jive content style guide-v3

V3, cloya, 20160627

2016

Intranet Content Style Guide

Style guide for

writing Intranet

content for the

IEHP JIVE

software.

Back to Table of Contents Page 1

Intranet Content Style Guide

Table of Contents

STYLE GUIDE FOR WRITING INTRANET CONTENT FOR THE IEHP JIVE

SOFTWARE. 0

WHAT IS A STYLE GUIDE? 3

STYLE GUIDE ACCESS 3

AP STYLEBOOK 3

JIVE INTRANET CONTENT STYLE GUIDE 3

STYLE GUIDE QUESTIONS 3

CONTENT STYLE GUIDELINES 3

USE AMERICAN ENGLISH 3

CAPITALIZATIONS 4

ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS 5

PUNCTUATION 6

NUMBERS 8

WRITING PROFESSIONAL BIOS 10

JENNA JIVER, COMMUNITY MANAGER (USE FIRST-PERSON PERSPECTIVE FOR PERSONAL

BIO AND THIRD-PERSON PERSPECTIVE FOR PUBLICATION BIOS.) 11

USING ORGANIZATION/INDUSTRY WORDS 12

STRUCTURE AND TONE 12

WRITE WITH THE READER’S END-GOAL IN MIND 12

WRITE CLEAR, CONCISE HEADLINES AND SUB-HEADLINES 12

WRITE A RELEVANT FIRST PARAGRAPH 12

WRITE IN ACTIVE VOICE 13

KEEP IT BRIEF 14

MAKE YOUR CONTENT EYE-SCANNABLE 14

MAKE YOUR CONTENT SEARCHABLE 15

USE HYPERLINKS TO CROSS-REFERENCE RELATED CONTENT 15

ENCOURAGE A CULTURE OF EDITING TO PRODUCE ERROR FREE CONTENT 16

USE PRE-PUBLICATION CHECK LIST 16

USE CAUTION WITH MESSAGING HOT POINTS 16

USING STRAIGHT-TALK 16

https://d.docs.live.net/3902544780e717ac/IEHP/JIVE%20Content%20Style%20Guide-v2.docx#_Toc455787012

https://d.docs.live.net/3902544780e717ac/IEHP/JIVE%20Content%20Style%20Guide-v2.docx#_Toc455787012


BE REASSURING 16

BE THE EXPERT 17

TIPS & TRICKS 17

PERSONAS 17

FORMATTING 17

LISTS 17

LINKS 18

INTERNAL LINKS/EXTERNAL LINKS 19

PULL QUOTES 20

ADDITIONAL FORMATTING DO’S 20

KEYWORD PLACEMENT 20

FIRST OR TOP HEADINGS (H1) 20

SUB-HEADINGS (H2, H3, ETC) 21

BODY 21

CONTENT LINKS 21

IMAGES 22

PHOTOS/CAPTIONS 22

STANDARDIZATIONS 23

FONT 23

TEMPLATES 23

ADDENDUM 1 24

CONTENT WRITING CHECKLIST 24

ORGANIZATION 24

SENTENCES 24

PARAGRAPHS 24

APPEARANCE 24

TONE 25

ATTITUDE 25

ADDENDUM 2 25

ADDENDUM 3 27


WHAT IS A STYLE GUIDE? This Intranet Content Style Guide provides basic guidelines regarding written

content on our JIVE Intranet website. Writers, editors and site owners should use

this guide as a resource for common writing, formatting and stylistic references

when creating content. Common topics covered include grammar, punctuation,

word usage and styling of content elements. A uniform standard in voice and tone

is also often addressed.

STYLE GUIDE ACCESS

AP Stylebook

Inland Empire Health Plan (IEHP) uses the Associated Press (AP) Stylebook. Please

note that Inland Empire Health Plan is referred to as IEHP throughout this Style

Guide.

The AP Stylebook is our overall authoritative source for guidance on written

content, with notable exceptions and organizational-specific guidelines listed in this

JIVE Intranet Content Style Guide.

JIVE Intranet Content Style Guide

Our Intranet Content Style Guide is currently available in PDF format and can be

found on the JIVE Intranet. Search for JIVE Style Guide.

