Mar
11th
Tue
11th
Have you seen these fun, informative videos from CommonCraft?
They are quick, useful, fun and easy to understand. What can you as a writer in plain old printed black and white learn from their approach?
- Acknowledge doubts. The videos usually start with some discussion of why people might not be interested in the topic. When you write about an exciting new technology, make sure you bring up any perceived weaknesses or claims that it is pointless.
- Compare to other tools — put in context. The videos always compare the tool or technology to other comparable tools that the reader is familiar with. That doesn’t mean a feature comparison with similar tools. It means putting the tool in the context of existing, familiar, established tools that do a similar job.
- Be fun. The videos are fun — but not funny. There aren’t really any jokes in them — but their informality and playfulness makes them a pleasure to watch.
- Tell stories. Create real people, give them names, and show how they benefit from the tool.