Overview Digital Aotearoa Collective’s challenge The Digital Aotearoa Collective (formerly GovZero Aotearoa) wanted to use Rules as Code (RaC) to code NZ’s Social Security Act. This was an important project for the collective, which aims to address injustice and improve wellbeing in Aotearoa New Zealand. Digital Aotearoa Collective’s transformation Salsa donated NZ$20,000 and three team members (for a total of 24 hours a week for 11 months) to help build the first iteration of BenefitMe . Working with other key members, we started with rules analysis, before splitting into two teams: one focused on service design and building the frontend, and one focused on the OpenFisca rules coding. In the last 6 weeks of the project, Salsa also contributed additional Drupal resources.What’s in the CivicTheme 1.4 release? The recent CivicTheme 1.4 release includes a major review of all components and over 100 bug fixes. Some of the bigger changes include: New Event content type Standardisation across all CivicTheme cards New support for external links Updates to filters for automated lists Automatically generated component pages for visual regression testing New documentation The release of CivicTheme on drupal.org New Event content type The new Event content type provides event-specific fields. For example, time and date, and location (with the ability to embed a map URL or add in an address). Event cards can then link to this content. Standardisation across all CivicTheme cards CivicTheme boasts an extensive range of different cards.Whether you’re scrolling through your social media feed or researching the latest marketing techniques, video content is ubiquitous. And for good reason. Video is an effective way to capture your attention and keep you coming back for more — all while entertaining and educating you in the process.
But do you know how to effectively incorporate video on your organization’s website?
Video is undoubtedly an invaluable tool that distinguishes your brand. But there’s a difference between producing valuable content that cuts through the noise and simply adding to an already cluttered digital landscape.
To provide a positive experience for your users and achieve your strategic objectives, you need to understand why using video is important and learn how to do it well. Let’s break it down.
As users read less content word for word, video steps in as a tell-all tool. Through visuals, users can quickly digest content without having to slog through (or completely skip) long walls of text.
Video gets straight to the point — and to the heart — of the message you’re trying to get across. An incredible storytelling tool, video connects you to your audience. It evokes and underscores moods, ideas, and information in compelling and authentic ways through visuals, sounds, and imagery.
More than that, video is an essential way to offer accessibility-friendly content. Through closed captions and transcripts, you can offer a quality experience your entire audience can enjoy.
Users can also search for answers to their questions via video. How many times have you searched YouTube (or even TikTok) to learn something new? People absorb information in different ways and need multiple avenues to promote learning — your users included.
Finally, video conveys the feeling and culture of your brand in a matter of seconds. It can show off a collective spirit or attitude without saying a word. And that means if you want your audience to feel the ethos of your brand, using video is a powerful way to convey that.
Perhaps you’ve already created a video (or an entire library of them), but you find they’re not getting views and you’re not sure how to promote them effectively. How can you make sure users actually see your videos and come to your website as a result?
Most brands choose to host their videos on a third party (such as YouTube, Vimeo, or Wisteria) for two reasons.
As you look for ways to get eyes on your content, don’t forget to use your own social channels. Right now that means TikTok and Instagram. Share your videos on the sites your target audience is likely to be on, and encourage users to share them.
Think strategically about how you can repurpose or reuse your content, like breaking videos down into teaser snippets to capture attention.
For marketing purposes, there are two main types of videos you can use to enhance your users’ experience: ambient and long form. It’s wise to use both different types of videos on your site based on the message you want to communicate and the goal you're trying to achieve.
Ambient videos are shorter and set the tone or feeling of a brand. They lay the groundwork for the story you’re trying to tell. For example, ambient video could be drone footage of a university campus or footage of people in a meeting to reflect their company’s culture. In other words, ambient video gives users a feel for what your brand is all about — sans dialogue.
Long-form videos tend to be more informative and provide more value. They often serve a specific purpose, such as showing users how to complete a complex task. This is especially helpful for visual learners. How-to videos can be extremely effective in reducing customer support inquiries and increasing conversions.
Use different types of videos on your site to complement the message you want to communicate and the goal you're trying to achieve.Simply adding video content to your marketing plans isn’t enough. You need to be strategic and think through what you want your videos to achieve. Furthermore, there are plenty of best practices and nuances to consider that should inform your strategy. Here are a few recommendations.
Do: Relax and go slow. Think about what’s achievable. You don’t need to hit the ground running with high-quality videos at every touchpoint. If you lack time, good content, or the budget to produce the robust video library you want, it’s okay. You have options. What matters most is that you build content to support the story that you're sharing.
For example, you can use a static image that you can later swap out for an ambient video. Or, consider producing smaller snippets that you can use on social media to drive traffic to your channel until you build your content library.
Don’t: Neglect accessibility standards. Avoid elements like autoplay, modals, or overlays. because they take control away from the user. And when it comes to upholding accessibility standards, taking control away is exactly what you want to avoid.
A modal is a window that appears in the middle of the video and displays a specific message or image. An overlay is a transparent layer of branding or an interactive element that appears on the video. These features are easy enough to interact with for a user with a mouse or trackpad but are inaccessible to those who rely on their keyboard or other assistive technology.