Style Guide Questions

For questions or support regarding the JIVE Content Style Guide, please contact the

JIVE Community Manager at [email protected].

CONTENT STYLE GUIDELINES

Use American English

Like this:

You may want to bring a favorite toy as a security item for your child.

He handed out 500 organic mint-flavored lip balms to conference attendees.

Not like this:

favourite or flavoured

http://www.apstylebook.com/

mailto:[email protected]


Consider the IEHP Audience

Capitalizations

Item Guideline Example

Proper nouns Capitalize first letter of each word.

National Board Medical

Examination, Rancho

Cucamonga, California, Bradley

Gilbert, Mayor Rigsby, President

Obama, Barton Road, Memorial

Day

Popular names

Capitalize South Side, Medical Center,

Inland Empire

Derivative nouns

Capitalize if it is derived from a proper noun.

Shakespearean, English

Compositions titles

Capitalize principal words such as in titles of movies, songs, books.

A Certain Kind of Light, Material

Safety Data Sheets, Mad World

Titles Capitalize formal titles

when used before a name. Lowercase if used alone or when set off in

commas.

President Morales, Professor

Smith, Dr. Gilbert, president of

IEHP, will attend the conference.

Medical terminology

Capitalize industry specific words if a proper noun and acronyms.

Parkinson’s disease, COPD, CABG

Socio-

cultural and religious designations

Capitalize Spanish, African-American,

Caucasion

File extensions

Do not be capitalize. .pdf, , .zip, .mp4, .gif, etc.

Emphasis Avoid using uppercase for

emphasis.

Like this:

Gift Shop Grand Opening

Not like this:

GIFT SHOP GRAND OPENING

Street names Capitalize when part of a formal name without a

number; lowercase when used alone or with two or

more names. Spell out and capitalize

First through Ninth when used as street names; use

figures for 10th and

Campus Avenue

alley, drive, road, terrace, etc.

7 Fifth Ave., 100 21st St.


above. Always use figures

for an address number.

Abbreviations and Acronyms Use full terms where possible, minimize abbreviations. The table below provides guidance on the appropriate use of abbreviations when used.

Item Guideline Example

Days of the week

Use sentence case. Do not abbreviate, except in

tables.

She attended class on Tuesday.

Biology: Tue, Thu (in table)

Frequently Asked

Questions

Abbreviating to FAQ is

acceptable. Does not need

an “s” to pluralize. No periods.

FAQ

Degrees or after a name

Do not use periods when abbreviating academic degrees and titles after a

name.

MD (not M.D.) or DrPH (not Dr. P.H.)

BA, BS, MA, MS, NP, DO, DD, PhD

Before a name Use a period. Dr., Gov., Lt., Rep.

With dates

and numerals

Use periods after

abbreviations.

2016 A.D., 200 B.C.

Headings No periods in abbreviations in headings.

IEHP Receives Recognition for Best Work Place in the IE

Street names only with a

numbered address

Use the abbreviations

Ave., Blvd. and St. only with a numbered address: 1600

Campus Ave.

Directional (compass)

Abbreviate compass points used to indicate

directional ends of a street or quadrants of a city in a numbered address.

Do not abbreviate if the number is omitted:

No periods in quadrant abbreviations unless customary locally.

222 E. 42nd St., 562 W. 43rd St., 600 K St. NW.

East 42nd Street, West 43rd

Street, K Street Northwest.

NW, SE


Punctuation Item Guideline Example

Commas Use commas to separate

elements in a series. Also known as a serial comma.

Like this:

Dermatology stocks foundations, facial scrubs

and creams. Not like this: Dermatology stocks

foundations, facial scrubs, and creams.

Put a comma before the concluding conjunction in a series.

I had orange juice, toast, and ham and eggs for breakfast.

Use a comma also before the concluding conjunction in a complex series of phrases.

The main points to consider are whether the students are skillful enough to

compete, whether they have the stamina to endure the

internship, and whether they have the proper mental attitude.

Use commas to separate independent clauses with

coordinating conjunctions: but, yet, for, nor, or, while, and.

