Chapter 42

Jokes! Sometimes they’re terrible, sometimes they’re great, and other times they’re thinly veiled attempts to make a point.

As The Writer, I am occasionally called upon to make points so here:

The purpose of writing is to convey meaning and communicate ideas in pursuit of human connection.

I cannot emphasize that last bit there enough: in pursuit of human connection.

Writing and producing content for the Web is no different. Inevitably, whether it is a college or university website, a brand campaign, or a personal blog devoted to friendship and communion between all beings, the goal is to reach the human being on the other side of the screen and inspire her to action, understanding, or empathy.

We read a ton of college and university websites. A ton. Not just those of our clients, but those of the schools we come from, admire, or hope to one day work for. We see a lot of office and department pages that we’d just love to sink our teeth and words into, because frankly, a lot of them need help. Burdened by vague mission statements or rote descriptions that could describe any other department or office or school in the world, these pages often fail to pinpoint the precise details and nuanced character of place that a reader could relate to.

Which brings me to my original point: can you describe what a provost does? Check out your alma mater’s website. Look at the Office of the Provost. Do you understand how she spends her time and what role she plays in the every day function of the school and lives of its students? Could you clearly summarize it for your mom when you call her this weekend (don’t forget to call your mom this weekend!)? Look at your former major’s departmental site. Does it accurately reflect your experience in that program? If so, great! Your school is doing an awesome job on the Web. But more often than not, these pages rely on institutional and disciplinary jargon to describe an abstract idea, rather than a meat-and-bones experience.

Guys, provosts *help people*.

They help the President run the school and keep all finances on point so that student services are always available, professors can do their jobs, and programs remain effective and efficient. The trickle-down benefits of that are self-evident! Sure, my twitter pals were in it for a goof, but at the heart of every goof is a kernel of truth. Not many people could describe a provost’s duty because all across this great land, Offices of the Provost aren’t doing a great job describing themselves.

The challenge of good writing is that it is both the hardest and the simplest thing in the world to do. The simplest because its sole task is to say what is true. The hardest because, well, how on earth do you do that?

Excellent question! And one we have a million, or at least 10-15 *very good answers* for. But for starters, get back to basics. If the goal is to communicate a specific idea to a specific audience, write in the language and terms they know. Write the way people speak. Leave the jargon to the birds. Tell us what a provost does.