ComHacker.org http://comhacker.org Get what you want out of what you do online. Fri, 18 Jul 2008 05:20:29 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5 en © mayobrains@gmail.com () mayobrains@gmail.com() 1440 Get what you want out of what you do online. mayobrains@gmail.com No no http://comhacker.org/wp-content/plugins/podpress/images/powered_by_podpress.jpg ComHacker.org http://comhacker.org 144 144 Closed for Renovations http://comhacker.org/2008/07/closed-for-renovations/ http://comhacker.org/2008/07/closed-for-renovations/#comments Fri, 18 Jul 2008 05:20:29 +0000 Patricia Mayo http://comhacker.org/?p=133 Nobody died and nothing burned down - unless you count my Internet connection a casualty. I’m working on it though, and hope to be online again, infecting your brains with yet more great ideas, soon enough =)



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Closed for Renovations

]]> Nobody died and nothing burned down - unless you count my Internet connection a casualty. I’m working on it though, and hope to be online again, infecting your brains with yet more great ideas, soon enough =)



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Closed for Renovations

]]> http://comhacker.org/2008/07/closed-for-renovations/feed/ Directing Those Thousand Words Pictures Speak #2 http://comhacker.org/2008/06/the_right_picture_the_right_message_2/ http://comhacker.org/2008/06/the_right_picture_the_right_message_2/#comments Tue, 10 Jun 2008 17:07:59 +0000 Patricia Mayo http://comhacker.org/?p=132 Directing attention with picturesby Patricia Mayo

In the first installment in this series on communicating a message with pictures, I introduced this concept and talked about the purpose of a picture, how to use images to draw attention, and putting the reader in the picture’s shoes.

This time I get to dig into one of my all time favorites - directing attention. The nuances of this use are just so much fun to me - not that I take great joy in fiddling with people’s heads. I just like figuring out each case and exactly how your eyes will be influenced by a picture.

What Are You Looking At?

Optical Illusion

It is basic human instinct to be curious about what someone else is looking at. This dates all the way back to man’s hunter-gatherer nature and self-defense mechanisms.

What someone else is looking at could mean life or death for us, so it is a top priority to see for ourselves what is so interesting to someone else.

However, just any ‘ol eyes looking at something you want seen won’t do. There are a few key components to using this technique to its highest potential.

1. The Whole Face: Just a pair of disembodied eyes doesn’t quite have the same effect as a whole face. The key is to make it look real and natural.

2. He’s My Friend: The overall appearance and body language has to say “friend” or at least “on my side.” So shoot for an attractive picture that represents your target audience.

3. Subtlety Rules: The best marketing is completely invisible to the marketed. A great big fake smile with hands pointing obviously to the object is too blatant. Just the eyes looking at it is plenty.

The Good and The Bad

Directing attention with an alien eye

Excellent - Unbiased.co.uk: With huge amounts of white space all around, Unbiased has made these alien eyes the primary focal point of the entire page. You can’t help but see this cute little dude right off the bat, and it says “hey look here” with extreme prejudice.

The awesome thing is - you don’t even really know just how much power mister alien has over you. It is ever so subtle to the conscious mind, but subconsciously that iris being slightly up and to the right makes “Independent Financial Advice” the most important thing in the menu, and “Why do I need Independent Financial Advice?” the most important thing on the page.

Second to that is “Latest News,” which is what the second little eye is looking at. The mouth is even pointing at it, which kinda says “this is what people say about us” or “this is what you should say about us.”

Look at something besides the camera

Epic Fail - DerekScholl.com: Looking straight at the camera may be a great way to evoke confidence, but the way it is used here just fails miserably.

Every single picture has Derek looking right at the camera. Overuse will make any tactic lose its effect and, in this case, changes the message to “vanity” instead of “confidence.”

On top of that, very few of the pictures even bother to use his body language to direct attention toward the text. If anything, Derek’s body language says “look at me, not the text.”

Poke around his web site, you’ll see what I mean pretty quickly.

Asides:

You should test whether a picture of you (or your brand mascot) or a picture that represents your target audience would work best. Every case is different, but try not to confuse a bad picture with a bad concept.

In other words, if the picture of you sucks, it’s obviously not going to work as well as the picture that represents your target audience - even though it might work better in that case to have a picture of you.

And lastly, the more subtle, the better. Think of visitors as a smart building. If you trigger “ad alarms” with your web page, then security will have to get involved and your web page will no longer look innocent and friendly.

However, if you keep it very low key - even amateur - you’re more likely to capture the common consumer. Business to business marketing also uses tactics that are basically the exact opposite, but keep in mind they are a “common consumer” too.

Subtle Shifts - Using “Focal Order”

However, there are a couple things the Derek Scholl images almost did right, so let’s take a second look at them.

Look at something besides the camera

The perspective in the top image could have been used to a much greater advantage.

If you move Derek further forward in the frame, and put the text behind him “on the wall,” then you have successfully used what I call “focal order” to direct attention.

In other words the perspective of the image pretty much forces you to “read it” right to left - because the “background” is in the left.

So if you put what is naturally most dominant (a human face) in the naturally most dominant position (the far right for this image), then it’s natural to progress to the left and read the text.

As it stands right now, the picture is trying to have two focal points of the same relative importance.

It’s OK for something to be “less important” - in fact, that tends to mean it will actually get noticed!

In the second image, the angle of Derek’s head could have been far more advantageous. Again, move Derek over to the right and the text to the left.

Then angle Derek about another 15 degrees counter-clockwise so that his whole body is pointing at the text, in a sense. That way he’s “leaning on it” and “looking at it.”

You have to be careful putting people and text together. No matter how big the text is, the people will always be the most dominant object in any picture.

Work with the fact we are inexorably drawn to the human face, not against it. If it helps, just remember “face first, facts last.”

Asides:

Focal order can be determined by any number of things. I have already mentioned perspective and the dominance of faces. Most of the others are fairly obvious - color, size, and density (i.e. how much white space is around it. Lots of white space = very dominant, little white space = insignificant) for example.

But there is one other trickier one - overtones. You can ask a professional photographer to give you more detail about this one, but photographers often add barely visible swirls of lighter colors to add subliminal interest and flow to their photos.

Look real close sometime and see if you can find them. Most commonly you will find these mysterious swirls in landscapes or any super-simple photo. Some painters use them too.

Don’t be afraid to ask any questions you might have - I know I didn’t cover absolutely everything but I hope this explains the deeper aspects. Keep an eye out for the next one in this series about using pictures to describe a product.



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Post from: ComHacker.org

Directing Those Thousand Words Pictures Speak #2

]]> Directing attention with picturesby Patricia Mayo

In the first installment in this series on communicating a message with pictures, I introduced this concept and talked about the purpose of a picture, how to use images to draw attention, and putting the reader in the picture’s shoes.

