One thing publications and Web content managers love about their work is delivering epiphanies. The payoff is biggest when a reader gets in touch to say thanks for that Aha! moment, but even without feedback writers and editors usually know when they’re delivering the goods.
The feeling makes up for all the angst over everyday Web- and print-communications problems: what to say, how to say it, whom to speak to, how often, how much to spend doing it, and so forth. This self-contemplation brings to mind The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, in which the computer Deep Thought takes seven and half million years calculating the ultimate answer to the great question of life, the universe, and everything, and comes up with … 42.
Sometimes the assignment for epiphany making is much simpler and yet the answer more rewarding. When a publisher meets the obligation, it’s keeping its constituents up to date on subjects of interest and generally just helping them make sense of a puzzling world. Few services are better appreciated. Here are some of our favorite examples: myth-busting that makes putting out news and information worthwhile for senders and receivers. (Full disclosure: They include Magnificent Publication clients.)
- AARP dispels the myth that the adult brain doesn’t keep making new cells. For an audience that cares deeply about keeping sharp with age, AARP reassures us that “certain areas in the brain—including the hippocampus (where new memories are created) and the olfactory bulb (the scent-processing center)—regularly generate new brain cells.”
- With the real estate bubble bursting, many homeowners are concerned that their houses will soon be worth less than a double-wide on the outskirts of town. The National Association of Realtors tells them not to fret too much: “Even with a modest decline in the national aggregate price [of homes] this year, it’s important to keep in mind that nearly two-thirds of the metro areas in the U.S. are showing price increases.”
- Americans despair that they’re universally hated in Islamic countries. But InterMedia consulting reveals in a survey (PDF) that close to 60 percent of youths 15 to 24 in Afghanistan view the United States favorably. That’s important in a country where the majority of the people are under 34.
[Edited after posting.]
