Brian in Egypt.
Let’s Rant About “ABOUT” Pages!
Here’s where I rant about share my extremely mildly disturbing obsession with telling The Webs how pointless and useless (is that redundant?) most ABOUT pages are.
OK, just as an aside, “pointless and useless” are not redundant, as “pointless” means having no point and “useless” means having no use. I used them rhetorically to make a point that is not pointless, that ABOUT pages usually have no point and are useless because they don’t solve a problem for the reader. See, I’ve used my ABOUT page to show you that I understand The Words™ (my affectionate nickname for the English language, my main stock in trade) and The Webs™ (my affectionate nickname for the Web), and how is that not already better than most ABOUT pages?
I’m guessing what you’d like is assurance that I’ll make your life easier; that I’m
- reliable,
- easy and fun to work with,
- have an effective approach that brings your project to a successful conclusion,
- can provide an end-to-end solution to your content needs,
- understand you and your audience.
Seeing (others’ opinions) is believing
Humans like to rely on what is called “social proof.” In ambiguous situations, like when we’re trying to compare products that are quite similar, we look to the actions of others for indications of appropriate behavior. If lots of people are enthusiastically endorsing one product over another, that’s good enough for us.
To that end, view the warm and glowing testimonials or see how many “friends” I have on LinkedIn. We don’t call them “friends” on LinkedIn because we don’t actually know them all but isn’t it nicer to call them “friends?”
View my copywriting portfolio or read my resume, and then call or e-mail today and let’s talk about the methodology that will provide that assurance.
(Really) about me
I’m a Seattle native with more than a decade of experience as a content publishing professional at Microsoft (14+ years total at the company). During that time, I also did freelance work for commercial Web sites, non-profits, and magazines. My time at Microsoft was a challenging mix of writing and project management, dealing with issues as varied as globalization, localization, ESRB game ratings, scriptwriting, and the technical issues of electronic publishing.
I really understand The Webs as I spent two years as the director of digital marketing at Gravitate Design Studio. There I managed a team of writers and SEO specialists so talented that I declared myself superfluous and went to ride my Harley for two months (true story). I forgot to go back.
I am the world’s first Fully Certified ME-LANCER™ (or melancer, which sounds insipid). Since I invented this word, I reserve the right to bestow further certifications. I’m considering starting a cult to that end but I have to look into the tax ramifications. Plus, I was in a cult once and…not so fun.
A lifelong passion for Egyptology led me serendipitously to an opportunity to work with Dr. Mark Lehner‘s organization, AERA. I’ve been incredibly fortunate to dig with Mark’s team near the Giza pyramids, help AERA raise funds, and to produce the AERA Web site. I spent my tenth visit to Egypt blogging for the team in 2009. I once made a weekend round trip from Seattle to Cairo at the request of one of AERA’s donors; fun but catatonically exhausting.
I live in a cold, gray, wet place but I love intense heat and sunshine. Someday I might have to move all my family and friends somewhere else.
I hate loud noises but love the sound of big radial engines and Harley Davidsons. I am the proud parent of a 2017 Harley Davidson Road King.