This time I get to dig into one of my all time favorites - directing attention. The nuances of this use are just so much fun to me - not that I take great joy in fiddling with people’s heads. I just like figuring out each case and exactly how your eyes will be influenced by a picture.

What Are You Looking At?

Optical Illusion

It is basic human instinct to be curious about what someone else is looking at. This dates all the way back to man’s hunter-gatherer nature and self-defense mechanisms.

What someone else is looking at could mean life or death for us, so it is a top priority to see for ourselves what is so interesting to someone else.

However, just any ‘ol eyes looking at something you want seen won’t do. There are a few key components to using this technique to its highest potential.

1. The Whole Face: Just a pair of disembodied eyes doesn’t quite have the same effect as a whole face. The key is to make it look real and natural.

2. He’s My Friend: The overall appearance and body language has to say “friend” or at least “on my side.” So shoot for an attractive picture that represents your target audience.

3. Subtlety Rules: The best marketing is completely invisible to the marketed. A great big fake smile with hands pointing obviously to the object is too blatant. Just the eyes looking at it is plenty.

The Good and The Bad

Directing attention with an alien eye

Excellent - Unbiased.co.uk: With huge amounts of white space all around, Unbiased has made these alien eyes the primary focal point of the entire page. You can’t help but see this cute little dude right off the bat, and it says “hey look here” with extreme prejudice.

The awesome thing is - you don’t even really know just how much power mister alien has over you. It is ever so subtle to the conscious mind, but subconsciously that iris being slightly up and to the right makes “Independent Financial Advice” the most important thing in the menu, and “Why do I need Independent Financial Advice?” the most important thing on the page.

Second to that is “Latest News,” which is what the second little eye is looking at. The mouth is even pointing at it, which kinda says “this is what people say about us” or “this is what you should say about us.”

Look at something besides the camera

Epic Fail - DerekScholl.com: Looking straight at the camera may be a great way to evoke confidence, but the way it is used here just fails miserably.

Every single picture has Derek looking right at the camera. Overuse will make any tactic lose its effect and, in this case, changes the message to “vanity” instead of “confidence.”

On top of that, very few of the pictures even bother to use his body language to direct attention toward the text. If anything, Derek’s body language says “look at me, not the text.”

Poke around his web site, you’ll see what I mean pretty quickly.

Asides:

You should test whether a picture of you (or your brand mascot) or a picture that represents your target audience would work best. Every case is different, but try not to confuse a bad picture with a bad concept.

In other words, if the picture of you sucks, it’s obviously not going to work as well as the picture that represents your target audience - even though it might work better in that case to have a picture of you.

And lastly, the more subtle, the better. Think of visitors as a smart building. If you trigger “ad alarms” with your web page, then security will have to get involved and your web page will no longer look innocent and friendly.

However, if you keep it very low key - even amateur - you’re more likely to capture the common consumer. Business to business marketing also uses tactics that are basically the exact opposite, but keep in mind they are a “common consumer” too.

Subtle Shifts - Using “Focal Order”

However, there are a couple things the Derek Scholl images almost did right, so let’s take a second look at them.

Look at something besides the camera

The perspective in the top image could have been used to a much greater advantage.

If you move Derek further forward in the frame, and put the text behind him “on the wall,” then you have successfully used what I call “focal order” to direct attention.

In other words the perspective of the image pretty much forces you to “read it” right to left - because the “background” is in the left.

So if you put what is naturally most dominant (a human face) in the naturally most dominant position (the far right for this image), then it’s natural to progress to the left and read the text.

As it stands right now, the picture is trying to have two focal points of the same relative importance.

It’s OK for something to be “less important” - in fact, that tends to mean it will actually get noticed!

In the second image, the angle of Derek’s head could have been far more advantageous. Again, move Derek over to the right and the text to the left.

Then angle Derek about another 15 degrees counter-clockwise so that his whole body is pointing at the text, in a sense. That way he’s “leaning on it” and “looking at it.”

You have to be careful putting people and text together. No matter how big the text is, the people will always be the most dominant object in any picture.

Work with the fact we are inexorably drawn to the human face, not against it. If it helps, just remember “face first, facts last.”

Asides:

Focal order can be determined by any number of things. I have already mentioned perspective and the dominance of faces. Most of the others are fairly obvious - color, size, and density (i.e. how much white space is around it. Lots of white space = very dominant, little white space = insignificant) for example.

But there is one other trickier one - overtones. You can ask a professional photographer to give you more detail about this one, but photographers often add barely visible swirls of lighter colors to add subliminal interest and flow to their photos.

Look real close sometime and see if you can find them. Most commonly you will find these mysterious swirls in landscapes or any super-simple photo. Some painters use them too.

Don’t be afraid to ask any questions you might have - I know I didn’t cover absolutely everything but I hope this explains the deeper aspects. Keep an eye out for the next one in this series about using pictures to describe a product.



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Directing Those Thousand Words Pictures Speak #2

]]> http://comhacker.org/2008/06/the_right_picture_the_right_message_2/feed/ Open Source Video Production http://comhacker.org/2008/06/open-source-video-production/ http://comhacker.org/2008/06/open-source-video-production/#comments Tue, 10 Jun 2008 04:05:08 +0000 Patricia Mayo http://comhacker.org/?p=131 I have all the footage uploaded from the National Conference for Media Reform, but since this ‘net connection sucks I can’t download them to edit and finalize them - until I get home.

So, if you would like, go ahead and take these videos and make your own mixes. Have a blast. Ping this entry and make them into video responses to my YouTube series so everyone knows where to find your great work!

(Seriously - there are about 15 heads of organizations I spoke with who are interested in seeing these videos, so your help is not only greatly appreciated, but will be rewarded with traffic if you make me link to you)

And - thanks! Or, as my conference buddy says - mahalo nui loa!

Thursday’s Videos: Set One | Set Two

Friday’s Videos: Set One | Set Two

Saturday’s Videos: Set One | Set Two | Set Three | Set Four

Sunday’s Videos: Only Set



There's a productivity breakthrough in the works. Are you in the loop?

Post from: ComHacker.org

Open Source Video Production

]]> I have all the footage uploaded from the National Conference for Media Reform, but since this ‘net connection sucks I can’t download them to edit and finalize them - until I get home.

So, if you would like, go ahead and take these videos and make your own mixes. Have a blast. Ping this entry and make them into video responses to my YouTube series so everyone knows where to find your great work!

(Seriously - there are about 15 heads of organizations I spoke with who are interested in seeing these videos, so your help is not only greatly appreciated, but will be rewarded with traffic if you make me link to you)

And - thanks! Or, as my conference buddy says - mahalo nui loa!

