Creating Content Aide

Suggestions for authors / creators on Plone.org

News to Share?

So you need to post something to Plone.org. The community is wide and varied, as you know. Programmers, integrators, design creatives, marketing and bottom-line managers... we’re all here.

These gentle reminders are offered to help you communicate your news across these many dimensions. We hope they make your message more powerful, enjoyable, forceful - whatever you’re after.

Tips

Write for Everyone

Lots of people come to Plone.org for all kinds of information, and many browse indiscriminately. A lot of them will be developers; a not-insignificant number will be non-developers looking for a CMS solution.

Absolutely don’t be boring, but -

  • Assume somebody other than your team will read what you’ve posted;
  • Assume they are genuinely interested in what you’re reporting, and wonder what it will mean for them;
  • Put yourself in the shoes of someone who isn’t up to speed on the various pieces and parts of the Plone ecosystem.

Use the Active Voice

“We all had a real good time”

beats

“A good time was had by all”

every time.

Make a Short Summary

The summary is both teaser and preview. It helps people and search engines understand what's here and also entices them to learn more. Summary statements are generally one phrase or sentence and don't use a period at the end.

Include an Image

News items work best with an image that looks good and conveys something about the news. If you need help finding an appropriate image, reach out to the Marketing team.

Also, feel free to use Plone Foundation images from Flickr.

Provide contact information

Make it easy for people who read your article to get in touch for more information. Add a name of a contact person or group and add email link to it.

Be Inclusive

The Plone community consists of people of all genders, cultural backgrounds and geographic regions. Avoid the use of gendered language when it is not needed, and be aware that (pop-)cultural references can be difficult to understand if you're from another culture.

Tips to Make Information as Complete as Possible

  • If there are dates, times, people involved - take the time to detail them.
  • Include links to plone.org pages such as events, or to any other plone-related source that you find relevant.
  • If you are writing about a Plone subsystem (e.g. Zope, Volto, Diazo) provide some information about its relationship to Plone as a whole.
  • Tell us who you are: knowing your experience and current role helps to understand the value of what you’re saying. Alternatively . . .
  • Be sure your bio is up to date on Plone [dot] org; somebody is going to click on your author tag - you know they will. (You can find your bio at plone.org/author/[githubhandle])

Your Enthusiasm is Welcome

Everything in this document is intended to encourage your enthusiasm, your sense of fun, and your innovation.

Ask for Help

If you want help crafting a message for Plone.org, contact marketing@plone.org.

If English is not your first language we suggest running your text by a native English speaker before publishing. The marketing team can provide help with this. A tool like grammarly can scan your text and give useful suggestions, as a start, but there is no substitute for native fluency.