She applied for the job, but was not qualified for hire.

Use between equal adjectives. My new, red cabinet has a

scratch on it.

Use commas after a long

introductory phrase used to begin a sentence.

After ten weeks of training,

the intern was ready to apply for a job in the world.

Commas set off non-

restrictive phrases and clauses. This means that the clause or phrase can be

eliminated and the sentence would still have the same

meaning.

The team’s coach, Jacob

Thomas, shouted at the referee.

Commas separate age and address from a person’s

Phil Botomist, 32, is now the Clinical Labs newest


name. phlebotomist.

Inland Empire Health Plan, 10801 6th Street in Rancho

Cucamonga, has a new office location.

Use commas to clarify

confusing material.

What the problem is, is

certain to be clear over time.

Use commas to separate attributions from quotations.

The student explained, “My thesis statement was on the

benefits of coconut oil for skin regeneration.”

Commas are used with states

and dates.

She comes from Fort

Wayne, Indiana, where Hoosiers live.

He was born on May 9, 1992.

Commas separate number

larger than 999 when writing quantities. However, there is an exception for comma usage

with decades or trade names.

Like this:

1,000 or $10,000.00

Not like this:

1975 or Lenovo3000

Periods and Parenthesis

Place a period outside a closing parenthesis if the

material inside is not a sentence (such as this

fragment).

Place the period on the inside of a closing parenthesis if the material inside is a sentence.

(An independent parenthetical sentence such as this one

takes a period before the closing parenthesis.)

You have three choices of meat to choose from, (beef,

chicken, fish.)

We cater to all ages. (Some exceptions may apply.)

Spacing Use a single space after a

period at the end of a sentence.

Like this:

Monday will be your orientation date. Tuesday is

your first day in your new office.

Not like this: Monday will be your

orientation date. Tuesday


is your first day in your new

office.

Exclamation

points

Avoid where possible. Use

exclamation marks sparingly when necessary.

Like this:

We are excited to welcome you to our family. Happy

times ahead.

Not like this: Welcome you to our family!

Quotation marks

Periods and commas always go inside quotation marks.

The sign said, "Walk." Then it said, "Don't Walk," then, "Walk," all within thirty

seconds.

He yelled, "Hurry up."

"When will you be here?" he asked.

Numbers Item Guideline Example

Number lists Numerals may be used in lists

to summarize AP style in a sentence or two.

4 children between age 2 to

15 years old 2 children between 0 to 10

years

3 adults over 21 years of age

1 apple

2 oranges 3 handfuls of spinach 4 table spoons of flaxseed

5 teaspoons of honey

Numbers

under 10

Numeral under 10 should be

spelled out when in a sentence.

Like this:

Three out of five children will have growth spurts

between the ages of zero to 10 years old. Not like this:

3 out of the 5 children will have growth spurts

between 0- to 10-years old.

Numbers at

beginning of sentences

Numerals should not begin a

sentence, except if it is a headline.

Like this:

Member Services receives 429 Member calls before

8am each day.


Not like this:

429 Members call Member Services before 8am each

day.

Exceptions: Headlines: 4 billion

children were given lunch today Emphasizing facts and

figures: 8 injured in traffic collision

Time and time sequences

If: On-the-hour times; Then: Minutes do not need to be included 3pm instead

of 3:00pm. However, do include

minutes when necessary for consistency within a text or table that includes other

minute references: 10:00am to 11:30am.

12:00am should be midnight

12:00pm should be noon

Across international time lines

10am to 11am

10:00am - 3:30pm

11pm to midnight

11am - noon

International times: 8pm ET, 10:30pm PT

Phone numbers

Use dashes instead of parenthesis. Write out “extension” for formal

communications and use an “x” for brief internal

communications.

Hyperlink phone numbers for accessibility through mobile

and digital media. Click the hyperlink icon in most content windows and then enter

tel:9098902054

909-890-2054

800-860-1298 extension 63373

800-860-1298 x63373

Ages Use numbers when deemed necessary.

12-year-old boy was adopted…

The girl was only 4 years old.

Her son is 5 years old.


The IEHP Yoga program,

which is four years old, targets 5- to 10-year-

old children.

