Our Product is Explanation
All posts for “plainenglish”
Video: Secure Websites in Plain English
Posted by: leelefever on February 8, 2010- 4:00pm
Categories: Common Craft Video, net safety, plainenglish, security, video
We've published a new video called "Secure Websites in Plain English"
Security is obviously an important part of using the Web. Thankfully, through cooperation between a number of organizations, standards have been developed to communicate when a site is secure. Unfortunately these clues are not always known to everyday Web users. This video covers the basics of web site security - the common threats, the basics of encryption and how to tell when a site is secure.
The video also covers a... Continue Reading
New Video: Protecting Reputations Online in Plain English
Posted by: leelefever on January 5, 2010- 4:00pm
Categories: Common Craft Video, netsafety, paperworks, plainenglish, video
Today we published a new video called Protecting Online Reputations in Plain English.
Aimed at younger or inexperienced web users, this video helps explain the long-term risks of sharing inappropriate photos, videos and stories on the Web. We've seen the stories and heard personal accounts about people who shared an inappropriate photo that eventually caused them to lose their job or miss an opportunity. Preventing this kind of problem can come from increased awareness about how the Web works... Continue Reading
Video: Cloud Computing in Plain English
Posted by: leelefever on November 10, 2009- 4:00pm
Categories: Common Craft Video, computerbasics, paperworks, plainenglish, video
Today we published a new video called Cloud Computing in Plain English:
This title has been one of our most requested and for good reason. Cloud Computing is a subject that has an explanation problem - people have a hard time understanding it because it's difficult to explain quickly. Like Social Media, it's a subject that is very broad and lacks broad consensus in terms of clear explanations. Our hope with this video is to lay bit of groundwork so people can see the big ideas.
We asked a... Continue Reading
Video: Saving for Retirement (401ks) in Plain English
Posted by: leelefever on September 29, 2009- 5:00pm
Categories: Common Craft Video, Explanation, money, paperworks, plainenglish, video
Today we've published a new video "Saving for Retirement in Plain English".
Since we first considered making the series of videos on Money, we've had our eyes on retirement savings. Not just our retirement, but yours. Too many people start saving too late and/or don't know the basics of why retirement accounts like 401ks and IRAs make sense. This video is aimed at helping people see the long term benefits of retirement accounts.Who is it for? Along with use in schools, we see this video being... Continue Reading
Twitter.com Now With Less Common Craft
Well, it was a good run. Twitter recently redesigned their home page and the link to the Common Craft video "Twitter in Plain English" has been removed. Here's the story of how it got there:
Back in February of 2008, I shared the video with Twitter co-founder Biz Stone. After making a handshake deal, the video appeared via a "watch a video" link from Twitter.com.
Twitter decided to use the dotSUB player for the displaying the video, which enabled the video to be watched with subtitles in... Continue Reading
Video: Twitter Search in Plain English
Posted by: leelefever on June 15, 2009- 5:00pm
Categories: Common Craft Video, Explanation, ourwork, plainenglish, twitter, video
Today we released a new video called "Twitter Search in Plain English"
The video uses an metaphor of the small town of "Twitterville." The town has an election and the people use Twitter to track real-time news, a hashtag to organize discussions and trends to find new information.
While it wasn't our intention, the video matches closely with the events currently taking place in Iran, where people are using Twitter to organize and share news about their disputed election.
If you know people who... Continue Reading
New Video: Preparing an Emergency Kit in Plain English
Posted by: leelefever on May 25, 2009- 5:00pm
Categories: Common Craft Video, Explanation, ourwork, paperworks, plainenglish, society
Today we published a new video called "Preparing an Emergency Kit in Plain English."
This video represents a new kind of relationship for Common Craft. A while back, we were contacted by Public Safety Canada (PSC) about this subject and we saw a couple of opportunities. First, we could work on a video that has the potential to have a positive impact. Second, we saw an opportunity for a win-win in terms of the video's ownership - something we call a hybrid relationship.
Emergency kits are a... Continue Reading
Andrew Pegler, plain English writer and editor, is frustrated by the language that dominates business and law. In "Join Winnie's War and Mind Your Language" he has harsh words for what passes as communcation these days:
As a practising plain English editor and writer, I can assure you this
battle is coming at us on many fronts, from the supermarket shelves to
our national capital. It is fed by intellectual vanity, fear of looking
dumb, pesky lawyers (of course) and a public that has been... Continue Reading
Study: Americans Overwhelmingly Demand Simple Communications
Posted by: leelefever on January 13, 2009- 4:00pm
Categories: business, Explanation, news, plainenglish, politics
Siegel+Gale recently completed a year long study of 1,214 American
homeowners and investors that shows huge demand for simple, plain
English communications. A few interesting quotes:
Fully 84% of all consumers say they are more likely to trust a company
that uses jargon-free, plain English in communications. And 79% say
they think it is “very important??? that President Obama “mandate that
clarity, transparency, and plain English be a requirement of every new
law, regulation and policy... Continue Reading
Client Video: Windows Live.com
Posted by: leelefever on November 18, 2008- 4:00pm
Categories: client work, Explanation, microsoft, ourwork, paperworks, plainenglish
Common Craft was hired by Microsoft to help explain the new Windows Live.com. We were so excited to work with a local organization on a project that highlights a new direction for the company.
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