Thursday’s Videos: Set One | Set Two

Friday’s Videos: Set One | Set Two

Saturday’s Videos: Set One | Set Two | Set Three | Set Four

Sunday’s Videos: Only Set



There's a productivity breakthrough in the works. Are you in the loop?

Post from: ComHacker.org

Open Source Video Production

]]> http://comhacker.org/2008/06/open-source-video-production/feed/ Unexpected Issues http://comhacker.org/2008/06/unexpected-issues/ http://comhacker.org/2008/06/unexpected-issues/#comments Sat, 07 Jun 2008 07:16:45 +0000 Patricia Mayo http://comhacker.org/?p=130 In short, there’s not enough hours in a day for a conference! I’ll upload and edit the videos as soon as humanly possible, but it’s gonna take a bit. For now, just follow on Twitter.

Also just noticed that Liz Strauss has named me an SOB! Yeah, I need to pay better attention to that stuff… Thank you!



There's a productivity breakthrough in the works. Are you in the loop?

Post from: ComHacker.org

Unexpected Issues

]]> In short, there’s not enough hours in a day for a conference! I’ll upload and edit the videos as soon as humanly possible, but it’s gonna take a bit. For now, just follow on Twitter.

Also just noticed that Liz Strauss has named me an SOB! Yeah, I need to pay better attention to that stuff… Thank you!



There's a productivity breakthrough in the works. Are you in the loop?

Post from: ComHacker.org

Unexpected Issues

]]> http://comhacker.org/2008/06/unexpected-issues/feed/ Almost There! http://comhacker.org/2008/06/almost-there/ http://comhacker.org/2008/06/almost-there/#comments Thu, 05 Jun 2008 12:56:33 +0000 Patricia Mayo http://comhacker.org/?p=129 Catching the plane to Minneapolis in just a few more hours. Be sure you don’t miss out on all the great videos already on the conference playlist - there are 6 there so far (including a Diner Pajama Party!), with more coming every single day.



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Post from: ComHacker.org

Almost There!

]]> Catching the plane to Minneapolis in just a few more hours. Be sure you don’t miss out on all the great videos already on the conference playlist - there are 6 there so far (including a Diner Pajama Party!), with more coming every single day.



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Almost There!

]]> http://comhacker.org/2008/06/almost-there/feed/ Check, Check, and Check http://comhacker.org/2008/06/check-check-and-check/ http://comhacker.org/2008/06/check-check-and-check/#comments Wed, 04 Jun 2008 09:06:42 +0000 Patricia Mayo http://comhacker.org/?p=128 Walking out the door in T minus 3 hours for the bus to Atlanta, Georgia so I can catch a plane on Friday to Minneapolis, Minnesotta. Keep an eye on the conference video playlist for updates! =D

Coming Up:

  • Finally meeting in person long-time buddy Sam… and the room mates I’ve heard so much about over the years
  • Taking a commercial plane for the first time in my life that I can remember (the last time I was 4)
  • Going to Minneapolis for the first time (and this is also the first time I’ll remember being that far away from the east coast)
  • Meeting my fellow Hawaiian hotel roomie and bud for the conference Annie - she’s quite a character!
  • And then, liveblogging the conference =D

Wish me luck!



There's a productivity breakthrough in the works. Are you in the loop?

Post from: ComHacker.org

Check, Check, and Check

]]> Walking out the door in T minus 3 hours for the bus to Atlanta, Georgia so I can catch a plane on Friday to Minneapolis, Minnesotta. Keep an eye on the conference video playlist for updates! =D

Coming Up:

  • Finally meeting in person long-time buddy Sam… and the room mates I’ve heard so much about over the years
  • Taking a commercial plane for the first time in my life that I can remember (the last time I was 4)
  • Going to Minneapolis for the first time (and this is also the first time I’ll remember being that far away from the east coast)
  • Meeting my fellow Hawaiian hotel roomie and bud for the conference Annie - she’s quite a character!
  • And then, liveblogging the conference =D

Wish me luck!



There's a productivity breakthrough in the works. Are you in the loop?

Post from: ComHacker.org

Check, Check, and Check

]]> http://comhacker.org/2008/06/check-check-and-check/feed/ Is Less Really Best? http://comhacker.org/2008/06/is_less_really_best/ http://comhacker.org/2008/06/is_less_really_best/#comments Wed, 04 Jun 2008 08:26:58 +0000 Patricia Mayo http://comhacker.org/?p=127 by Patricia Mayo

Maybe being lazy is a good idea, according to - you guessed it (well maybe you didn’t) - Seth Godin. He calls it “keeping copy out of the way of your message“… but I know better.

Lazy this week
Photo by Paul Mata

This isn’t the first I’ve heard of the concept. A lot of great and well-renowned books on copywriting say pretty much the same thing. Some of my favorite quotes by famous authors say pretty much the same thing.

Get to the point. Quickly.

But, you see, I have a little problem with broad stroke “solutions.”

Less is Best(?)

Seth Godin points out the “write a classified” method. It’s actually a pretty common tip.

Top copywriters call it a headline test. If you can take your headline and put it in a classified ad with just your phone number and get calls, then it’s a good headline.

And that, in my opinion, is where the use of the “write a classified” method should end. Well, if you’re producing something of any quality, at least.

You see, a smart business person - and a smart person, for that matter - first assesses whether a method or medium will suit their purpose before adding it to their repertoire.

You just can’t go chasing any and every “opportunity.” You have to be selective. Picky. Downright persnickety.

Maki, as usual, goes into great detail about picking the right strategy for your purpose:

If you’re trying to generate as much revenue as possible from advertising, it makes sense to write frequent and shorter blog posts. Going for volume will get you more search engine traffic and that sometimes means sacrificing quality for quantity.

But that’s fine because the size of your traffic is more important then the quality or type. You want the masses in and you want to send them out via an ad link. But this strategy doesn’t work if you’re trying to produce content that makes you an expert.

The best channels, the ones worth paying attention to, filter. They are valuable as much for what they DON’T publish as they are for what they do publish. If you have an ad supported business model then information pollution is an effective means to increase profit margins, but if you sell consulting and/or content a different approach is required

When you’re trying to sell personal consultation services, you shouldn’t create short blog posts for the purpose of generating traffic or piquing interest. Your articles should have one ultimate and all important purpose: to demonstrate your knowledge and skills. People want to hire a thought leader, not an follower.

ComHacker is set up the way it is for a very good reason. I’m not here to pander to everyone.

I want a lot of visitors, sure. So I’ve mixed it up a bit with some short content and some long, more quality content.

However, my real goal is to reach out to the smart people. The people who know they’re not gonna get anywhere or what they really want by working for someone else.

I’m talking to you, Mr., Mrs., and ‘lil Miss Entrepreneur.

You gotta be smart to figure out my article layout. You gotta know a little something to understand the words I use.

