How an Illinois rest stop inspired a web page

http://37signals.com/svn/posts/2799-how-an-illinois-rest-stop-inspired-a-web-page

by wlll • 15 years ago

163 24 15 years ago

37signals.com

hernan7• 15 years ago

Argh! Top-posting!

arkitaip• 15 years ago

I am ashamed to say that I didn't notice this. My god, what have I become.

budu3• 15 years ago

Great idea but 37signals' list is too long. It discourages you from actually reading the whole list.

wdewind• 15 years ago

Actually, I think that's the point. It's overwhelming how much you can do with it (ie: overwhelmingly awesome), but should you be looking for a specific keyword it's not super difficult to scan the list with your eyes.

jasonfried2• 15 years ago

Fair point. I could have gotten carried away with it. The idea is more conceptual than finding that specific answer to your specific question, but it could probably work just as well as a shorter list.

alexophile• 15 years ago

I think the problem is not that the list is too long as much as that it jumps across categories, making it look like you were stretching to make it as long as it is. Some point out cool stuff you can do with Highrise, some are actual FAQ type questions on platforms and whatnot, and some are just hypothetical use cases.

If you cut some of the latter and reform the rest into more general questions I think it could be really effective. (e.g. "Can I see a list of all the CEOs I know in San Francisco?", "Can I see a list of everyone I know in the 312 area code?" >> "Can I view groups of clients by contact info?" "Can I view lists of contacts with stacked filters")

[edit:] Alternatively, you could make the list predominantly use cases.

il• 15 years ago

A classic copywriting trick for a long list of bullet points like this one is to make every other one bold. This greatly increases readability and conversions.

alabut• 15 years ago

You can also make it easier to read by minimizing the repetitive parts and designing it to look more like a list by:

* changing the "Yes" to "Yes you can:"

* turning all the "Can I"'s to bullet points

* removing the question marks.

poet• 15 years ago

On the positive side, adding a yes to the bottom of the list as well as the top was a key refinement. I felt that was missing when I viewed the photo of the original and was pleasantly surprised when I scrolled down to see it added in your version.

foobarbazetc• 15 years ago

What's the difference between that and a big long list of features you've deemed important with ticks next to them, juxtaposed against random competitors without those ticks?

tuhin2• 15 years ago

Why do you want to read the whole list to find the answer to your question? Ctrl/Cmd+F + "the most relevant word of your query"

abcd_f• 15 years ago

Talking about rest stops and the web.

http://arch.ksys.ru/tualet.html -- An Unofficial Website of Paid Public Washroom at Grabin Street of Korolev city, Greater Moscow Area

Sections are Welcome, Services and Prices, Infrastructure, How to Find Us, About Us and Testimonials.

famousactress• 15 years ago

A really long list of features that a 37signals app does have. Didn't see that coming.

jasonfried2• 15 years ago

Not "features" - scenarios.

tptacek• 15 years ago

Can I add that this copywriting strategy is also extremely SEOactive? If you want to write a page like that, link each scenario to a short landing page.

gojomo• 15 years ago

Can you clarify? Do you mean Fried's page as-is is already 'SEOactive' meaning good? Or that every bullet needs links to another page (which would seem to derail the original effect)?

josh33• 15 years ago

I think the original poster is referring to the fact that people may search for those questions, possibly (or questions that relate).

kiranryali• 15 years ago

Don't know how I feel about this. It's definitely attention grabbing, but then again I didn't extract any real information from this page. It's simply too long, and who likes reading a bunch of questions?

d0m• 15 years ago

Still, sometime even if it's an obvious question, it's a good way to start a conversation. I.e. Can I have some X? -> Of course, the answer is Yes, but still, it's a polite way.. way better than "Give me X".

RossDM• 15 years ago

Conveys a lot of information, but all the question marks stress me. My blood pressure rose and I nearly had a heart attack by the end of the page.

How an Illinois rest stop inspired a web page

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