2019/SF/copywriting

Writing Interface Copy to Build Trust was a session at IndieWebCamp SF 2019.

Notes archived from: https://etherpad.indieweb.org/copywriting

IndieWebCamp SF 2019
Session: Writing Interface Copy to Build Trust
When: 2019-12-07 16:10

Participants

Notes

Writing interface copy for the Indieweb

OAuth - scope / permissions, like a key card

description of scope
miscommunication of impact of scope
remove complexities
- simplifying it as a dev
- make it obvious
- don't make me think
- Feynman technique

8 seconds to understand something or people give up

Billboard technique, less than 7 words

Eliminating the single point of person(SPOA, SPOS, etc)

Write it in text (microcopy) first, then do visuals

Idea to add a wiki page for all the community services...Micropub services like OYS, webmention services like Bridgy.

Write like you're speaking to a human. We are after all a "people first" centered group.

David Shanske is scared about the idea of us growing too fast without being able to handle it. Tantek Çelik is not if we get Vouch handled to avoid the negativity migrating there without tools.

Jacky Alciné accepted he is a content farm.

"Institute of the Future of the Book" = updatable books?

As an example of this, why don't we simply use the phrase @mention instead of calling them webmentions? People already know what the functionality is, they don't need to know what the spec is called. Our real innovation is simply making @mentions work across platforms.

Micro.blog will be even more powerful when it has a large competitor and both it and the competition allow easy import/export of data and interoperability.

'Sane defaults' - decisions not options.

indiewebify.me as a copywriting example

Adopt an old wiki page today!

Talk like a human

Use plain language

Would be great to have a glossary!

Started: glossary (encouragement incorporated into definition page in 2023).

Participants

Notes

See Also