Still, I don’t write like a college professor because I want you to understand the how and what fairly easily - but I’m also not going to lower the bar to the lowest common denominator like the newspapers keep doing.

So, writing like a classified will not work for my purposes.

Have you thought out your content strategy?



There's a productivity breakthrough in the works. Are you in the loop?

Post from: ComHacker.org

Is Less Really Best?

]]> by Patricia Mayo

Maybe being lazy is a good idea, according to - you guessed it (well maybe you didn’t) - Seth Godin. He calls it “keeping copy out of the way of your message“… but I know better.

Lazy this week
Photo by Paul Mata

This isn’t the first I’ve heard of the concept. A lot of great and well-renowned books on copywriting say pretty much the same thing. Some of my favorite quotes by famous authors say pretty much the same thing.

Get to the point. Quickly.

But, you see, I have a little problem with broad stroke “solutions.”

Less is Best(?)

Seth Godin points out the “write a classified” method. It’s actually a pretty common tip.

Top copywriters call it a headline test. If you can take your headline and put it in a classified ad with just your phone number and get calls, then it’s a good headline.

And that, in my opinion, is where the use of the “write a classified” method should end. Well, if you’re producing something of any quality, at least.

You see, a smart business person - and a smart person, for that matter - first assesses whether a method or medium will suit their purpose before adding it to their repertoire.

You just can’t go chasing any and every “opportunity.” You have to be selective. Picky. Downright persnickety.

Maki, as usual, goes into great detail about picking the right strategy for your purpose:

If you’re trying to generate as much revenue as possible from advertising, it makes sense to write frequent and shorter blog posts. Going for volume will get you more search engine traffic and that sometimes means sacrificing quality for quantity.

But that’s fine because the size of your traffic is more important then the quality or type. You want the masses in and you want to send them out via an ad link. But this strategy doesn’t work if you’re trying to produce content that makes you an expert.

The best channels, the ones worth paying attention to, filter. They are valuable as much for what they DON’T publish as they are for what they do publish. If you have an ad supported business model then information pollution is an effective means to increase profit margins, but if you sell consulting and/or content a different approach is required

When you’re trying to sell personal consultation services, you shouldn’t create short blog posts for the purpose of generating traffic or piquing interest. Your articles should have one ultimate and all important purpose: to demonstrate your knowledge and skills. People want to hire a thought leader, not an follower.

ComHacker is set up the way it is for a very good reason. I’m not here to pander to everyone.

I want a lot of visitors, sure. So I’ve mixed it up a bit with some short content and some long, more quality content.

However, my real goal is to reach out to the smart people. The people who know they’re not gonna get anywhere or what they really want by working for someone else.

I’m talking to you, Mr., Mrs., and ‘lil Miss Entrepreneur.

You gotta be smart to figure out my article layout. You gotta know a little something to understand the words I use.

Still, I don’t write like a college professor because I want you to understand the how and what fairly easily - but I’m also not going to lower the bar to the lowest common denominator like the newspapers keep doing.

So, writing like a classified will not work for my purposes.

Have you thought out your content strategy?



There's a productivity breakthrough in the works. Are you in the loop?

Post from: ComHacker.org

Is Less Really Best?

]]> http://comhacker.org/2008/06/is_less_really_best/feed/ Down Time and Such http://comhacker.org/2008/06/down-time-and-such/ http://comhacker.org/2008/06/down-time-and-such/#comments Tue, 03 Jun 2008 23:58:57 +0000 Patricia Mayo http://comhacker.org/?p=126 All of my web sites will be down from 10pm Pacific June 4th til about 4am Pacific June 5th while my host upgrades their servers.

Unlike the database error we experienced a little bit ago, this down time has warning - which makes me pretty happy - and is to fix the problems we’ve had so far - which makes me doubly happy. Interestingly enough, I already have a 12 email conversation going with the GM and company evangelist. Seems like these guys just recently went through a big money spend.

Cool beans.



There's a productivity breakthrough in the works. Are you in the loop?

Post from: ComHacker.org

Down Time and Such

]]> All of my web sites will be down from 10pm Pacific June 4th til about 4am Pacific June 5th while my host upgrades their servers.

Unlike the database error we experienced a little bit ago, this down time has warning - which makes me pretty happy - and is to fix the problems we’ve had so far - which makes me doubly happy. Interestingly enough, I already have a 12 email conversation going with the GM and company evangelist. Seems like these guys just recently went through a big money spend.

Cool beans.



There's a productivity breakthrough in the works. Are you in the loop?

Post from: ComHacker.org

Down Time and Such

]]> http://comhacker.org/2008/06/down-time-and-such/feed/ Media Reform Conference Videos http://comhacker.org/2008/06/media_reform_conference_videos/ http://comhacker.org/2008/06/media_reform_conference_videos/#comments Tue, 03 Jun 2008 19:32:49 +0000 Patricia Mayo http://comhacker.org/?p=125



There's a productivity breakthrough in the works. Are you in the loop?

Post from: ComHacker.org

Media Reform Conference Videos

]]>



There's a productivity breakthrough in the works. Are you in the loop?

Post from: ComHacker.org

Media Reform Conference Videos

]]> http://comhacker.org/2008/06/media_reform_conference_videos/feed/ Going to the Media Reform Conference http://comhacker.org/2008/06/going-to-the-media-reform-conference/ http://comhacker.org/2008/06/going-to-the-media-reform-conference/#comments Tue, 03 Jun 2008 19:09:13 +0000 Patricia Mayo http://comhacker.org/?p=124 I know I haven’t been updating much lately - it’s been nuts busy because I’m headed to the Media Reform Conference being held by Freepress.net this weekend. I’ll live blog as much as I can - see ya then!



There's a productivity breakthrough in the works. Are you in the loop?

Post from: ComHacker.org

Going to the Media Reform Conference

]]> I know I haven’t been updating much lately - it’s been nuts busy because I’m headed to the Media Reform Conference being held by Freepress.net this weekend. I’ll live blog as much as I can - see ya then!



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Going to the Media Reform Conference

]]> http://comhacker.org/2008/06/going-to-the-media-reform-conference/feed/ ChaCha: I Deal With Your Service and All I Get is This Lousy T-Shirt? http://comhacker.org/2008/05/chacha_sucks/ http://comhacker.org/2008/05/chacha_sucks/#comments Wed, 28 May 2008 09:01:28 +0000 Patricia Mayo http://comhacker.org/?p=123 by Patricia Mayo

ChaCha is a whole new beast of search. If you thought it was tough getting a regular search engine to spit out what you really need for certain queries - then be prepared for sheer torture with ChaCha.

That, my friends, is what proved “third try is a charm” completely, and utterly, wrong.

I asked ChaCha because I was having a hard time finding what I needed through regular search. Usually I figure that’s because I’m using the wrong words - so maybe the “search pros” at ChaCha could figure it out.

