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The Writer's Block

Welcome to 'The Writer's Block': Creatop's articles page.

This is where we publish articles relevant to the industry, and try to share our knowledge with the community.

Recent Articles:

Caps lock - shouting or making a point?

by Morgan Strong 03/07/2007

I need to make a point through email, and so far no-one seems to be listening. How should I articulate my fury?

It's an interesting question. When is it appropriate to use upper case? When is it appropriate to use strong punctuation? And when is it appropriate to use "URGENT" in the subject line?

The best answer is: none of these - except for maybe using "Urgent" in subject line.

Now let me explain...

Best to start with an example, let's try email etiquette for a message that informs the I.T. department you cannot login to your machine (PS. If you are wondering how the email is sent, you may be using a mobile device, such as a BlueBerry or PDA):

Email 1:

Time: 8.55am
Subject: Login Issues
Text: Good morning, I am currently experiencing difficulties in logging in to my workstation, can you please inform me if this a widespread issue, and if not, what measures I need to perform to get my computer working.

Email 2:

Time: 9.18am
Subject: ATT: Login issues continuing
Text: I sent an email earlier this morning about my login problems. I still cannot login, and I still have not heard back from IT. I have pressing deadlines today, please address this problem ASAP.

Now it is 9.38am, you have a deadline at 10.00am and you can't even get into your computer. You have been trying to call all morning but you haven't got off hold.

At this point, the fact your email and login problems go unheeded seems more of a personal insult than a system-wide-shortage that is probably affecting everyone in the office.

So which email do you send:

Option 1)

Time: 9.39
Subject: LOGIN ISSUES!!!
Text: I HAVE WORK DUE IN 15 MINS. I CAN'T GET INTO MY MACHINE BECAUSE YOU GUYS CAN'T DO YOUR JOB. FIX IT NOW!!!!!!

Option 2)

Time: 9.39
Subject: URGENT: Login Issues
Text: I have not been able to login all morning!!!! I have work due in 15 mins :( Please fix or I will take this matter further!!!!!!!!

Or, you could take a few deep breathes, think about the work that you have no chance of completing, and send an email from your PDA to the client expecting the work.

Option 3)

Time: 9.40am
Subject: 10am Project Deadline - IT difficulties.
Text: Sir, I have completed the project that was due this morning at 10.00am. Unfortunately due to technical outages our offices' are experiencing I am unable to access the work files. As soon as our network is operational I will make it first priority to forward the completed work. My apologies for the system fault and its inherit delays.

The earlier threatening emails to I.T. won't extend your deadline, but a reasonable excuse sent to the client may.

So in this case, using ALL CAPS, or threats, or exclamation marks were not appropriate. The I.T. department was flooded with work, and they were probably working hard to resolve the problem. Furthermore, your threatening email may leave a bad taste when you really need their help.

Sending a considered email to another party, on the other hand, was the right thing to do.

Sometimes however, you need to express to displeasure, and there sometimes isn't a convenient reason why you are being pushed around.

So in this instance, do you SHOUT THROUGH THE USE OF CAPITAL LETTERS? Or maybe finish your request with a series of exclamation marks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! - What do you do?

Let's look at another example. You are contacting the website manager with a request to have your online forms improved so they have image verification to stop spam coming through.

Problem is that the webmaster is busy, and knows that this task is not on her required list of duties. It is her job to action the request, but she doesn't have to do it.

Email 1-7
Subject: Image verification on website contact form
Text: To the web department. I have recently received a large volume of spam through the contact form on the internet site. Can you please implement an image verification system to stop the large quantities of unsolicited email that is automatically submitted through the form.

After 7000 automatic spam emails telling you about the wonders of penile enlargement pills and 'licensed' OEM software that is only one-twentieth of the original cost, you start to get annoyed.

Email 7-9
Subject: Image verification on website contact form
Text: Good day. I have sent almost a several emails asking for progress on an image verification system on website contact form. I currently receive several hundred spam emails a day which I must filter through for the legitimate mails which causes hours of lost productivity at work.

Now on email ten you CC the Chief Information Officer, so she is aware of the web team's non-activity....

...Still, there's no word from anyone.

What do you do on email seventeen?

In this case, the use of forceful punctuation, capital letters and bureaucratic threats may be of use. I mean you're the one who has to delete three hundred emails every morning before you can even start work.

For the next email, you need to make sure the right people are CC'd. This may not be the CIO, but perhaps whoever I.T. manager accountable for the web team's productivity.

So we'll start with a subject. Best to put the status of the email, rather than the punctuation here:

Subject: URGENT: Website deficit reducing productivity.

With this wording, the subject becomes an important request that affects the company rather than a personal annoyance.

Now as for the text, it needs to be read by new parties who are not as frustrated as you; they need to understand the situation, and know of the ineffective communication flowing out of the web team.

Text: As per my requests starting on 13th March and continuing through to the present, the website contact form has a serious deficiency that is affecting the productivity of production staff. Literally hundred of spam emails must be individually sorted every week to separate spam from the the few legitimate contact emails. This is a serious imposition on the resources available to my department. We have requested a simple image verification system to be placed on the website form. This would greatly reduce the amount of spam email automatically submitted to and would not require a significant commitment of resources to develop. Please note I have sent over 10 emails on this matter and am still to receive word on the progress of this request.

Earlier I hinted that understand special circumstances, it was acceptable to use capital letters, threats and forceful punctuation to make your point. Well that's pretty much not true.

After ten emails, shouting does not change the fact your request has not been actioned - in fact, the shouting is more likely to make the team more resistant.

It's always best to use well-formed sentences and research to form your point.

A well-articulated argument that presents reasons why the person you are dealing with is ineffective is a sure-fire way to guarantee action.

At the end of the day, save the excessive caps, emoticons and empty threats.. that is, unless you want to appear impatient and unprofessional.

== article ends ==

 

A good website: a long-term commitment; not a one-time spend

by Morgan Strong and Corin Edwards - 20/04/2007

Whilst most companies view their corporate website as being essential in generating brand identity and sales, very few commit significant resources towards it. There is a general (mis)conception that a company website, once released, is a finished product.

The real problem is a conception that often exists in the highest levels of management in a company: a website is a one-time investment. It is the belief that once a website has been built, the company has finished its internet obligations and a small army of robots will maintain the site.

But, as the webmaster of any respectable internet site will testify, a website's maintenance and development is an ongoing task.

There are too many corporate sites that have not had a single piece of content added since the site was released; too many websites that have the same functionalities that came straight out of a web developers standard package; and, perhaps most unprofessionally, too many websites have a footer date, or last updated date, that occurred years ago.

Good websites can very quickly become irrelevant without attention and maintenance.

Quite simply, for a website to remain a relevant, popular and useful tool for a company and its customers, web content must always be updated and be relevant; necessary features must be added; images should change when it's appropriate; and all these changes should be dictated by the needs of the site's users.

These factors raise a question: how does a company make sure its website does not become irrelevant, and how does a website retain, and increase, its user-base?

Unfortunately, there is no clear formula, no short checklist that a company can follow or cross-off to ensure web success; however, there are some guidelines that can greatly improve a company's website:

Following these guidelines is not always a cheap endeavour; in-fact, they demand a much heavier allocation of resources than most companies are willing to dedicate to a web presence.

But a good corporate website reflects positively on a company; an out-of-date, irrelevant website reflects very, very badly on a company.

With the internet becoming increasingly important as business communication tool, a company cannot afford to be instantly dismissed by its customers, and its potential customers, simply because the budget cannot extend to cover some simple web updates.

== article ends ==