Page numbers

Act numbers Scene

numbers Room

numbers Course numbers

Use number and capitalize the word when used with a

number. Do not hyphenate

Page 1, Page 2, Page 3 Act 1, Scene 3

Room 102A History 101

Monetary Always use lowercase. Use numbers and the dollar “$”

sign in all except casual references or amounts without numbers.

Use “cents” for amounts under

$1 unless it is included with an amount greater than $1.

For specified amounts the

word takes a singular verb.

For amounts of more than $1 million, use up to two decimal

places.

Do not link numbers and words with a hyphen.

$1 million

$6 instead of $6.00 5 cents instead of $0.05

unless it is $5.30.

He said $500,000 is what they want.

He proposed a $500 billion budget for the new

hospital. She is worth $1.2 million.

WRITING PROFESSIONAL BIOS

Here are a few tips for creating a great bio for JIVE. Prepare:

1. How do you want your bio to look? What do other bios look like on JIVE compared to other websites?

a. Short bios are about 250 words long or one paragraph


b. Long bios are about 2-3 paragraphs in length depending on company acceptable bios

2. Outline-Highlight qualifications and accomplishments a. Professional achievements and awards, IEHP projects and

accomplishments b. Qualifications, skills, education (degrees and certifications), honors,

association memberships

c. A short list of professional and personal information 3. Writing the Bio:

a. The bio should be in 3rd person. b. Keep it brief, relevant and up-to-date

i. Short paragraphs

ii. Bullet points whenever possible iii. Include important details that are relevant to your skills and

practice iv. Briefly explain past education, years in experience and

continuing education history.

c. Optional - include personal or interesting facts to reflect who you are outside of the office

i. Where you grew up ii. Special talents

iii. Favorite hobbies

Examples: 145 words

Jenna Jiver, Community Manager (Use first-person perspective for personal bio

and third-person perspective for publication bios.)

I am a mother of five boys, 2, 7, 9, 21, and 22; seven if you count my husband and

dog.

I am a natural leader and an influential communicator with 10 years of public relations experience and management experience, and over 12 years of experience

in corporate education, employee development and training. I have additional experience in healthcare, government and non-profit environment.

I offer expertise in communications, public speaking, community relations, program management, brand management, content management and editing.

In my free time I am mentor for the NextStep Mentoring Program for at-risk young women. I also volunteer as the VP for Robert and Francis Fullerton Museum of Art

and the co-chair on the RAFFMA Marketing and Membership committee. I am a proud alumna of CSUSB. My hobbies include PC gaming and activities with my family. I enjoy Opera, Jazz, Blues, and Classical music.


USING ORGANIZATION/INDUSTRY WORDS

Ebooks or e-books: e-books

Email or e-mail: email

Health care vs. healthcare: At IEHP, we use healthcare as one word.

Nonprofit vs. non-profit: nonprofit

Not for profit vs Not-for-profit: Not-for-profit.

Styleguide vs. style guide: AP uses style guide, however, AP combines stylebook

X-ray vs. x-ray: follow AP Style Guidelines, capitalize the “X”

Web related words:

websites web page

PHP, not php HTML, not html online, not on-line Intranet, not

intranet Internet, not

internet

JavaScript, not Javascript because JavaScript is a trademark

e-learning, not elearning The web, not the Web unless referring to the

World Wide Web

STRUCTURE AND TONE

Write with the reader’s end-goal in mind Some key questions to ask are:

What are they looking for?

What knowledge do you have that your readers want? Why should they be interested in what you have to share?

What are the demographics?

Write clear, concise headlines and

sub-headlines These are the first words your reader will view. They will decide from the headings if

they need to continue to read the rest of the section. Additionally, a good headline will also help JIVE relevant search results.

Write a relevant first paragraph Use the inverted pyramid style. This means

listing all relevant information up front. Get

CEO, Gilbert Shares Ideas on LEAN Improvement

Dr. Bradley Gilbert shares his ideas on LEAN improvement at the March TQM. He announces the new 5-Star Strategic Priorities and explains how IEHP Team Members can contribute to the five initiatives…

Read More >>


straight to the point instead of burying it in paragraphs of text.