Well, that is - if they can figure out what I’m asking in the annoying 160 character limit without an ability to follow up with the last person who tried but failed.

So I reverted to the tried but true “monkey see, monkey do.” In my fifth and finally successful try, I said “see this? This is what I want, but free.” For that I could’ve used Google’s “sites like this” function, and that’s what I typically do - because ChaCha has always been this way for me.

What am I doing wrong here folks? Why can’t I get what I want out of ChaCha?

(By the way, I really do have a ChaCha t-shirt. Two, in fact. I have a special affection for them too, being they were my first “geek shirts.”)



There's a productivity breakthrough in the works. Are you in the loop?

Post from: ComHacker.org

ChaCha: I Deal With Your Service and All I Get is This Lousy T-Shirt?

]]> by Patricia Mayo

ChaCha is a whole new beast of search. If you thought it was tough getting a regular search engine to spit out what you really need for certain queries - then be prepared for sheer torture with ChaCha.

That, my friends, is what proved “third try is a charm” completely, and utterly, wrong.

I asked ChaCha because I was having a hard time finding what I needed through regular search. Usually I figure that’s because I’m using the wrong words - so maybe the “search pros” at ChaCha could figure it out.

Well, that is - if they can figure out what I’m asking in the annoying 160 character limit without an ability to follow up with the last person who tried but failed.

So I reverted to the tried but true “monkey see, monkey do.” In my fifth and finally successful try, I said “see this? This is what I want, but free.” For that I could’ve used Google’s “sites like this” function, and that’s what I typically do - because ChaCha has always been this way for me.

What am I doing wrong here folks? Why can’t I get what I want out of ChaCha?

(By the way, I really do have a ChaCha t-shirt. Two, in fact. I have a special affection for them too, being they were my first “geek shirts.”)



There's a productivity breakthrough in the works. Are you in the loop?

Post from: ComHacker.org

ChaCha: I Deal With Your Service and All I Get is This Lousy T-Shirt?

]]> http://comhacker.org/2008/05/chacha_sucks/feed/ Cultural Differences http://comhacker.org/2008/05/cultural-differences/ http://comhacker.org/2008/05/cultural-differences/#comments Wed, 21 May 2008 04:55:30 +0000 Patricia Mayo http://comhacker.org/?p=122



There's a productivity breakthrough in the works. Are you in the loop?

Post from: ComHacker.org

Cultural Differences

]]>



There's a productivity breakthrough in the works. Are you in the loop?

Post from: ComHacker.org

Cultural Differences

]]> http://comhacker.org/2008/05/cultural-differences/feed/ RSS Can Kiss My… http://comhacker.org/2008/05/rss_a_waste_of_time/ http://comhacker.org/2008/05/rss_a_waste_of_time/#comments Tue, 20 May 2008 08:00:46 +0000 Patricia Mayo http://comhacker.org/?p=121 by Patricia Mayo

I was chatting with my buddy Rob Williams of 170spoons when he said “gotta run, time to catch up on some dinner and RSS.” I mentioned I haven’t bothered with RSS for months. His response was, quite understandably - “WHAT?!”

RSS can kiss my ass.
Photo mashup of images by Daniel Bonoore and Beau de Noir

You’re probably going to call me nuts, but RSS, to me, is quite inefficient. There are far better tools which serve the same perceived purpose. I know, I know - I’ve just thrown you through a complete loop, but allow me to explain…

The Problem With RSS

Unforseen problems
Photo by Josh Klute

Some call RSS the on-demand newspaper. However, it’s really a lot more like the High School newspaper. Unfocused, unedited, and pretty much pointless.

With RSS, you don’t get “what’s good,” you just get everything. It’s like taking home every book from the public library.

And just like taking home every book from the library, you have a deadline. If you don’t read all those feeds within a couple days, there will just be more, and more, and more - until all too soon, you’re buried.

Psychologically, RSS is a burden. It weighs on us. And RSS doesn’t even solve the problems we want it to solve.

Purpose, Form, and Function

Managing unlimited information
Photo by Sanja Gjenero

Most people use RSS readers for two primary purposes - reading / learning, and blogging inspiration.

To me, RSS is sorely inefficient in solving those “problems.”

I approach most things in life with a question, first and foremost. “What did they do before this technology to solve the same problem?”

Well, for reading and learning, we had newspapers - the real print kind, edited by a professional and separated by topic to ensure relevance, clarity, and importance.

Today, there are far better similar technologies.

The best tool for reading and learning is what I call “human hand-picking.” Twitter, Digg, Sphinn, and other social medias are where you get these goods.

For blogging inspiration, there really wasn’t a prior solution except good old fashioned research and original ideas.

For these purposes, the best solution is what I call “relevance dated.” In other words, it’s the freshest possible stuff available on your specific topic.

There’s a tool you can use as you blog to get the freshest targeted information possible - it’s a Firefox plugin called Zemanta. It grabs clues about the context of your post every 300 characters, and works with Wordpress, Blogger, Typepad, and LiveJournal.

The pictures are rarely on target, but the related posts and suggested links are always right in the nick of time. It will be compatible with Firefox 3 candidate 1 on Tuesday, May 20.

Then you have sites like Tiinker, which learn your preferences and pick stories based upon your voting patterns. You get blogs, news - everything. You pick your newspaper.

Last but not least, there’s Alltop.com with the most recent posts from only the very best sources, all separated by topic.

RSS Does Have a Place

I do use RSS from time to time - on my Blackberry with Viigo Reader, when I’m bored out of my mind or have nothing better to do. It’s set to delete anything but the 5 most recent posts. If I miss something, I could care less.

Seriously.



There's a productivity breakthrough in the works. Are you in the loop?

Post from: ComHacker.org

RSS Can Kiss My…

]]> by Patricia Mayo

I was chatting with my buddy Rob Williams of 170spoons when he said “gotta run, time to catch up on some dinner and RSS.” I mentioned I haven’t bothered with RSS for months. His response was, quite understandably - “WHAT?!”

RSS can kiss my ass.
Photo mashup of images by Daniel Bonoore and Beau de Noir

You’re probably going to call me nuts, but RSS, to me, is quite inefficient. There are far better tools which serve the same perceived purpose. I know, I know - I’ve just thrown you through a complete loop, but allow me to explain…

The Problem With RSS

Unforseen problems
Photo by Josh Klute

Some call RSS the on-demand newspaper. However, it’s really a lot more like the High School newspaper. Unfocused, unedited, and pretty much pointless.

With RSS, you don’t get “what’s good,” you just get everything. It’s like taking home every book from the public library.

And just like taking home every book from the library, you have a deadline. If you don’t read all those feeds within a couple days, there will just be more, and more, and more - until all too soon, you’re buried.

