By Gerry Romano
I have some thoughts to share about the September 15th Lunch & Learn program on the Future of Websites. I thought the program was terrific. Andrew Hanelly, director of digital strategy for TMG, was very entertaining while presenting valuable content. Here are my takeaways, for those of you who missed this event.
Andrew's advice for success with future websites included five keys to success, but these two are my favorites: (1) simplify and (2) be human.
Simplify. Speed and portability make our lives simpler. As Andrew points out, these aspects are intertwined. Simple stuff loads fast. Portability simplifies our lives with convenience.The future of the web is "on screens we can't even imagine yet," Andrew says. Whatever those screens are, though, they'll be easy tocarry, use, and view.
Be human. When you add personality to your website,youcommunicate inaninteresting mannerthat keeps your audience coming back for more. We want to hear a real voice behind the screen. To accomplish that, Andrew says,take the right tone and write"like a human talking" when you post content on web pages andsocial media sites. Even the messages on error pages can be human--Andrew showed some great examples."Be less transactional," he says,"and more emotional."And as with all your content, remember to tell a good story.
Gerry Romano is principal, Romano Communications.
