The Social Path

How to design for social media: An up-to-date tutorial.

I'm no designer, to be sure, but the design limitations of social media seem to come up a whole lot in my life. So I decided to put together an updated set of specs and examples for how businesses can brand their presence on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

Take a look, and definitely share your own thoughts and examples in the comments:

How to design for social media

View more presentations from David Griner.

Big thanks to Jeremy Flint for inviting me to speak at the Internet Professionals Society of Alabama, where I debuted this presentation last week.

And a huge thanks to the brilliant Valeria Maltoni of ConversationAgent.com, whose blog post on "How social media is like sharecropping" has (obviously) stuck with me for a year and half.

David Griner is a social media strategist for Luckie and Company and contributing editor for Adweek’s blog, AdFreak.com. You can reach him by e-mail or on Twitter.

A (slightly) new look for The Social Path.

Well, it's been a fun two-year run with our blog's banner image, designed by Luckie's wonderful Design Director David Adams when this site launched back in June 2008.

But we figured it was time for a little freshening up — and maybe even time to give folks a taste of the new "Luckie look" that will be rolling out in the months ahead.

Old banner:

New banner:

This time around, the visual mastermind is Markus Beige, our new Design Director who — like his predecessor — is simply a joy to work with. (David Adams is now creating awesomeness as a senior designer at Wray Ward in Charlotte, N.C.)

I hope you'll agree that Markus' new blog header for The Social Path is clean, light and just right for the tone of the blog.

Admittedly, this is a small and self-indulgent detail to be writing about, but hey, when you only change your header every two years or so, why not take a moment to celebrate?

David Griner is a social media strategist for Luckie and Company and contributing editor for Adweek’s blog, AdFreak.com. You can reach him by e-mail or on Twitter.

Day 13: See what your readers see.

 

Throughout January, The Social Path is running daily tips on how to improve your social life — online, at least. Click here to learn more. 

We're going to be talking about a few ways to streamline your blog's look and navigation in the next few weeks, so we wanted to get started with an easy little test that can help you step back and take a good look at your own site.

Recently, Google unveiled a tool called "Browser Size," which lets you find out what percentage of the world's Web browsers can actually see your site's front-page content without scrolling.

Why is this important? Because chances are, your blog has a purpose in life. Whatever that purpose, shouldn't it be reflected in the layout of your site? 

Are you looking for new customers? Soliciting donations? Sharing hot news in your industry? Angling for a book deal? The answer is rarely a simple one, but I bet you could summarize your strategy in a few simple bullet points. 

For our part, The Social Path is aimed at helping Luckie's clients, partners and friends stay up to speed on the rapidly evolving world of social media. It also helps introduce Luckie to folks who might not know how much butt we're kicking down here in Birmingham.

With that in mind, several things jump out to me when I look at The Social Path through the lens of Google Browser Size:

1. Why do our bios get such prime real estate? Sure, it's nice for you guys to know who we are, but this site is about what we've learned and accomplished as an agency, and that should probably be better reflected in the design.
2. Why are the subscription options so hidden? Only 40% of our site's readers can see the "Subscribe by E-mail" form without scrolling, and just 20% see the RSS link. (Admittedly, most RSS enthusiasts know to look for it in the browser's URL bar, but that's no excuse to hide the button below the fold.) 
3. What kind of topics does this blog cover? There's really no hint at the types of info we write about, beyond the tagline. How can we get some basic navigation or popular topics into the main display without cluttering it up?

Some of these are issues we'll be able to improve within the 30-Day Social Media Makeover, but some others might take time — and that's OK. The key for today is simply to take stock of your design and see what kinds of opportunities you're missing. 

After all, there's no shame in taking a moment to question yourself and admit that you're not perfect. Or as mythologist Joseph Campbell once said, "Out of perfection, nothing can be made. Every process involves breaking something up.”

Estimated time needed: 10 minutes.

Benefits: A clear look at areas for improvement in your blog or site design.

Coming tomorrow: Isn't it time you shared the love on LinkedIn?