If code is our bread, then content is our butter. It’s also been king for a while. A buttery smooth king. [Ed: Mixing metaphors is inelegant, reveals a want of sophistication and causes confusion. Please stop.] Whatever your preference, you’ll find a wealth of useful information in our articles on copy, including its micro and macro aspects; content planning, strategy and management for sites big and small; as well as ideas on generating it.
Lisa Maria Martin sorts the nuts from the berries by finding what lessons can be learned about our digital content from a few hours spent volunteering at the local food bank. When push comes to shove, do you know your broth from your biscuits and your pasta from your pulses?
Paul Lloyd assembles a heavenly host of cherubs to sing the virtues of the Eleventy static site generator. By looking at how it compares to the familiar Ruby-based Jekyll (which we have espoused the virtues of here before), he may have you humming its tune for this season’s holiday projects. But will it put you on cloud eleven?
Suw Charman-Anderson offers up a handy guide to help us not get stuck up the chimney of gender bias by failing to properly consider our design and language choices. Take the time to examine your work and find any biases, because the girls and boys won’t get any toys if you don’t pull them out.
Lisa Maria Martin harnesses the huskies of information to the sled of knowledge and takes us on a ride through the snowy peaks and valleys of information design. Plan your route carefully and make your intentions clear, for in the wintery wastelands there are no go-arounds.
Sally Jenkinson sets out her recipe for helpful documentation, suggesting you serve up structured, easily digestible and nutritious information for your readers. With a dusting of screencasts and GIFs, it’s a recipe for success at Christmas and beyond.
Sophie Dennis understands the necessity of planning carefully how and when website content will be produced – and who’s responsible. Content’s like Christmas: best not left to chance.
Jonathan Snook knows that writing and publishing are different things, and relates his experience of creating an ebook, exploring the formats and the tools to set you on your merry way. Will 2014 be the year of your book?
Owen Gregory winkles answers out of authors of web books, the whys and wherefores of writing and publishing them. Everyone loves a book for Christmas, so spare a thought for the misguided soulsbrave folk who write them.
Lisa Maria Martin decries the common reliance on FAQs to deliver important content to users, asking us to bring that content out of the cold and offer it some Glühwein to put some colour in its cheeks.
Erin Kissane sets off hopefully into the broad open plains of the new year, vanquishing gooey and chaotic content with a refreshing dose of clear-headed strategy to prevent your post-Christmas content hangover.
Relly Annett-Baker, everyone’s friendly Alien Overlord, powers up the Humongous Mechanoid of Content to wreak carefully planned strategic Christmas on your web projects. And this time next year, you’ll all be asking for page tables as stocking fillers.
Alex Morris flips open his well-thumbed journalist’s notebook to approach web projects through four powerful lines of enquiry that can set your product’s strategy on the right track. “Winter? Wonderland? Wellies?” Stop right there. “Wassail?” Oh, dear.
Relly Annett-Baker extends this year’s daily December dose of web goodness to encompass the Twelve Days of Christmas, all leading towards an epiphany of delight in your content. Whip your content into shape for the New Year! And watch out for a strategically placed tea tray…
Relly Annett-Baker turns our minds to the oft-neglected subject of website copy, and how the small things you say can have a big impact on your customers, revenues, fame, fortune and luck with the opposite sex.
