He said Virtual Palmolive

I don’t know why I’m still on this storytelling kick.  It’s all I seem to post about lately, even though I’m heavily working on design and development projects.

I’m waist deep in a conflict between keyboard accessibility and a fancy javascript carousel for our university homepage.  Ain’t “universal design” a joy?   Also mocking up design elements for a fancy new online admissions application, AND trying to get video and lighting equipment ready for student recruitment video interviews.  I need to post some thoughts on all that stuff.

Last night I read and bookmarked a fabulous article in New York Magazine about Renegade cybergeeks saving the New York Times.

That’s the way change happens on the web: The most startling experiments are absorbed in a day, then regarded with reflexive complacency. But lift your hands out of the virtual Palmolive and suddenly you recognize what you’ve been soaking in: not a cheap imitation of a print newspaper but a vastly superior version of one. It may be the only happy story in journalism.

And today there is a nice post over at mstoner blog about technology and storytelling as it relates to university marketing/communications.

Coming out of the discussion, the consistent and oddly-reassuring answer is good content—the kind that deals with personal experiences and passions, told in a compelling way that also makes people want to take action.

…it’s easier to tackle this question of good, compelling content than it is to resolve the questions centering on how best to record and deliver your content, and how to effectively stay on top of a rapidly changing tech arena notorious for trashing effective solutions in favor of the new.

…the technologies and methods for producing broadband content can vary wildly, change often, and will likely do so for quite a while—but what will never change is that good, compelling stories will find audiences.