Posted on July 23, 2010 by Julian Edgar
Julian has extensive professional experience in the areas in which he trains. The training is hands-on, practical and targeted at people who need to implement the programs.
Julian is based near Canberra but courses can be run anywhere in Australia by arrangement. On-site training is a specialty.
Julian is able to facilitate training workshops on a range of topics. (Click on the topic to download a short pdf summary of each course.)
The Web
Writing
Photography
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Posted on July 22, 2010 by Julian Edgar
I’ve previously written about how most people coming to your website look at a page for less than 10 seconds and then never return. That’s right – a majority of people!
Initially that statistic sounds unlikely but when you think of your own web browsing habits, it makes sense. For example, if you’re searching for information on a topic, your first stop is likely to be Google. Your search spits up several million(!) results and you start clicking on links. If the link doesn’t provide you with what you want, you click backwards – you seldom bother exploring the rest of the site.
And even when you do stay within the site, your glance at each page to see if it is relevant is short – often very short indeed!
So how do you grab people’s attention, stopping them at your page and so having a much better chance of communicating your content?
Here are four key tips.
Read more »
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Posted on July 21, 2010 by Julian Edgar
Writing for the web really IS different.
Why? Well, if you’re writing a children’s storybook, you know exactly who to write for – children. If you’re writing an instructional manual for a piece of lab equipment, you also know the audience you’re writing for – people using that equipment in the lab.
And, because you know the audiences, you can tailor your writing to suit. In language, tone, vocabulary, syntax and the development of concepts, you can write for that particular audience.
But if you’re writing for a website, who makes up the audience? Isn’t it everyone? After all, on an external website literally anyone can come and read the content….
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Posted on July 21, 2010 by Julian Edgar
A key indicator of the success of a website is the number of readers it has. Irrespective of the organisation or the type of content, if few people visit the website, it will not be regarded as a winner.
So how can you build website readership?
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Posted on July 21, 2010 by Julian Edgar
Run training sessions? Here are six key steps in gaining a successful outcome. Read more »
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Posted on July 20, 2010 by Julian Edgar
When people consider written communication, they’re often thinking in a virtual straitjacket. In fact the term ‘written communication’ is usually part of the problem. Why? Well, any medium that carries written communication – think for example print and the Web – can also carry visual media.
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Posted on July 19, 2010 by Julian Edgar
Many people who run government and corporate websites have misconceptions about how websites work. As a result, they’re often fighting the wrong battles!
Here are four commonly held – but erroneous – beliefs. Read more »
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Posted on July 18, 2010 by Julian Edgar
I see this time and time again: the most common mistake people make when writing for external websites is to write for the wrong audience. And it’s not only most common, it’s also one of the worst mistakes to make. Read more »
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Posted on July 17, 2010 by Julian Edgar
If you work in a government department or large commercial organisation, the use of features can be very effective in communicating your message.
Features – think of them like magazine articles – can be used on your website, in pamphlets and in glossy promotional magazines.
So why use features to promote your organisation? Here are four reasons.
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Posted on July 17, 2010 by Julian Edgar
I’ve been professionally writing nearly all my adult life. And in that time I reckon I have learned a thing or two about the subject.
I’ve also heard (and read) people who have made the subject of writing sound incredibly complex and difficult. You know – special workshops on writing emails, others on preparing reports, more on writing for the web, others on writing feature articles. (And yes, I’ve run a few of those myself!)
But when you boil it all down, there are only a few key steps in any type of writing. Here they are.
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