info snack

Bite-sized chunks of info from Vancouver-based freelance copywriter/web editor Rob Mathison, including recent projects, info/articles, links, and interesting stuff found on the web. And a picture of a doughnut.

I'm available for freelance/contract work.

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Useful stuff #7 - Things

It’s a bit embarrassing to count how many task management type apps or online to-do list tools I have tried over the years, but Things (Mac) is the only one I’ve stuck with as an alternative to a pen and paper for planning and organizing my own projects. And it has an iPhone version that syncs nicely.

I did stick with one other to-do list service, though (in addition to Today). TeuxDeux is a nice one if you float between different locations/computers. Also has a good iPhone version.

Got a desk for rent in Vancouver?

This has been my longest stretch working from the home office/local coffee shop (four months now) and I’ve decided I need workmates again, or at least other people working around me.

I’m looking for a co-working or shared office space in Vancouver for at least one day a week - ideally with a small design/marketing/digital or other creative business, a small start-up, or a social enterprise or charity - basically somewhere where I could also make myself useful if ever needed. I can provide copywriting, content, proofreading and other services in part-return or for similar reasonable rates (as well as just helping out as an extra pair of eyes).

I’m office-trained, have worked in a shared, rented or hot-desking space before and am happy to contribute Timbits, do the coffee run, come for post-work beers, discuss the Canucks, etc, etc.

Or, somewhere like The Melting Pot or Centre of Social Innovation would be perfect.

One job title. Three toques. I gave myself the longish job title of copywriter / web editor / web content strategist partly because that’s a benefit of being self-employed, partly to keep up-to-date with recent developments in the area of web content, and partly because choosing one risked pigeonholing myself (which also sounds painful). This post is intended to clarify the differences between the three slightly different but interlinking roles of copywriter, web editor and content strategist (in the context of what I do direct for client companies or through agencies).  Copywriter A copywriter is, to quote the title of this excellent book, an idea writer, as well as a marketing storyteller. The aim of a copywriter is to deliver your messages and communicate your stories in as compelling and engaging a way as possible. There are different types of copywriter, but generally I do the following: Web copy Print copy Copy themes Platform copy Marketing storytelling Copy for any sort of marketing campaign Taglines and headlines Newsletters Articles Scripts, eg corporate videos Customer value statements Web editor Web editors make cluttered, unclear and inaccessible websites better. A web editor can step in when you have existing content from, for example, a brochure or other source, but it’s not readable, accessible or engaging enough to work well on the web. Or you have existing web copy and it’s just not very good. The aim of a web editor is to help ensure that visitors to your website very quickly understand the hows, whys, whats and whos of your business, as well as making sure the content is up-to-date and written in a consistent style (often, web content is produced by a number of different people). As web editor, I can: Edit and organize content for the web Ensure consistency Write a style guide Provide training in web writing for future client content updates Add keywords for search engine optimization purposes Write meta data Web content strategist Web content strategists take an overall, holistic view of your website and other content to make sure it’s all working well together. The aim of a web content strategist, like any kind of strategist, is to ensure there is a plan in place for all or specific elements of your content. A relatively new role, it’s quite similar to a web editor role, including: Content planning and organization Content reviews Content audits Content inventories Content repurposing Content marketing Editorial schedules, eg blog calendars Depending on what your project involves, I can wear one or a combination of these hats (without actually wearing them of course; I don’t own any of the hats above) on your project. Please get in touch for more info. 

One job title. Three toques.

I gave myself the longish job title of copywriter / web editor / web content strategist partly because that’s a benefit of being self-employed, partly to keep up-to-date with recent developments in the area of web content, and partly because choosing one risked pigeonholing myself (which also sounds painful).

This post is intended to clarify the differences between the three slightly different but interlinking roles of copywriter, web editor and content strategist (in the context of what I do direct for client companies or through agencies). 

