University of Hawaii - Pacific New Media Social Media Communication Skills - Writing &...

Communication Skills for Social MediaPart One

Writing and Photography

Tara Coomans and David Ulrich

The illiterate of the future will

be ignorant of the pen and

camera alike.

—Lazlo Moholy-Nagy, 1936

Lazlo Moholy-Nagy

Creative Commons: Tanya_Little

Your Social Media Voice

Resist Being A Zombie

Human

Opinion

You vs. We

Character/PersonaFriendlyWarm

InspiringPlayful

AuthoritativeProfessional

TextTone

PersonalHumbleClinicalHonestDirect

Scientific

LanguageComplex

SavvyInsiderSeriousSimple

Jargon FilledFun

PurposeEngageEducateInformEnable

EntertainAmplifySupport

The Social and Digital “You”

Creative Commons: Annie Mole

Be Nice To Your Reader. Please.

Reading Online Is Different

Key ConsiderationsTone

Font SizeParagraph Size

LanguageContent Length

Headings

7 Attributes of the Perfect Blog Post

1. 6 Words That Matter - Headline

2. Storytelling Hook3. Short Sentences. At

First.4. Subheadings 5. 1500-word sweet

spot6. Shareables

credit: http://blog.bufferapp.com/perfect-blog-post-research-data

The Art of The Headline

Different Platforms - Different Communication

Talk To The ReaderBe BoldSHORT

Keywords What’s In It For Me?

Surprise: “This is NOT a Perfect Blog Post.” Curiosity: “10 Tips For Perfect Headlines. Number 9 Is Impossible.” Audience: “For Bloggers Who Want More Traffic”

Creative Commons: Annie Mole

Bodies of TextUse SubheadingsDo your best to keep paragraphs simple.

Keep the language simple.

Remember, shorter sentences are easier to read. Pictures break

up text and draw the eye into the page.

Other tips: •Bullets help break up text•Use Active language•Avoid jargon or acronyms•Line spacing

What Makes The Reader Pay Attention

Engaging Writing

Casual, Personal StylesAsking Questions, Requesting Comments

What Would YOU Share?Authenticity, Transparency

Credit Others. Praise Others.

Including Competitors.

http://www.atomicreach.com/

Cool Tool

• San-Serif Easier to Read on Web

• Impact Your Brand Impression

• Font Sizes Differ On Screen

Typetester.org

pearsonified.com/typography/

the quick brown fox

the quick brown fox

the quick brown fox

the quick brown foxthe quick brown fox

Reading Online Is Different

What the Font?

Keep Language Simple

Stella’s Big Nose Knows

UseActive LanguageShorter SentencesAvoid Acronyms Jargon

Creative Commons: edenpictures

Write Upside Down

Reading Online Is Different

Creative Commons: Annie Mole

Key Take Aways

Reading Online Is Different

Speak To The ReaderPersonalAuthentic

Be Nice To The ReaderEasy-to-Read Font Styles and Sizes

Keep Paragraphs ConciseBreak Up Text

Write Upside Down

Remember RudySimple Language

Basic Communication Rules of the RoadTwitter

Abbreviations accepted, but not preferredHashtags: chat, search, contextKeywordsLeave Room For Retweets (RT)71-100 Character Tweets Get Most RTGive credit to external sourcesLink shortenersConsider your audience & opennessMentions, RT, viewed positively

Facebook

Plenty of roomHashtags: newly adoptedPhoto posts + content“Tag” people & businesses

Google+

Hashtags: Search, contextKeywordsMini-blog

Different Platforms - Different Communication

Clearing Up Hashtag Confusion

Hashtags = KeywordsHashtags Aren’t “OWNED”

Hashtags Can Expand The AudienceNo Need To Litter

Different Platforms - Different Communication

Key Take Aways

Remember The Rules of the RoadUse Hashtags As a Tool

Be Bold. Be Awesome. Be Headline Savvy.Why Should I Care To Share?

Different Platforms - Different Communication

Five Elements of Photographic Vision

The Frame

Light

The Moment

Color/Tonality

The Subject/Concept

The Frame

Garry Winogrand, NY

Use active verbs

Omit unnecessary words

How does this relate to photography?

Frame = noun and verb

Frame = context, what to include.