A good guide to your first paragraph is to answer these questions:

What is this content all about? Why should the JIVE user keep reading?

Once the questions are answered, organize your content: • Use the inverted pyramid style. • List all relevant information up front and visible upon the initial view without

scrolling. • Get straight to the point instead of burying it in paragraphs of text.

• Categorize to the users’ needs, not by departmental organization or hierarchy.

Write in active voice Write the way you would talk in a meeting. More relaxed and yet business minded. Avoid lots of jargon/fluff yet be welcoming in your approach.

An active voice is when the subject of a sentence/statement does the action to

an agent/object.

• Ex: The chef created the cafeteria menu.

– The Chef is the subject

– The action is he created

– The cafeteria menu is the agent/object.

A passive voice is when a agent/object a sentence/statement.

• Ex: The cafeteria menu must have been created by a chef.

• Passive sentences use permissive and softer words in combination with

actions.

– Must have, should have, could have, may have, would have…

– Was eaten, were typed, have been, has been


–

Active Voice Passive Voice

I wrote Sol a letter.

The boy ate the ice cream.

They practice a routine.

Sol’s letter was written by me.

The ice cream was eaten by the boy.

The routine was practiced.

Keep it brief Your JIVE content should be only as long as it needs to be. Make your reader’s job

as easy as possible. Remove jargon/fluff and keep your sentences and paragraphs short. Remember that it is harder to read from a computer screen than from paper.

Omit non-essential words

Remove jargon/fluff

Keep your sentences and paragraphs short

Use one idea per paragraph

Readers scan text rather than reading a whole screen

Make your content eye-scannable Use different tools to make your content reader friendly. Remember the JIVE reader scans pages as opposed to reading in a linear fashion. Tools include: headings, sub-

headings, numbered or bulleted lists, tables, changing font styling, and using bold or italics to differentiate text.

• Nielsen Norman Group Web Content Reader Tracking study revealed readers’

usually read in an

F-Shape pattern.

– Has three components:

• Horizontal movement

• Second horizontal movement

• Vertical movement

https://www.nngroup.com/articles/f-shaped-pattern-reading-web-content/


Make your content searchable This means using key words and phrases sprinkled throughout your headlines,

sub-headlines, and paragraphs. This means you have to anticipate words and phrases your readers are looking for. Additionally, type keywords into your metadata and tag your content with at least 3 to 5 tags.

How does Search work?

Use hyperlinks to cross-reference related content Create hyperlinks and use them to guide your readers to where they can learn

The Search Engine sends programs called spiders (or bots) from its Intranet server to crawl the Intranet.

When a spider finds a page on your site, (often via a link from another site or a word search), it collects information from the HTML tags hidden behind the content and on the content of the page.

Then, the spider follows the internal links on your site and repeats the indexing process for the other pages on your site.


more about an important related topic. Research suggests that the reader is more visually drawn to a link when it is embedded in 4-5 words. Avoid using “Click Here”

to link out to another site. Instead use Call to Action phrases.

Learn more >>

Read more >>

Watch the Video >>

Join Now >>

See Our Progress >>

Make a Donation >>

Register >>

Back to Top ^

Financial Expenditures (xls)

Safety Metrics (pdf)

Holiday Party (jpg)

Letter Template (doc)

Encourage a culture of editing to produce error free content Check, check and double-check your content. Additionally, when possible use peer editing to check for grammar errors or accuracy of facts. Also, use tools such as

spell check or grammar check to catch common writing errors. Remember to keep your content up to date and accurate. You want to remain creditable to your reader by keeping accurate, grammar correct, and up to date information.

Use Pre-Publication Check List Print out the attached check-list at the end of the Style Guide in the Addendum.

Use Caution with messaging hot points

Hot points can change the tone of your site.

Stay formal, but friendly. Do not use slang words/trend abbreviations of any kind.

Always use first person ‘We’ and ‘you’. Keep language simple, clear and active.

Using Straight-Talk

Be clear, concise and direct. Be focused and get to the point. Be sure to plan your key messages and

action points before you create the content. Stick to one theme at a time. Think about the audience Is price, service or reputation important to them?

