Tech News

This post originally appeared on the American Express OPEN Forum, where Mashableregularly contributes articles about leveraging social media and technology in small business.

Perhaps one of the most overlooked aspects of putting together a website or social media campaign is the copy. Many people assume that the same words that work for print campaigns or materials can just be copied and pasted for the web, but that’s just not true. The web is an entirely different medium, and copy needs to be treated with the same respect that design and user interface elements get.

Text is a very important part of user experience on the web, so it needs and deserves the same sort of design consideration. You must make your text usable in the same manner that you do the rest of your website or social media campaign materials. In short: text is user interface. Here are five rules for writing better for the web.

1. Know Your Objective

This actually applies to any sort of copywriting. Unless you have a clear picture of the end result, your writing won’t be as clear as it could be. Ask yourself what you’re trying to achieve with each bit of text you write. Once you know the objective, you’ll be able to more clearly articulate what you need to get across to your customers in your copy, and you’ll be able to identify any superfluous text that you can throw out.

2. Know Your Audience

The web is unique as a marketing platform because it can be so hyper-targeted. You can theoretically know exactly who your audience is and target your writing accordingly. Further, depending on where you’re writing, your audience will be different. Any time your audience changes, you may need to make changes in your copy as well. Obviously writing for Twitter is different than writing for your blog, but writing for your blog is different than writing for email, which is different than writing forFacebook, which is different than writing forMySpace, and so on. Before you lay any words down on the page, figure out who you’re speaking to, and write with them in mind.

3. Keep it Short

Studies have found that the more words you add to a web page the less time people spend reading it. Attention spans are shorter on the web, so your writing will be more effective if it is also kept shorter. One study found that users only spend about 4.4 seconds on a page for every 100 words of content. When you factor in average reading speeds, that means users generally only read about 18% of the text on a page (perhaps less — since at least some portion of that 4.4 seconds is probably spent doing things other than reading page copy). That suggests that if you keep your copy as concise as possible, it will be more likely that your website visitors will actually read more of your text. Of course, you can adjust this rule based on your audience — some audiences might be more likely to read long articles than others.

4. Make it Scannable

Because only a portion of your text is actually likely to be read by your audience, it’s also important to write with scannability in mind. That means readers should be able to get the main gist of your copy even if they just scan it. When it comes to scannability, large blocks of text are your enemy. It is nearly impossible to quickly draw out the key points from a long paragraph, so when presented with one, many readers will just skip over it automatically. Make it easier for them to pull out the central topic points by using descriptive headers and sub-headers (like the ones in this article), bulleted lists, highlighting of key points, and images or diagrams, which can both break up the monotony of text and present the same information in a different way.

5. Embrace Constraints

Every platform has its own set of constraints when it comes to writing copy. The most obvious example right now is Twitter, which enforces a 140 character limit on every message you send, but every platform has limitations (for example, messages on Facebook can only have very limited formatting). These limits can be seen as a burden, or they can force you to think creatively about your content. If you only have 140 characters to work with, for example, you have to work extra hard to pack as much information as you can into each tweet while maintaining a voice consistent with your brand’s other copy.

You may have heard that Apple will be hosting a media event on September 9th (tomorrow) where it will likely make some big announcements and even launch a few new products. The event is focused around music, if its rock and roll theme is any indication. The Mac and iPhone maker usually holds an event around this time every year.

And much like past years, the September 9th event has been a hotbed for speculation within the media. There has been constant chatter around iPods with cameras, a new version of iTunes with Facebook and Twitter integration, The Beatles coming to iTunes, the fabled Apple Tablet, an appearance by Apple CEO Steve Jobs, and more that could be revealed at this event.

So what should you actually expect this Wednesday? While we are not oracles and can’t predict what Apple will in fact announce, we can gather a pretty good idea from the reports we’ve gathered and the evidence we’ve seen. Below is our assessment of what could happen at this week’s media event, from a new line of iPods to the potential first public appearance of Steve Jobs:

iPods

This event is almost guaranteed to be focused around the next generation of Apple’s media player. It just wouldn’t make sense if Apple didn’t announce a new iPod at this event. So what iPod announcements should you expect?

The speculation has focused around iPod Touches with cameras. Just like an iPhone, the iPod Touch line would now be able to take pictures (with a 3.2 MP lens), record videos, and upload them to the web with ease. There will probably be other iPhone 3G S-like upgrades, such as compass navigation and perhaps voice recognition. The key is the camera, though.

The new iPods could launch this month or even tomorrow, although some rumors indicate that it may not appear on the market until later this year.

The fate of the older generation of iPods, like the Classic and the Nano, is not yet known. Some believe they’ll be discontinued as a line, but we’re not so sure about that discussion, especially in regards to the Nano.

iTunes

There seem to be two likely announcements in terms of iTunes. First, it’s almost guaranteed that Apple will announce a new version of iTunes, iTunes 9. Most likely this new version will improve the interface, address concerns with organizing iPhone apps, and include music sharing features via Twitter, Facebook, andLast.fm.

The other announcement could be that The Beatles are finally going to be downloadable in the iTunes store. The date of Apple’s keynote adds fuel to the fire of this rumor – it is the same day of the launch of The Beatles Rock Band, which itself is a reference to Revolution 9. A deal struck earlier this year between Apple and the storied rock band also makes this announcement a likely one.

Apple Tablet

We separated fact from fiction a short while ago on the subject of the Apple Tablet, but here’s the essential news: while the Tablet most likely exists, it probably won’t appear at this event. Tomorrow’s Apple keynote is a music-centric event focused on iPods and iTunes, not on a brand new computing product. It also appears to need a bit more time before it’s ready for the market.