Less is more

Robert Frank, The Americans

Dorothea Lange, Migrant Mother

Arnold Newman, Igor Stravinski

Nicholas Nixon

Franco Salmoiraghi: The Angel of Death

Diane Arbus

Alec Soth

Harry Callahan

Emmet Gowin

Sally Mann, 1988

Light

Sally Mann

Andre Kertesz

Ansel Adams

Edward Weston

Alison Beste

Ed Ou, Revolution, Egypt

World Press Photo of the Year 2011Samuel Aranda, Spain, for The New York Times.Sanaa, Yemen, 15 October.

Sally Mann Immediate Family

Sally Mann

The Moment

Henri Cartier-Bresson

To me, photography is the simultaneous recognition, in a fraction

of a second, of the significance of an event as well as of a

precise organization of forms which give that event its proper

expression.”

—The Decisive Moment, Henri Cartier-Bresson

Henri Cartier-Bresson

Henri Cartier-Bresson

2nd prize Sports StoriesAdam Pretty, Australia, Getty ImagesShanghai, China, 17 July.

Arnold Newman

Paul Caponigro

Ansel Adams, Grand Tetons Minor White, Grand Tetons

Mitch Dobrowner

Lisa Hornak

Color/Tonality

Elaine Mayes

W. Eugene Smith

High Key

Edward Weston

Low-Key

W. Eugene Smith

Paul Caponigro

Contrast

Edward Weston

Harry Callahan

Color Dialogues

Georgia O’Keeffe

Anne Marie HamiltonJulienne Kost

AnneMarie Hamilton

Cindy Sherman

Ansel Adams

Making a Photograph

Ansel Adams

Previsualization

CameraRAW + Photoshop

David Ulrich

Subject/Concept

PICTURES ARE NOT ABOUT PICTURES

Pictures are about something

Lisa Hornak

Kauro Kaneshig

a

Richard Misrach: On the Beach

Shinji Salmoiraghi

Zac Noyle

Regional/Hawai‘i:Ocean

Wayne Levin

Culture: Kaho’olawe Project

Franco Salmoiraghi

Wayne Levin

David Ulrich

Dewitt Jones

Running the Numbers: An American Self-Portrait,

Chris Jordan, 2007

Plastic Bottles, 200760 x120"

Chris Jordan

Depicts two million plastic beverage bottles, the number used in the US every five minutes.

New Technologies

New Technologies

Size in Pixels

Wordpress: 1024X768

Flickr:• 75x75 pixels square• 150x150 pixels square• 100 pixels (on the longest side)• 240 pixels• 320 pixels• 500 pixels• 800 pixels *• Large (which will be 1024 pixels if it exceeds that

length)• 1600 pixels *• 2048 pixels *• The original size

iphone: 3264X2248

iphone 4s, 5: 3264X2448

Size in Pixels

Instagram 2048 X 2048, 12 meg

Sensor size

iphone 1/3.2

Apps

Instagram = publishing platform

Camera + = digital image editing

Easy Release = model & property releases

Snapseed = enhance and share from Nik software

Text Edit

When you need a photographer

Fashion

Advertising

Product

Journalism (10mpx: RAW)

Head shots

Wedding (prints, lighting)

Print Media

Specialized skill and equipment

Chicago Sun Times?

Words and photos

Illustrative

Narrative

Metaphor / parallel meaning

Pictures / captions

Narrative

Metaphor/Parallel meaning

Barbara Kruger

Captions & Attribution

who, what, why, when, where

who made the photo?

(alt tags)

Alecia Hoyt: Waikiki After Dark

Honolulu Weekly: “Prostitutes and Night Life”

Social Media: “Prostitution in Chinatown”

Legal & Ethical• Copyright

– metadata

– public domain

– Google image search, FB thumbnails

vs Pinterest (thumbnail vs publishing)

• Public space vs Private property

• Journalism (Factual images) & image

editing/manipulation

• Privacy, Libel, & Annoyance factor

–restaurants, movies, lectures, clubs,

movies

– Back channel?

Legal & Ethical

• Journalism (Factual images) &

image editing/manipulation

Legal & Ethical

Finding your own voice and vision

Be Authentic

emotion

stay loose: be spontaneous

revise, revise

experiment

awareness

speak of your life; yourself

epiphany and insight

David Ulrich

website: www.creativeguide.com

blog: www.theslenderthread.org

Tara Coomans

http://akamai-marketing.com/@taracoomans