Copywriter

A copywriter is, to quote the title of this excellent book, an idea writer, as well as a marketing storyteller. The aim of a copywriter is to deliver your messages and communicate your stories in as compelling and engaging a way as possible. There are different types of copywriter, but generally I do the following:

  • Web copy
  • Print copy
  • Copy themes
  • Platform copy
  • Marketing storytelling
  • Copy for any sort of marketing campaign
  • Taglines and headlines
  • Newsletters
  • Articles
  • Scripts, eg corporate videos
  • Customer value statements

Web editor

Web editors make cluttered, unclear and inaccessible websites better. A web editor can step in when you have existing content from, for example, a brochure or other source, but it’s not readable, accessible or engaging enough to work well on the web. Or you have existing web copy and it’s just not very good.

The aim of a web editor is to help ensure that visitors to your website very quickly understand the hows, whys, whats and whos of your business, as well as making sure the content is up-to-date and written in a consistent style (often, web content is produced by a number of different people). As web editor, I can:

  • Edit and organize content for the web
  • Ensure consistency
  • Write a style guide
  • Provide training in web writing for future client content updates
  • Add keywords for search engine optimization purposes
  • Write meta data

Web content strategist

Web content strategists take an overall, holistic view of your website and other content to make sure it’s all working well together. The aim of a web content strategist, like any kind of strategist, is to ensure there is a plan in place for all or specific elements of your content. A relatively new role, it’s quite similar to a web editor role, including:

  • Content planning and organization
  • Content reviews
  • Content audits
  • Content inventories
  • Content repurposing
  • Content marketing
  • Editorial schedules, eg blog calendars

Depending on what your project involves, I can wear one or a combination of these hats (without actually wearing them of course; I don’t own any of the hats above) on your project. Please get in touch for more info. 

What no wife of a writer can ever understand is that a writer is working when he’s staring out of the window.
– Burton Rascoe

I suggest everyone who works in any sort of job involving creative thought bookmarks this quote for the next time your other half/boss gives you some stick for staring out the window.

Not that that just happened to me or anything…

Useful stuff #5 - QuickCursor and Safari Reader

When doing a content audit or inventory it’s often necessary to copy and paste a very large number of web pages from a client’s existing site to organize them into one document that’s easy to comment on and edit.

QuickCursor is a small app that lets you select any text in a browser and quickly edit it in your selected text editor - in my case WriteRoom - before dumping it into something like Word to format it.

For pages that have a lot of graphics or frames, I also use the Safari Reader tool in Safari to bring up a clean page of text first. Safari Reader also does a great job of stripping out the text from PDFs, which can be a formatting nightmare.

Instapaper does a similar job of providing a page of clean text, but in more steps. The Readability Add-on for Firefox also works well, but not on PDFs.

Are you sitting comfortably? I’m working with social media agency Soya Marketing (who take a great story-based approach to social media strategy) on a project just now and was introduced at a meeting as “Web Storyteller”. Maybe I should grow a beard and start smoking a pipe? All the talk of stories in marketing these days has also brought back childhood memories of Jackanory. It’s amazing to think that Jackanory just consisted of a person sitting in a chair reading a book out loud. That’s the power of a good story though.

Are you sitting comfortably?

I’m working with social media agency Soya Marketing (who take a great story-based approach to social media strategy) on a project just now and was introduced at a meeting as “Web Storyteller”.

Maybe I should grow a beard and start smoking a pipe?

All the talk of stories in marketing these days has also brought back childhood memories of Jackanory.

It’s amazing to think that Jackanory just consisted of a person sitting in a chair reading a book out loud.

That’s the power of a good story though.

“As little as possible, as much as necessary.”

The amount of content you can stick on a website is not limited by paper size or printing costs, which is why people tend to write far too much online.

When asked how much is needed for a particular page or section, I generally reply with something like, “As much as you need to get your message or information across effectively.”

However, this is a much better way of saying it:

“As little as possible, as much as necessary.”
- Brain Traffic Blog

Or points (ii) and (iii) from George Orwell’s ‘Politics and the English Language’ essay also put it nicely:

(ii) Never us a long word where a short one will do.

(iii) If it is possible to cut a word out, always cut it out.