Our suggestion: don’t hold your breath for a Tablet surprise, because you’ll probably pass out. Still, anything’s possible and the Tablet could blow us all away.

iPhone

No, you’re not going to see a new iPhone. Yes, you’re likely to hear more about the iPhone 3.1 OS upgrade. Bluetooth voice control and improved video editing controls should be part of the package. And while releasing the iPhone 3.1 OS during the keynote would make sense, the activation of MMS for AT&T customers could be included in the package as well, which would make its release date September 25th.

Steve Jobs

Steve Jobs, who recently went back to work after battling illness for most of this year, is rumored to be the man who will give this keynote. He’s always been the man with the keynote, and while Phil Schiller (Senior VP of Marketing) did a great job with the 2009 Macworld keynote, Steve Jobs is now back in command. If he’s healthy enough to lead Apple, he’s probably healthy enough to handle this keynote.

If that’s the case, Wednesday would mark the first public appearance by the Apple CEO since his leave of absence.

These are just a few of the things that you can expect tomorrow. Apple always likes to pull out surprises though, so if you think you can predict what else it will launch or announce tomorrow, be sure to add it to the comments.

Noa Gafni is a social media consultant with a focus on women and Gen Y. She authorsWebutantes, a blog about Internet trends impacting women.

Wedding planning can seem like an overwhelming process — with so many details to take care of and options to choose from, where does one begin? Fortunately, there are many online resources available to offer advice, ideas, and even some deals. You can solicit tips from experts, use tools to stay organized, and share updates with friends and family. With the help of social media, your big day can be everything you had hoped for.

Getting Started

Particularly in the early stages, it’s hard to know where to start. Luckily, many sites provide planning resources from the onset. The precursor to any wedding, of course, is getting engaged, and Where to Get Engaged will help you find inspiration for your proposal. Users can discuss how to pop the question on forums and blogs, and watch real engagement videos, as well as find vendors (for things like rings and flowers). You can register in stealth mode to avoid surprises, or conversely, integrate with your existing social media profiles, and even create a blog to document your proposal.

Once you’ve gotten engaged, it’s time to start planning the big day. Because planning a wedding is such a big task, OneWed figures you need all the help you can get. The site enables couples to seek out friends and family to share tips and offer advice. The Wedding Checklist feature provides a customizable task list that can be edited, delegated, and, of course, checked off once completed. By sharing the planning workload with friends and family, you can free yourself to spend more timeactually enjoying your wedding.

Weddings, though, don’t generally come free, so you’ll need a way to keep on top of how much everything you’re planning costs and how it fits into your budget. WedSnap, the creator of a number of Facebook wedding planning tools, has a Wedding Budget application that offers an itemized breakdown based on one’s overall wedding budget and number of guests. The budget covers all categories, including the reception, photo/video, fashion, music, flowers and decoration, rings, transport and hotel, ceremony, and stationary.

Finding Vendors

The wedding industry is vast, and selecting quality vendors can be difficult, especially when you’re trying to stick to your budget. Large sites like The Knot, Bridal Fever, and Brides.com offer local directories based on region, as well as discussion forums, enabling couples to get advice and reviews about vendors in their area. On the Wedding Channel’s Community, profiles include location, making it easy to reach out to other users in the area, and Project Wedding provides a Vendor Reviews section that can be sorted by date (newest/oldest), score (highest/lowest), and the reviewers’ credibility.

Because weddings are one-time affairs, most wedding vendors don’t get a lot of repeat business, so it’s not likely that you’ll have personal experience with many of the vendors you’ll end up working with. Local directories can help you find everything from a venue to a caterer to a photographer and by relying on the reviews of others, you can help assure that you’ll be working with vendors that will make sure you wedding goes off without a hitch.

Invitations and Wedding Websites

Keeping guests informed and involved is often a challenge. Paper invitations, save the date cards, and directions to the reception are both expensive and often misplaced. Luckily, there are a variety of online tools that can be easily located and synchronized with email and calendars, as well as cut costs, save paper, and engage guests.

While you may not be able to completely do away with paper invitations (since it is doubtful that all of your guests will be tech savvy enough to rely solely on electronic invites), creating a wedding web site is essential. Your wedding web site will be able to provide guests with vital information about the wedding schedule, location, travel arrangements (such as nearby hotels and restaurants), background about you and your fiancé, and links to your registry. There are a large number of options for creating your web site, including MomentVille, eWedding, and MyWedding.com.

Another option is Zank You, which provides wedding websites with multimedia capability, so that guests can not only post comments, but upload songs and videos in the guest book. Zank You also provides couples with the ability to poll guests on their wedding websites so you can involve guests in wedding planning decisions (such as whether to go with the prime rib or the NY strip).

Wherever you choose to create and host your wedding site, you can augment your site with the Bridal Guide Save the Date Widget, which allows your guests to add your wedding information to their calendars with one click. Also be sure to check out Weddingbook, which is another Facebook application from WedSnap that allows users to fill out a profile with wedding details, a countdown, and registry info. Couples can add their wedding party and guest list, enabling guests to connect with each other on the social network before the event.

Sharing the Big Day

Even after the wedding is over, your guests will still want to hear from you. Send a thank you tweet once you’re back from your honeymoon, and upload pictures onto Facebook and Flickr. Use sites like thisMoment or Panraven to create multimedia storybooks of your big day, and even consider creating a hard bound photobook of your wedding as a keepsake for close relatives (like your parents or grandparents) at Blurb or Lulu.

You can also take advantage of your wedding web site after the big event and encourage your guests to keep in touch and share any pictures or video they may have shot during the wedding. Create an invitation-only group on Flickr and invite guests to share photos, or create a special wedding hashtag on Twitter and ask guests to tweet their memories of the wedding. By keeping connected with guests on social media sites you can share with them other milestones in your new life together.