Psychologically, RSS is a burden. It weighs on us. And RSS doesn’t even solve the problems we want it to solve.

Purpose, Form, and Function

Managing unlimited information
Photo by Sanja Gjenero

Most people use RSS readers for two primary purposes - reading / learning, and blogging inspiration.

To me, RSS is sorely inefficient in solving those “problems.”

I approach most things in life with a question, first and foremost. “What did they do before this technology to solve the same problem?”

Well, for reading and learning, we had newspapers - the real print kind, edited by a professional and separated by topic to ensure relevance, clarity, and importance.

Today, there are far better similar technologies.

The best tool for reading and learning is what I call “human hand-picking.” Twitter, Digg, Sphinn, and other social medias are where you get these goods.

For blogging inspiration, there really wasn’t a prior solution except good old fashioned research and original ideas.

For these purposes, the best solution is what I call “relevance dated.” In other words, it’s the freshest possible stuff available on your specific topic.

There’s a tool you can use as you blog to get the freshest targeted information possible - it’s a Firefox plugin called Zemanta. It grabs clues about the context of your post every 300 characters, and works with Wordpress, Blogger, Typepad, and LiveJournal.

The pictures are rarely on target, but the related posts and suggested links are always right in the nick of time. It will be compatible with Firefox 3 candidate 1 on Tuesday, May 20.

Then you have sites like Tiinker, which learn your preferences and pick stories based upon your voting patterns. You get blogs, news - everything. You pick your newspaper.

Last but not least, there’s Alltop.com with the most recent posts from only the very best sources, all separated by topic.

RSS Does Have a Place

I do use RSS from time to time - on my Blackberry with Viigo Reader, when I’m bored out of my mind or have nothing better to do. It’s set to delete anything but the 5 most recent posts. If I miss something, I could care less.

Seriously.



There's a productivity breakthrough in the works. Are you in the loop?

Post from: ComHacker.org

RSS Can Kiss My…

]]> http://comhacker.org/2008/05/rss_a_waste_of_time/feed/ Directing Those Thousand Words Pictures Speak #1 http://comhacker.org/2008/05/the_right_picture_the_right_message_1/ http://comhacker.org/2008/05/the_right_picture_the_right_message_1/#comments Sun, 18 May 2008 14:00:49 +0000 Patricia Mayo http://comhacker.org/?p=120 by Patricia Mayo

The “experts” say you should include pictures in anything you publish online - but they never say what to look for in a picture.

Oh man, he's never going to live that down...
Photo via Fail Blog

They say a picture is worth a thousand words - but very few realize exactly what they are saying with their pictures.

Normally, we aren’t aware of the messages these images are communicating - but that just makes the message even more powerful. Just ask any pro selling through a catalog or direct mail.

The difference between a good image and a bad image is very cut and dry - success, or failure. Period.

The Purpose of a Picture

Multiple purposes for pictures
Photo by Davide Guglielmo

Pictures are an extremely powerful tool. There is no more powerful mechanism for opening minds, dissecting a subject, and allowing the emotional wine to flow.

Before you pick a picture, you have to know why it’s there. Most pictures fit one of 6 fairly general categories:

1. Draw Attention

These images should say “look right here, I start something interesting.”

2. Direct Attention

Certain kinds of images are excellent at pointing users to something you want them to do.

3. Describe a Product

This kind of image should show not just the product, but give the viewer a glimpse of their life with the product.

4. Illustrate a Concept

Analogies teach like no other tool - except photographic analogies. These images promote understanding.

5. Lighten Text

A beautiful graphical design can help make text-heavy sites easier on the eyes.

6. Say the Unsaid

Bragging is a surefire way to turn off a visitor. However, photographic bragging leaves a lasting positive impression.

You’re probably already quite familiar with illustrating concepts and lightening text with images. Those are very much “conscious thought” concepts, so I won’t cover those here in any great detail.

However, the other four speak directly to the “unconscious brain,” have the greatest impact - and are probably very new to you. Using these 4 types of images effectively is key to succeeding in any and every endeavor.

And as you might have guessed, this is a series. So, without further ado, here’s your first installment.

Using Images to Draw Attention

Overcoming ambiguity aversion
Photo by Sophie

That image was the opener for Ambiguity Aversion - Are You Afraid to Read This?. As I mentioned in that post, faces are great at drawing attention and helping your visitors feel at ease.

This is why all of my opening images are either a person, a face, a representation of a person, or something you can imagine people doing, using, or being near.

Anything that needs attention should have an image with high emotional value. If you were to let “the movie of the image” play for a few moments, you should see another living being enter the scene in a few seconds.

It is even better if you can imagine yourself in the picture.

Good images for this purpose could also bring back happy memories.

The scrabble board in The Ghostwriter’s Betrayal: Lies of “Make Money Online” is a cherished token of childhood for most people.

Even if you don’t consciously remember it, your unconscious mind will put the pieces together and feed your conscious brain feel-good chemicals. You will like the image without even realizing why.

If you need proof of just how powerful memory-evoking images can be, just take a quick look at the “Best of ComHacker” section near the bottom of my middle sidebar.

Enough said.

The Reader in The Picture’s Shoes

Certain uses for pictures are all the more profound if the reader can see themselves in the image. Images that draw attention definitely fit that category.

The reader will always see themselves as being on the side with the most important stuff around the image. In other words, if your headlines are to the left, your reader will see themselves in the left of the image.

If you want your reader to see themselves using something in an image, put the predominant object on the right side.

If you want your reader to feel the way your picture’s “main character” does, put the predominant object on the left.

For example, the opening image for this post is kinda meant to make you feel embarrassed or caught unaware. However, the opening image for The Almighty Power of Focus, a trophy off to the far right side, is meant to empower you.

Did you catch the subtle difference?

There’s differing opinions on what a centered predominant object means to a reader, but in my experience images like the swiss army knife in the previous section are emotionally neutral.

Next time I’ll dig into the second purpose - directing attention. See you then!



There's a productivity breakthrough in the works. Are you in the loop?

Post from: ComHacker.org

Directing Those Thousand Words Pictures Speak #1

]]> by Patricia Mayo

The “experts” say you should include pictures in anything you publish online - but they never say what to look for in a picture.

Oh man, he's never going to live that down...
Photo via Fail Blog

They say a picture is worth a thousand words - but very few realize exactly what they are saying with their pictures.

Normally, we aren’t aware of the messages these images are communicating - but that just makes the message even more powerful. Just ask any pro selling through a catalog or direct mail.

The difference between a good image and a bad image is very cut and dry - success, or failure. Period.

The Purpose of a Picture

Multiple purposes for pictures
Photo by Davide Guglielmo

Pictures are an extremely powerful tool. There is no more powerful mechanism for opening minds, dissecting a subject, and allowing the emotional wine to flow.