How can you be as simple as possible without losing impact?

Consider your content options A straight taking voice wouldn’t be suited to longwinded articles or hour long seminars. Think direct and opt for short

videos or snippets of copy. Don’t use a passive tone Stay active and use first person. Avoid repetition and try to keep bodies of copy to short paragraphs and no

jargon. Steer clear of clichés and overused metaphors they will dilute your voice.

Don’t be rude, dumb-down the content or be aggressive.

Be Reassuring

The content should be relatable, sincere and understanding.


Identify with the audiences’ (parents) daily concerns and needs. Be on their side and honest.

Use phrases and language that is commonly used in patient circles to encourage trust. Avoid jargon at all costs.

Don’t use a passive tone Stay active and use first person. Talking sales Don’t project a ‘buy this now’ vibe. Overusing sales talk will

discredit the brand and lose the customer.

Don’t make it overly emotional or passive.

Be the Expert

If you are citing a source, content should be knowledgeable, respected, informative and trusted.

Don’t make the content overly scientific, pretentious or without a human

side.

Tips & Tricks

Explain research, don’t just state facts Put expert knowledge and research into a human, recognizable context for readers to understand.

Keep sentences short and concise, no long speeches.

Limit jargon. If you do have to explain legal terms or medical phrases, do it visually or cite external sources to explore.

Don’t use a passive tone Stay active and use first person. Limit referral to trusted sources Include renowned and recognized sources

of research and reference. This intensifies your status as expert.

PERSONAS

Who is our target audience?

What are their pain points? How do they like to be communicated with?

o Examples Everyday case studies.

o Interviews Personal insight. o Info-graphics Stats and figures present a visual at-glance.

o Testimonials Give real life weight to our product’s relevance. o Reviews Offer an in tune overview of the market’s views and

opinions.

o How to guides Guide audiences through the ease and function of a system or app tool.

FORMATTING

Lists (Ordered and unordered) Use ordered when sequence is important. Use bullet points to list features or addition points. This varies in bootstrap components.


First word on bulleted lists should be capitalized, the rest in sentence case. No period on bulleted lists if all list items are sentence fragments. If one or

more list items is a complete sentence, use ending punctuation and add to other list items to preserve consistency (all list items must be able to stand

on its own as a sentence). Example:

Complete sentences:

Developing population specific and culturally appropriate plans of care to educate patients and families about their

individual cancer diagnosis, possible clinical trials and personalized treatment.

Supporting and navigating patients through the treatment

process by reinforcing education and facilitating communication between healthcare providers.

Identifying and addressing any barriers to treatment. Participating in weekly cancer conferences as a patient

advocate with a diverse group of health professionals to

assist in developing a treatment plan for newly diagnosed cancer patients.

Coordinating support groups and related programs/classes. Referring patients to national organizations as well as

appropriate resources within individual communities. Supporting the survivorship clinic, which coordinates follow-

up care when cancer treatment is completed.

Teaching cancer prevention and acting as community ambassadors.

One complete sentence (requires all items to have a period): Metastasize. Cancer cells can break away from a malignant

tumor and enter the bloodstream or lymphatic system to

form tumors in other parts of the body. Are cancer.

May be a threat to life. Often can be removed, but sometimes grow back. Can invade and damage nearby tissues and organs.

Sentence fragments: Your age, overall health and medical history

Extent of the disease Cause of the disease Your tolerance for specific medications, procedures, or

therapies Expectations for the course of the disease

Your opinion or preference

Links Use sentence case for hyperlinks, except in CTA buttons in header and footer

in which case use title case.

All hyperlinks and jump links should use one consistent color.


All email addresses should be “mailto:” links and have the email subject pre-populated.

o Jump links may be separated by a vertical pipe ( | ). If using a list of 2-5 links, use pipe or vertical list. For more than five elements, use a

vertical list without pipes. Very long lists should be formatted in a column vertical list.

