View this email in your browser

Welcome (back) to Ten Things: eclectic links for purposeful procrastination. 
 

November was a very slow month in terms of paid work. But instead of taking time off, I’ve been busy, busy, busy, with proposals, writing, a new toolkit ... a big whirl of activity. Which is why we’ve ended up with a newsletter full of things about taking action this month. From reframing procrastination, to improving your homepage, correcting SEO misunderstandings, to more inclusive alt text, this email has lots of ways you can take action to make better content.

This is our last proper email for 2022, but there will be a bonus end-of-year round-up towards the end of the month.

• "What if it's taking action, rather than not taking action, that's the default or 'natural' state of affairs?"
• "The problem’s not what’s on the page"
• "Take your homepage from foggy to focused"
• "Everyone who publishes online thinks they know SEO"
• "What tools do you recommend for a big content migration?"
• "Care, craft, culture"
• "I’m so used to blind people saying they thought I was white, it doesn’t surprise me now"
• A content modelling case study
• "We took the view that the website is the organisation"
• A meme so accurate it hurts

"What if it's taking action, rather than not taking action, that's the default or 'natural' state of affairs?"

The brilliant Oliver Burkeman on motivation.

Motivation can be in short supply at the tail-end of the year, can’t it? So this post is well-timed, and a bit mind-blowing (for me at least). Oliver argues that the assumptions that you need to motivate yourself, and that your default state is inactivity, set up ‘a subtle but powerful internal conflict between who you want to be (productive, focused) and who you imagine you really are (a procrastinator and an idler).’ It’s certainly something to think about.

"The problem’s not what’s on the page"

A post from me about the real reasons your homepage is a bit ‘meh’.

Spoiler: it might be less about what’s on the page, and more about how you decide what to put on the page.

"Take your homepage from foggy to focused"

My new toolkit to give you a structured, strategic approach to deciding what content to put on your homepage.

A while back, I shared my charity homepage toolkit here. A few people asked for a non-charity homepage version — so I made one! It’s made up of six modules and a workbook of templates and checklists to help you create better homepage content.

"Everyone who publishes online thinks they know SEO"

Deborah Carver on why everything you think you know about SEO is probably wrong.

You might feel a little called out by this, but in a good way. Like when a stranger points out you’ve got loo roll stuck to your shoe. This post is a great quick refresher on SEO that will help you root out any misunderstandings you’ve picked up. It also reaffirms that a good content strategy will ensure you get a lot of the important things right.

"What tools do you recommend for a big content migration?"

Scott Kubie explains how to plan a big content migration.

Some very solid advice here if you’re migrating your website and feeling anxious about how to plan it properly.

"Care, craft, culture"

Tyler van Hoorn on how UX design could influence the creation of a post-growth economic model.

A lot (but not all) UX and content strategy/design work is focused on supporting growth. But that economic model is not sustainable and is leading us into an ever-worsening crisis. Is there a role for UX and content in building an alternative, focused on care, craft, and culture? I thought this was a thought-provoking read, that adds some interesting context for the importance of the work we’re doing.

"I’m so used to blind people saying they thought I was white, it doesn’t surprise me now"

CW: this post contains images and discussion of racial segregation.

Shopify’s Tolu Adegbite makes a case for describing race in alt text.

This is a great reminder of when and why you need to reference race in image alt text.

A content modelling case study

The University of Edinburgh’s Lauren Tormey on how content modelling is helping build a foundation for future content.

Content modelling can feel a bit abstract and esoteric, but it’s incredibly valuable. This post is a great read if you want to understand more about what content modelling looks like in practice.

"We took the view that the website is the organisation"

My interview with Alice White, Digital Editor at the Wellcome Collection, about its approach to using stories to give a more representative take on its collection and broaden its reach at the same time.

Wellcome have such a smart approach to content, and Alice shared so many gems with me. Their strategy isn't just relevant to charities and cultural organisations — I think there’s something exciting in the idea of commissioning out to partners with lived experience to share.

If you have a content strategy or format that you’re really proud of get in touch. I’d love to do more interviews like this.

A meme so accurate it hurts

How could I not share this meme from the It’s Nice That newsletter?