Blog | Nathaniel Stott

“Go the Fuck to Sleep”

Written by Nathaniel Stott on May 15, 2011

Amazon #1 best seller: "Go the Fuck to Sleep"

A book that is not yet published is #1 on the Amazon best sellers list: “Go the Fuck to Sleep” [PDF].

Book publishing is a changing Business. ”Go the Fuck to Sleep” by Adam Mansbach was released as PDF in a viral campaign, grabbing headlines in a storybook for Parents.

Use the link above and enjoy a very recognisable situation for parents.

Making the case for Copy&Paste or Social Media “like/share”

In a way it is odd that a book should reach this status and still be a month ahead of its publish date; I mean I have already read it. Yet the real thing in your hands is always different. I can fully understand the need to buy.

Go the Fuck to Sleep

The really interesting thing here, is the new Publishing Model created. Give it all away does not mean no sales! In fact it probably gave a big boost.

The catchy title just says it all though, I remember the frustrations of settling youngsters—and of falling asleep myself in the process.

Social Networks—Why do they Work?

Written by Nathaniel Stott on March 12, 2011

In a TEDtalk given by Nicholas Christakis, Social Networks and WHY they work was discussed. A fascinating look at the beauty of connections and how they affect our lives.

“Social networks are these intricate things of beauty, and they’re so elaborate and so complex and so ubiquitous, in fact, that one has to ask what purpose they serve. Why are we embedded in social networks? I mean, how do they form? How do they operate? And how do they effect us?”

“The hidden influence of social networks”

“I started to see the world in a whole new way, like pairs of people connected to each other. And then I that these individuals would be connected into foursomes with other pairs of people nearby. And then, in fact, these people were embedded in other sorts of relationships, marriage and spousal and friendship and other sorts of ties. And that, in fact, these connections were vast, and that we were all embedded in this broad set of connections with each other. So I started to see the world in a completely new way, and I became obsessed with this. I became obsessed with how it might be that we’re embedded in these social networks, and how they effect our lives.”

“Social networks are these intricate things of beauty”

“I’m connected to you”

“I’m connected to you and you to her, on out endlessly into the distance — this fabric is actually like an old-fashioned American quilt, and it has patches on it, happy and unhappy patches. And whether you become happy or not depends in part on whether you occupy a happy patch.”

Spread the good Word. Make more connections

“I think we form social networks because the benefits of a connected life outweigh the costs… So the spread of good and valuable things is required to sustain and nourish social networks. Similarly, social networks are required for the spread of good and valuable things like love and kindness and happiness and altruism and ideas.”

“I think, in fact, that if we realized how valuable social networks are, we’d spend a lot more time nourishing them and sustaining them because I think social networks are fundamentally related to goodness, and what I think the world needs now is more connections.”

Copywriting is Interface Design

Written by Nathaniel Stott on December 19, 2010

Every letter matters

Getting Real

Copywriting is interface design. Great interfaces are written. If you think every pixel, every icon, every typeface matters, then you also need to believe every letter matters. When you’re writing your interface, always put yourself in the shoes of the person who’s reading your interface. What do they need to know? How you can explain it succinctly and clearly?

Do you label a button Submit or Save or Update or New or Create? That’s copywriting. Do you write three sentences or five? Do you explain with general examples or with details? Do you label content New or Updated or Recently Updated or Modified? Is it There are new messages: 5 or There are 5 new messages or is it 5 or five or messages or posts? All of this matters.

You need to speak the same language as your audience too. Just because you’re writing a web app doesn’t mean you can get away with technical jargon. Think about your customers and think about what those buttons and words mean to them. Don’t use acronyms or words that most people don’t understand. Don’t use internal lingo. Don’t sound like an engineer talking to another engineer. Keep it short and sweet. Say what you need to and no more.

Good writing is good design. It’s a rare exception where words don’t accompany design. Icons with names, form fields with examples, buttons with labels, step by step instructions in a process, a clear explanation of your refund policy. These are all interface design.

Download sample chapter from Getting Real »