Example:

__________ | _________ | ___________ | _________ | _________

Yoga | Zumba | Aerobics | Conditioning | Weight-lifting

o Single-column list _________

_________ _________

_________ _________ _________

o Multiple columns _________ __________ __________

_________ __________ __________ _________ __________ __________

_________ __________ __________ _________ __________ _________ __________

Internal Links/External Links External sites have to link into a new window.

JIVE spaces should open in the same window.

PDFs should open in new windows if using.

Use keywords that relevant to the topic and drive the user to the specific

intended action. Keep hyperlinks to five words or less.

Example:

Before: Click here for a pdf of the admissions requirements.

After: Read more about our admissions requirement.

Before: View our admissions requirements here. After: View our admission requirements.


Pull Quotes Information to be included in a pull quote:

Name, affiliation/title, credentials Testimonial should be sentence case structure

Example:

“I received the best care at Dignity Health…the nurses are so

compassionate.” ~Tina, patient

“At San Antonio, we strive to bring excellence to our patient care.” ~ Charles Zhang. MD, DO, PhD, executive director of pediatrics

Additional Formatting Do’s Include source references and author details as footer text. (Author name,

publication/source, year) Keep paragraphs to 4 lines or less.

KEYWORD PLACEMENT

Incorporating keywords in your text can help users find your content in search engines like Google because search engines are designed to display the most

relevant, useful content higher in results. Keywords help tell search engines what the page is about and associate it with user searches based on the keywords used.

JIVE pages should be optimized for 1 - 3 target keywords or keyword phrases based on relevance. The pages should incorporate the target keywords early on the

page and as often as naturally appropriate.

The important point to keep in mind is always write first for your audience. Do not overstuff or attempt to force your target keywords in your text. More importantly, it

may be confusing or unsettling to your audience if every sentence is conspicuously stuffed with keywords.

Use keywords effectively to help users find applicable content in topics the audiences will search.

You should not use more than two SEO keywords per paragraph.

First or Top Headings (H1) May repeat the page title, but best to use a different heading using the keywords.

Also, the earlier in heading you can insert the keywords, the better.

Example:


Use:

Bladder Cancer: Facts and Myths

Instead of:

Facts and Myths about Bladder Cancer

Sub-Headings (H2, H3, etc) Subheads are very SEO-friendly and will boost page relevance. They are useful in

helping to break up a long page and improving readability. These subheadings may also contain the targeted keywords or supporting keywords. Do not overuse keywords, work them in when naturally appropriate.

Body Use your targeted keyword in the first 100 words and then repeat as appropriate with natural flow. You can use variations on your keywords (Example: breast cancer and cancer in the breast)

Example: This example illustrates optimization for the keyword phrase “breast

cancer” Use:

When breast cancer metastasizes, or spreads outside the breast, cancer cells are often found in the lymph nodes under the arm. If the cancer has reached

these nodes, it may mean that breast cancer cells have spread to other parts of the body.

Instead of: When the cancer metastasizes, or spreads outside the breast, cancer cells

are often found in the lymph nodes under the arm. If it has reached these nodes, it may mean that cancer cells have spread to other parts of the body.

Content Links We can provide valuable information to our visitors when we link them to useful,

relevant information whether on our own site or external sites. Content links should ideally feature pages within our own network of sites that may be useful to your audience, though a few selected external links may also be appropriate if not

overused.

Be cautious in including too many off-site links as they may encourage users to

leave your site.


A few tips to keep in mind when using content links: Avoid using “click here” when linking to another site. Use descriptive anchor

text that informs users where they will land. Use relevant keywords when possible.

Example:

Use: Learn what to expect during surgery.

Instead of: Click here to learn about what you can expect during surgery.

Always have links open in a new window if the page is in another site. Use links often and as appropriate in your text, but don’t overuse Internal links can be created and linked to anything within JIVE including

people with @Mention. By typing the @ symbol followed by the first word of what you want linked, you can select and hyperlink within JIVE. Internal

hyperlinks with display an image for spaces, groups, projects, adobe pdfs, images, video, and office documents.

To hyperlink to external links, you can select the hyperlink chain icon in the

content tool bar and add the hyperlink. External hyperlinks will reveal a symbol.

Images When placing images on JIVE, use “tags”. Alternate text, or tags, creates an HTML

code attribute that is used when an image is not rendered as intended and makes the image searchable.