Before you pick a picture, you have to know why it’s there. Most pictures fit one of 6 fairly general categories:

1. Draw Attention

These images should say “look right here, I start something interesting.”

2. Direct Attention

Certain kinds of images are excellent at pointing users to something you want them to do.

3. Describe a Product

This kind of image should show not just the product, but give the viewer a glimpse of their life with the product.

4. Illustrate a Concept

Analogies teach like no other tool - except photographic analogies. These images promote understanding.

5. Lighten Text

A beautiful graphical design can help make text-heavy sites easier on the eyes.

6. Say the Unsaid

Bragging is a surefire way to turn off a visitor. However, photographic bragging leaves a lasting positive impression.

You’re probably already quite familiar with illustrating concepts and lightening text with images. Those are very much “conscious thought” concepts, so I won’t cover those here in any great detail.

However, the other four speak directly to the “unconscious brain,” have the greatest impact - and are probably very new to you. Using these 4 types of images effectively is key to succeeding in any and every endeavor.

And as you might have guessed, this is a series. So, without further ado, here’s your first installment.

Using Images to Draw Attention

Overcoming ambiguity aversion
Photo by Sophie

That image was the opener for Ambiguity Aversion - Are You Afraid to Read This?. As I mentioned in that post, faces are great at drawing attention and helping your visitors feel at ease.

This is why all of my opening images are either a person, a face, a representation of a person, or something you can imagine people doing, using, or being near.

Anything that needs attention should have an image with high emotional value. If you were to let “the movie of the image” play for a few moments, you should see another living being enter the scene in a few seconds.

It is even better if you can imagine yourself in the picture.

Good images for this purpose could also bring back happy memories.

The scrabble board in The Ghostwriter’s Betrayal: Lies of “Make Money Online” is a cherished token of childhood for most people.

Even if you don’t consciously remember it, your unconscious mind will put the pieces together and feed your conscious brain feel-good chemicals. You will like the image without even realizing why.

If you need proof of just how powerful memory-evoking images can be, just take a quick look at the “Best of ComHacker” section near the bottom of my middle sidebar.

Enough said.

The Reader in The Picture’s Shoes

Certain uses for pictures are all the more profound if the reader can see themselves in the image. Images that draw attention definitely fit that category.

The reader will always see themselves as being on the side with the most important stuff around the image. In other words, if your headlines are to the left, your reader will see themselves in the left of the image.

If you want your reader to see themselves using something in an image, put the predominant object on the right side.

If you want your reader to feel the way your picture’s “main character” does, put the predominant object on the left.

For example, the opening image for this post is kinda meant to make you feel embarrassed or caught unaware. However, the opening image for The Almighty Power of Focus, a trophy off to the far right side, is meant to empower you.

Did you catch the subtle difference?

There’s differing opinions on what a centered predominant object means to a reader, but in my experience images like the swiss army knife in the previous section are emotionally neutral.

Next time I’ll dig into the second purpose - directing attention. See you then!



There's a productivity breakthrough in the works. Are you in the loop?

Post from: ComHacker.org

Directing Those Thousand Words Pictures Speak #1

]]> http://comhacker.org/2008/05/the_right_picture_the_right_message_1/feed/ Ambiguity Aversion - Are You Afraid to Read This? http://comhacker.org/2008/05/ambiguity_aversion/ http://comhacker.org/2008/05/ambiguity_aversion/#comments Fri, 16 May 2008 12:57:36 +0000 Patricia Mayo http://comhacker.org/?p=118 by Patricia Mayo

Of course you’re not. What, you - afraid to read a blog post? Pshaw. No way. Couldn’t happen.

Overcoming ambiguity aversion
Photo by Sophie

Yet if I had titled this “Ambiguity Aversion” and just left it at that, I bet you wouldn’t be reading this right now. That’s because of a hard-wired fact of humanity - we’re fully-trained trained skeptics of anything unfamiliar.

And I’m willing to bet that if I didn’t tell you I’m about to detail how to overcome ambiguity aversion to increase any metric, you probably wouldn’t read beyond this point. But since I just did - well, let’s move on, shall we?

Ambiguity Aversion Explained

In short, ambiguity aversion (also known as uncertainty aversion) means we would rather take on a known risk or cost than an unknown risk or cost.

In other words, we would rather read a long blog post if we know it’s a long blog post, than read a long blog post if we’re caught by surprise.

Ever notice that visitors referred by social media have a higher bounce rate than any other referral source? Or the fact they spend, on average, about 1 minute on that one page they see?

Ambiguity aversion is why… well, at least partially. The rest has to do with properly creating anticipation, but that’s another story for another time.

Shedding some light on the subject
Photo by Sigurd Decroos

Easy Does It The Familiar Way

Easy Street
Photo by Andrew Beierle

“Easy” is determined in the first 10 to 30 seconds on your site - and is arguably the most important hurdle to overcome. Over on CopyOz I dipped into this a bit with the concept of C.R.A.P..

Google has the majority market share for search because of that one single concept. Sure lots of people may use Yahoo and MSN, but the search function is lost amidst all the things you can do.

Maybe, just maybe, more people visit Yahoo and MSN than Google - but when they think “search,” they think “Google.” And that, my friends, speaks to the power of focus.

However, simplification has its place. Too much simplification can make your site just as “hard” as too much complexity. The key is to present the right information right when your visitors want to see it.

Now pay attention, because I’m about to give away one of my secrets.

Psychologically, faces have been proven to not only draw the most “eye-time”, but also evoke trust, comfort, and action.

We’re very familiar with faces. We see them every day.

Having faces strategically placed on your site will kill that skeptic red flag and help your visitors do what you what them to do.

You see that picture of me over in the far right sidebar? Note everything around that picture - what’s the first thing you see?

I’m willing to bet (real money!) it’s the signup form in the middle column.

I’m “looking” at it, I’m “pointing” at it - it’s inevitable, you will see that form.

Conventional wisdom says to put the most important things higher up on the page.

Well guess what - that signup form is the most used thing on this entire site and it’s literally smack dab in the middle! Conventional wisdom just went out the window.

New visitors, return visitors, bouncing visitors, minute-men visitors - it doesn’t matter. They see it, and they sign up.

How’s that for ease of use.

Going Deeper Underground

Thinking about it...
Photo by Ramzi Hashisho

Ambiguity aversion goes much deeper though. Remember I said “risk or cost.”

Risk - in a visitor’s mind - relates to things like wasting minutes they can never get back on something totally useless, not being able to understand, or opening themselves up to spam.

Cost - in a visitor’s mind - is much more subliminal.

Everything we do has a “background brain process” figuring out how much an action is going to cost in terms of effort.

“Effort cost” is calculated on the most minuscule things. Take for instance, let’s say you’re doing a Google search.