Do: Know when to refresh content or keep it evergreen. Keeping videos relevant and accurately reflecting your message should always be top of mind. But you may not have to swap out videos as often as you think. The key is to look at your audience and think about what’s likely to compel them to convert. If you have a high number of returning visitors to your website, you should consider updating your content to keep things fresh. By contrast, if you get new visitors on a more cyclical, spread-out basis, your video content can last longer.
Don’t: Forget to measure the value of your video content. First, consider your video in the overall user journey. For example, if there’s a video touting a particular program deep within your site, you could measure success by looking at the number of conversions you receive on the corresponding call to action. For more straightforward feedback, incorporate surveys onto your site. Ask if the video achieved your objective for the user. This way you can learn what worked and what needs work.
Consider best practices to guide how you approach your strategy.Video is one of the most powerful marketing tools available. It increases engagement with your users and connects your brand to a larger audience. No wonder it’s everywhere.
As you seek ways to set yourself apart, embrace video and all its strategic and creative possibilities. After all, you have a great story to tell — it’s time to tell it.
/sites/default/files/styles/original/public/2023-03/sirisvisual-IcwAKUhNGXs-unsplash_0.jpg.webp?itok=gi2-qGlK Feature as an event Off Service Category Strategy Content Strategy Storytelling Digital Marketing IsGated 0 IsDownloadable 0Today we are talking about Headless and if it’s really all it’s cracked up to be with Martin Anderson-Clutz.
For show notes visit: www.talkingDrupal.com/389
TopicsMartin Anderson-Clutz - @mandclu
HostsNic Laflin - www.nLighteneddevelopment.com @nicxvan John Picozzi - www.epam.com @johnpicozzi Jacob Rockowitz - www.jrockowitz.com @jrockowitz
MOTW CorrespondentMartin Anderson-Clutz - @mandclu JSON:API Search API Allows your headless Drupal site to also provide a search service.
If you are a good swimmer, you would remember, in the beginning, how difficult it was to practice bubbling: the art of releasing air bubbles little by little and prolonging the time underwater without surfacing like a bloated balloon and not letting water in your nostrils, picking up a coin or a ring from the bottom of the pool in one quick motion.
At least a few times, water would have gotten into your nasal channel, and you felt that chill in your head. And then suddenly, the trainer would say to float, holding your breath without bubbling, start kicking while holding your head down and hands straight, start exhaling while kicking, and turn your head to take a breath, then fashion your arms to have maximum thrust. Some cardio exercises might be recommended so that your lung capacity increases.
These are all exercises to make you a natural swimmer, utilizing buoyancy and minimal friction against the current. But now, when you swim, you swim. You don't particularly remember bubbling, turning your head to inhale, or keeping your upper body motionless while utilizing your legs alone to push and hands to pull.
The above is true about each thing that we master. It is the baby steps that matter. And once you are thorough, it comes naturally to you. To reach that level need patience and practice.
DrupalCamp NJ and NERD Summit are around the corner. Local DUGs have announced several meetups. Drupal organizations have started training sessions. Now is the right time to get to practice, to immerse oneself in the pool of Drupal.
The best story we published last week was the interview with DrupalCamp NJ speaker John Jameson. He speaks in detail about digital accessibility.
Drupal Netherlands has announced DrupalJam 2023: Connected on June 01, 2023, at De Fabrique in Utrecht.
DrupalCamp Asheville has called for training sessions, and you have time until March 28 to submit the topics for the July 7 event. With their neurodiversity initiative, you have multiple options to present your sessions. DrupalCamp Asheville has also requested help to organize the camp remotely. The DrupalCamp NJ schedule is live now. The DrupalSouth paper submission deadline was today and might have ended already.
Meanwhile, Drupal Brisbane's March 02 event got canceled, although Melbourne Drupal Meetup scheduled for March 08 is on track. DrupalCon Pittsburgh Trivia Night was seeking sponsors. DrupalCon Lille has called for volunteers.
Last Thursday, AmyJune Hineline presented a workshop, "Beyond 99 Red Balloons: A Guide to Alternative Text," at Women Who Code's Connect Empower event. On March 15, 12 pm ET, she will present a webinar for Design4Drupal Boston about Accessible Presentations.
Drupal Bangalore will hold a Meetup on March 18, 2023. Drupal Pune had a meetup on March 3, 2023. Central NJ Web Developers are holding a meetup on March 10, 2023.
We did a sneak peek into Axelerant's guide on accessibility compliance acts and standards. Another blog post we went through was a bit dated by Hounder.co about the need to migrate Drupal 7 sites to the newest version. Acquia Digital Freedom Tour is coming to New York as part of Acquia Engage on March 21, 2023. On March 23, they will promote Aquia DAM (Widen) in Los Angeles. Evolving Web has announced training for developers on Drupal Development Workflows from April 03 to April 05, 2023. A11yTalks will discuss the next generation of automated testing tomorrow (March 7).
That is for this week. Thank you.
Sebin A. Jacob
Editor-In-Chief