A Content Pattern from
Patterns for Personal Web Sites

Your Own Voice

There are a lot of personal Web sites. This abundance makes standing out a challenge. Many site creators try to counter this with knockout design. Fewer do so by creating compelling content. Fewer still find the third element of an outstanding site: a distinctive voice. When everyone is singing tenor, a bass or soprano voice will stand out. Likewise, if you imbue your Web site with a unique voice, visitors will notice and remember.

Therefore, be distinctive. Find your own voice.

Voice is a quality that's hard to define. An example may help. Consider Pfotostein, Snickering Lemming's photo gallery. The conversational back-and-forth of the captions make us feel like we're in the room with its authors. Without having met them, we feel that to some extent we know them. This sense of familiarity can be created only by a distinctive authorial voice.

Blogs, position papers, and online notebooks are good vehicles for conveying a distinctive voice. What are your opinions? How did you come to them? How do you respond to challenges to them? Letting visitors see "behind the curtain" gives them a better idea of who you are, and why you created your site.



Note: access to Pfotostein is restricted. Snickering Lemming has given permission to post the user name & password here: guest/getajob.


Last updated 11 November 2002
http://www.rdrop.com/~half/Creations/Writings/Web.patterns/your.own.voice.html
All contents ©2002 Mark L. Irons