WebWord

I just sent out the WebWord Newsletter to my subscribers. It was deliberately a friendly note. My tone was quite casual and I was not formal.

Within just a few minutes I received notice that a subscriber dropped. The good news is that this subscriber provided me with some feedback:

“The tone is too friendly and familiar, i first thought it was spam.”

So, this raises many questions. Here are just a few…

1. Is it possible to be too friendly and familiar with subscribers?
2. How formal should email be? What about newsletters?
3. What are subscribers really expecting from you?
4. What is the distinction between formal and informal?
5. Are you losing subscribers by being too casual?

There are a bazillion more questions I could ask. But really, at the end of the day, I’m not going to change my style much. The reason is that I am tired of stuffy emails from stuffy companies. I am going to probably get less formal over time.

I very much intend to build a stronger relationship with my list. That means being more personal. It’s what I would like and it’s what I will do.

If I lose subscribers for being a “nice guy” or for telling the wrong stories about my personal life, I’m fine with that. It’s more important to be me than it is to be one of … them. I know you know what I mean here.

Implications for the design of email newsletters? What do the usability professionals and UX’ers have to say?

~ John

As part of my “super secret” usability professional training program I’m looking into FEAR… 

I can’t tell you too much right now about my premium training program. But, what I can tell you is that it will take you to the next level of success as a usability professional. It’ll help you become recession proof too. I can share more in the near future — stay tuned — but right now I have to protect my intellectual material. I’m certain that some copycats will follow me once they get wind of this. Keep an eye on WebWord and definitely subscribe to the WebWord Newsletter to be the first to know what I’m doing.

So, why am I looking into fear? The answer is complex. Every time there is downward pressure on a company usability and UX professionals start to worry. They feel marginalized because usability is often seen as a “nice to have” not as an essential piece of a business.

Many managers and executives not familiar with UX look at usability professional like we don’t add bottom line value. It’s as if we’re overhead or something. We know this isn’t true but it’s hard to fight.

We’re now deep into a recession. In the last month alone I know of at least three usability professionals who have lost their positions. These are smart, motivated, and talented people. But, because they are not seen as being essential to the profitability of the business they are let go like a used up Coke bottle in a recyling bin. People are afraid of being … dropped.

The frustration I have is that we ARE critical to the bottom line. I’m not talking about cost justifying usability. That kind of thinking makes sense on the surface and books are sold helping people get down to the numbers. That’s fine, but I’m talking about something much bigger.

UX’ers have the ability to boost innovation, drive dramatic improvements to marketing materials, jack up revenue by working with the sales force, and much more. Usability pros can also help pinpoint the fat in an organization. So, they can identify where else to cut — versus the usability budget and UX’ers jobs!

These are the things that I am seeing in the usability world now through my deep connections. As some folks know, I work in the belly of the beast like many of you reading WebWord right now. I’m inside a Fortune 100 company and I know how the wheels turn inside the machine. I also know how to navigate the landmines.

So, what is your biggest fear right now in the world of usability? Is it job security? Is it changing positions within your company? Is it your lack of business and internal marketing skills? This is about you. Share your fear and let’s see where it goes.

~ John

There are some big changes coming for me in 2009 and I’m really excited about it. My career and my personal life are going to morph substantially. It’s really exciting.

I know that some people are really being squeezed right now but most of us still have work. We’ve got jobs or clients to help. We’re all still fighting to get ahead and improve. We’re trying to live a meaningful life while doing usability and user experience work.

Well, I’ve got a favor to ask you. I need to know what YOU need to succeed in your usability career. I’m not talking about help with your job exactly. I’m looking to better understand what tools and information you need. Please post your comment.

There are no wrong answers. And, I think that other usability professionals will appreciate your requests. Please really think about what will make your job rock and roll. I’d love to know.

~ John