Just going to Google is a cost. Typing in your query is another cost. Clicking the “search” button is another cost.

Looking through the results is another cost. Clicking one of the results is another cost, etc.

And then you reach the bottom of the page. Clicking the “next page” link is another cost, and the biggest of all - because you’re sitting there thinking of all the cost after you click that link.

Things like potential relevancy of the second page, scanning the results for something useful and clicking more links run through your mind as you determine the cost.

The biggest determining factor in whether or not the cost is too great is relevance. Generally, if you’re looking for “more of the same,” you’ll click that link without a second thought - but if the results were unsatisfactory, you’ll most likely edit your query.

For trusted resources like search engines, visitors know that if they could just get their search query right, they can find what they need.

Other web sites aren’t quite so fortunate.

Piece of Cake Staying Power

Make staying a piece of cake
Photo by Marcelo Terraza

The “Best of ComHacker” and “Last 5 Posts in Persuasion” are all the way at the bottom for a reason. Remember my search query example - once a visitor reaches the bottom of a page, they have a choice to make.

Do they change the query (go to a different site, in this case), or click “next” to get more of the same (that is, if they liked the post to begin with).

If you have gotten this far, you want more of the same. If you don’t reach the bottom of the page, you want more of something different - so I have tags, categories, and recent posts a bit higher up.

Like I said, it’s all about presenting the right information right when your visitors want to see it.

All this is just the obvious stuff though - and by obvious I mean questions your visitor is consciously asking of the content. I’ll dig deeper into the truly subliminal questions some other time…

Related articles



There's a productivity breakthrough in the works. Are you in the loop?

Post from: ComHacker.org

Ambiguity Aversion - Are You Afraid to Read This?

]]> by Patricia Mayo

Of course you’re not. What, you - afraid to read a blog post? Pshaw. No way. Couldn’t happen.

Overcoming ambiguity aversion
Photo by Sophie

Yet if I had titled this “Ambiguity Aversion” and just left it at that, I bet you wouldn’t be reading this right now. That’s because of a hard-wired fact of humanity - we’re fully-trained trained skeptics of anything unfamiliar.

And I’m willing to bet that if I didn’t tell you I’m about to detail how to overcome ambiguity aversion to increase any metric, you probably wouldn’t read beyond this point. But since I just did - well, let’s move on, shall we?

Ambiguity Aversion Explained

In short, ambiguity aversion (also known as uncertainty aversion) means we would rather take on a known risk or cost than an unknown risk or cost.

In other words, we would rather read a long blog post if we know it’s a long blog post, than read a long blog post if we’re caught by surprise.

Ever notice that visitors referred by social media have a higher bounce rate than any other referral source? Or the fact they spend, on average, about 1 minute on that one page they see?

Ambiguity aversion is why… well, at least partially. The rest has to do with properly creating anticipation, but that’s another story for another time.

Shedding some light on the subject
Photo by Sigurd Decroos

Easy Does It The Familiar Way

Easy Street
Photo by Andrew Beierle

“Easy” is determined in the first 10 to 30 seconds on your site - and is arguably the most important hurdle to overcome. Over on CopyOz I dipped into this a bit with the concept of C.R.A.P..

Google has the majority market share for search because of that one single concept. Sure lots of people may use Yahoo and MSN, but the search function is lost amidst all the things you can do.

Maybe, just maybe, more people visit Yahoo and MSN than Google - but when they think “search,” they think “Google.” And that, my friends, speaks to the power of focus.

However, simplification has its place. Too much simplification can make your site just as “hard” as too much complexity. The key is to present the right information right when your visitors want to see it.

Now pay attention, because I’m about to give away one of my secrets.

Psychologically, faces have been proven to not only draw the most “eye-time”, but also evoke trust, comfort, and action.

We’re very familiar with faces. We see them every day.

Having faces strategically placed on your site will kill that skeptic red flag and help your visitors do what you what them to do.

You see that picture of me over in the far right sidebar? Note everything around that picture - what’s the first thing you see?

I’m willing to bet (real money!) it’s the signup form in the middle column.

I’m “looking” at it, I’m “pointing” at it - it’s inevitable, you will see that form.

Conventional wisdom says to put the most important things higher up on the page.

Well guess what - that signup form is the most used thing on this entire site and it’s literally smack dab in the middle! Conventional wisdom just went out the window.

New visitors, return visitors, bouncing visitors, minute-men visitors - it doesn’t matter. They see it, and they sign up.

How’s that for ease of use.

Going Deeper Underground

Thinking about it...
Photo by Ramzi Hashisho

Ambiguity aversion goes much deeper though. Remember I said “risk or cost.”

Risk - in a visitor’s mind - relates to things like wasting minutes they can never get back on something totally useless, not being able to understand, or opening themselves up to spam.

Cost - in a visitor’s mind - is much more subliminal.

Everything we do has a “background brain process” figuring out how much an action is going to cost in terms of effort.

“Effort cost” is calculated on the most minuscule things. Take for instance, let’s say you’re doing a Google search.

Just going to Google is a cost. Typing in your query is another cost. Clicking the “search” button is another cost.

Looking through the results is another cost. Clicking one of the results is another cost, etc.

And then you reach the bottom of the page. Clicking the “next page” link is another cost, and the biggest of all - because you’re sitting there thinking of all the cost after you click that link.

Things like potential relevancy of the second page, scanning the results for something useful and clicking more links run through your mind as you determine the cost.

The biggest determining factor in whether or not the cost is too great is relevance. Generally, if you’re looking for “more of the same,” you’ll click that link without a second thought - but if the results were unsatisfactory, you’ll most likely edit your query.

For trusted resources like search engines, visitors know that if they could just get their search query right, they can find what they need.

Other web sites aren’t quite so fortunate.

Piece of Cake Staying Power

Make staying a piece of cake
Photo by Marcelo Terraza

The “Best of ComHacker” and “Last 5 Posts in Persuasion” are all the way at the bottom for a reason. Remember my search query example - once a visitor reaches the bottom of a page, they have a choice to make.

Do they change the query (go to a different site, in this case), or click “next” to get more of the same (that is, if they liked the post to begin with).

If you have gotten this far, you want more of the same. If you don’t reach the bottom of the page, you want more of something different - so I have tags, categories, and recent posts a bit higher up.

Like I said, it’s all about presenting the right information right when your visitors want to see it.

All this is just the obvious stuff though - and by obvious I mean questions your visitor is consciously asking of the content. I’ll dig deeper into the truly subliminal questions some other time…

Related articles



There's a productivity breakthrough in the works. Are you in the loop?

Post from: ComHacker.org

Ambiguity Aversion - Are You Afraid to Read This?

]]> http://comhacker.org/2008/05/ambiguity_aversion/feed/