assume that they need to have an account…and everyone knows how annoying it is to create an account simply to purchase a single item. Actually, for a long time you did need an account to purchase something with Paypal. Only more recently did they change that. In this example, Mark has written half a sentence that communicates this fact and eases the fears of would-be customers.
Tumblr microcopy

Update Reader David Yeiser points out another good example of microcopy on Tumblr. When users are about to sign up, they’re asked to choose a sub-domain name for their site. This seems like a big deal, as you’re defining the URL at which you’ll be found by others. In order to reduce the stress of making a big decision that could affect the future of your blog, Tumblr gently reminds you that “You can change this at any time”. Done. No more worries about choosing the wrong sub-domain name…just choose one and start posting.

Microcopy is extremely contextual…that’s why it’s so valuable. It answers a very specific question people have and speaks to their concerns right on the spot. And because its so contextual, microcopy isn’t always obvious. Sometimes you have to hunt to find the right words. (or create an error notification service like I did) How to discover these hurdles? Talk to people! Why aren’t they adopting your software? What concerns do they have? What are they worried about? Successful salesmen know the power of these small turns of phrase. They have an arsenal of them for every situation.

Here are some other examples:

* When signing up for a newsletter, say “this low-volume newsletter”
* When people add their emails, say “we hate spam as much as you do”
* When subscribing for something free, say “you can always unsubscribe at any time”
* When selling an paid-for web application, be sure to let people know if you have a free trial.
* When storing customer’s information, say “You can export your information at any time”
* If offering optional account creation, say “If you create an account, you’ll be able to track your package”

All of these microcopy examples have one thing in common: they help to alleviate concerns of would-be customers. They help to reduce commitment by speaking directly to the thoughts in people’s heads. That’s why this copy can be so short yet so powerful.