The document discusses the importance of using clear, plain language when communicating, especially on the web and with web 2.0 technologies. It notes that unclear, obscure language can frustrate users and hurt products and brands. It provides several examples of unclear language from websites and software and suggests simpler alternatives. The document advocates explaining technologies and products in simple, straightforward terms that answer the basic questions of what it is, who it's for, and how someone can use it.

1. English: Web 2.0’s
Universal Language.
Clear, plain words
from Kevin Smokler
WebVisions 2007 Smokler@sonic.net
www.kevinsmokler.com
May 4, 2007

2. What I’ll Talk About...
1. Not-quite English
II. What’s the matter with it?
III. Why does it happen?
IV. Simple solutions

4. What is “Branding?”

5. About Pzizz:
“Pzizz combines music to soothe you, voice to inspire you and a binaural beat to
help take you deep into a deeply relaxed and blissful state.
The export feature means you can use pzizz anywhere you like.
You can select the exact length of program and customize it to suit you. pzizz will
then generate a unique soundtrack for you - every single time you press "play" or
"export".
The clever little algorithm can create more than 100 billion combinations of
soundtrack - so you'll never hear the same thing twice!
Listen at your computer, export to MP3 player or burn to CD. It's your choice how
and where you use pzizz to get more out of each day!

6. What the heck is it?

10. About Pzizz:
“Pzizz is a piece of software you download to your
desktop that plays randomized soothing music
that helps you sleep.”

12. Clear, Plain English

13. George Orwell

14. “Politics and the English
Language” (1946)
• Never use a long word when a short
one will do
• If you can cut a word, do.
• Never use jargon if you can use an
ordinary equivalent.

15. Newsspeak

16. Doublespeak

17. “Involuntary Manslaughter
of the English Language”

18. Web 2.0:
• Transparency
• Honesty
• Usability
• Simplicity
• Multi- and platform agnostic
• Web based

19. The Bug and the Fix:

20. XSPF Player:

21. XSPF Player:
“XSPF Web Music Player is a flash-based web
application that uses xspf playlist format to play
mp3 songs. XSPF is the XML Shareable Playlist
Format. The software is written in Actionscript 2.”

22. Answers the Wrong Questions:
I. How?
II. How much?
III. What matters and what doesn’t?

23. XSPF Player:
“XSPF Web Music Player is a shareware music player
you can stick in your blog or website. ”

25. Songbird:
“Songbird is a desktop Web player, a digital jukebox
and Web browser mash-up. Like Winamp, it supports
extensions and skins feathers. Like Firefox, it is built
from Mozilla, cross-platform and open source.”

26. Music?

27. Wrong Assumption, Wrong User

28. Songbird:
“A music player for your desktop that does a lot of
cool stu iTunes doesn’t”

29. “Giving the user what they need
means knowing when to hold off on
what they don’t.”

30. B2B:

31. Zimbra:
“Zimbra is the leader in open source, next-generation
collaboration and messaging software.
We provide innovative experiences to end-users and their
administrators because we see existing tools are
fundamentally broken. We also believe in compatibility with
existing infrastructure and applications (both open source
and proprietary). Thus our solutions are cross-platform:
including Linux and Mac OS X on the server-side; Windows,
Linux and Mac on the desktop; and Firefox, Safari and
Internet Explorer browsers..”

32. Whodidwhichinthewhatnow?

33. The “Waiter” Rule:
“Providing the right information at
the right time, clearly and simply”

34. What’s a Matta?
• Obscures the fundamentals (What? How?
How much?)
• User frustration (At their most vulnerable!)
• Bad whuffie
• Poor separation from competitors
• Bad media and press
• The English Language itself

35. English:
• “The World’s First Universal Language”
--The Economist (Dec. 20, 2001)
• By 2050, half the world’s population.
• International language of record for
science, communications, business and
the Internet.
• Will only grow.

36. Web 2.0, 3, 4 etc...
• Always-on
• Cross-platform
• Inter-operable
• Web-based

37. “If we can’t communicate with our
audience clearly, plainly and smoothly,
someone else will.”

38. Change is easy.

39. How did we get here?
• False Assumptions about users
• Early development cloistering
• Clubby alpha and beta testing
• Lack of Resources

40. Pre Alpha Testing:
• You always know more than the user.
• Ordinary Folk or “Mother-in-law test.”
• Marketers play early.
• Explain the pain, offer the cure.
• What’s your symbol? “It’s like..”

41. Meeting Detoxing:
• Record
• List
• Invite Guests
• Translate
• Eliminates clubbing and cloistering.
• Get out of the “Soft Trust Cage”

42. Clarity Chieftain:
• Marketing/ Copy Writing/ Biz Dev.
• Not a product manager!
• In early...
• Must know everybody...

43. The Benefits
• Fewer wasted support resources
• Happier, passionate users
• Better and stronger press coverage
• Room to scope-up

44. The most successful products
are the easiest to explain

45. “Carry your music in your pocket”

46. “A website to host and watch videos”

48. “Cisco hardware, software, and service oerings are used to
create the Internet solutions that make networks possible—
providing easy access to information anywhere, at any time.”

49. A Word on ROI:
I. RSS
II. Podcasting

52. Where’s the Pizza?
• What’s it do?
• Who is it for?
• How can you use it?
• Half as useful as it should be.

53. George Orwell

54. Remember Orwell:
• Simple
• Economical
• Clear

55. Whodidwhichinthewhatnow?

57. Let’s Get to Work.
Kevin Smokler
Smokler@sonic.net
www.kevinsmokler.com