Search engines sometimes display this text instead of the description or render that

text when the image doesn’t load. ALT text is also useful in helping search engines index content for image searches.

A few tips about ALT text:

Make your ALT text descriptive

Use keywords in your ALT text, but NEVER spam with stuffing keywords Use title tag in your image tag. Ideally, use the same keyword(s) as in ALT

text

Photos/Captions

No captions with featured/hero images. News story images should follow AP caption format, with exception: Do not include date photo was made.

Photos that must have captions: o Bios

o Group photos (students, staff, etc)


o Groups of photos - (such as many photos for an event). Captions or headings may be used to reference a section of photos instead of for

each individual photo.

Check with the IEHP Communications Standards Manual for photo copyright requirements and questions.

Standardizations

Font

The standard font for JIVE is set for Verdana. Please do not change the font-family within the

formatted text or document. The font size can be set to a 12 pt font for paragraph content to

provide better visibility for the content.

Headers are also standardized. If you are using a Header 1 (first header) it is set to an 18 pt

blue font. The Header 1 can be changed to a 24pt font in the Welcome message only. Please

do not change the font-family in the headers on any of the content created within JIVE. The

headers and content should also be left justified. If you have a need to center or right-justify

content, please contact the JIVE Community Administrator for approvals.

Templates

With JIVE, three standardized templates are allowed for Space, Sub-space, group, and project

overviews. The Templates have mandatory requirements for top-level division overviews and

secondary sub-space overviews for the business units. For Group and Projects, it is

recommended to begin with an Activity page when creating the overview page is needed

when the group or projects has evolved. Refer to Addendum 2 and 3 for more details about

the overview and sub-space overview templates.

The division/business unit overview pages should include the following widgets:

Left Navigation

Column

Content Area Right Navigation

Column 1. Chief’s/Director’s

Corner 2. Call to Action

Buttons for critical links

3. Meet the Team 4. Groups

o Team Corner o Sponsors o Social

5. Projects – if needed

6. Additional widgets if needed

1. Space grid/HTML navigation – if needed

2. Welcome message – mandatory 3. Blog feed – if needed 4. Slideshow Carousel – if needed 5. View document – if needed 6. Featured content – if needed 7. Recent activity feed – if desired 8. Other pertinent content – if needed 9. “Questions about” space message –

mandatory.

1. Ask widget 2. Quick links or

helpful links 3. Categories

(folders)widget 4. Polls 5. Slideshow Carousel –

if needed 6. View document – if

needed 7. Featured content –

if needed 8. Featured video – if

needed


9. Other pertinent content – if needed

*For additional information on graphic standards, brand colors, typography and other brand related standards, consult the IEHP Communications Standards Manual located on JIVE.

Addendum 1

Content Writing Checklist

Organization

1. Did I organize my content to accommodate the reader’s time? 2. Did I organize my content to provide the reader with what they need or want?

3. Did I use a pyramid or inverted pyramid method to organize my content?

Sentences

1. Did I use a variety of sentence lengths?

2. Do my sentences exceed 15-18 words? 3. Do my sentences require more than four punctuations?

4. Did I use lists of more than three items in a sentence? 5. Did I convey good news in shorter sentences and bad news in longer sentences?

Paragraphs

1. Are my paragraphs longer than eight lines? 2. Are my opening or closing paragraphs less than four lines?

3. Are my paragraphs equal in length?

Appearance

1. Does my content have too much white space in any given area?

2. Is the font I used legible to a reader? 3. Did I use boldface, underlines, capitals, or italics appropriately?


Tone

1. Does my tone convey my meaning?

2. Is there anything in the tone of my content that can be misconstrued by the reader?

3. Does my tone seem formal, semi-formal, or informal? 4. Does my tone convey that the reader is important?

Attitude

1. Does my content portray my mood? 2. Do I need to change any words to change the attitude of my content?

3. Will I get the response I desire from the reader?

Addendum 2 Overview and sub-space layout with a lot of content.


Addendum 3 Sub-space layout for very little content.

jive content style guide-v3

Documents