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ManifestosHigh-impact alternative to white papers?

by Jay Cross

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MANIFESTOS!

Manifestos are digital pamphlets that focus on one topic.

They are short enough to read in one sitting but packed with more information than you can fit on PowerPoint slides. The format is similar to slides, but they are designed to look good both on the screen and printed out. What makes them special is the thought that goes into the design, making them difficult to put down once you start. The content is generally a call to action or the author's insight into their particular area of expertise.

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ORIGINS

ChangeThis created the manifesto format last year.

You can read their story in, natch, the ChangeThis Manifesto. Their interest is political; mine is marketing.

Seth Godin had a hand in setting up ChangeThis. It does feel sort of viral, doesn’t it?

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TRADITIONAL DEFINITIONS

man·i·fes·to Pronunciation: "ma-n&-'fes-(")tOFunction: nounInflected Form(s): plural -tos or -toesEtymology: Italian, denunciation, manifest, from manifestare to manifest, from Latin, from manifestus: a written statement declaring publicly the intentions, motives, or views of its issuer

manifesto  • noun (pl. manifestos) a public declaration of policy and aims.   — ORIGIN Italian, from Latin manifestus ‘caught in the act, flagrant’.

man·i·fes·to (plural man·i·fes·tos or man·i·fes·toes)

noun declaration of principles: a public written declaration of principles, policies, and objectives, especially one issued by a political movement or candidate

manifesto   

noun [C] plural manifestos or manifestoesa written statement of the beliefs, aims and policies of an organization, especially a political party:In their election manifesto, the Liberal Democrats proposed increasing taxes to pay for improvements in education.

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SIDEWAYS

Most pdf documents are up and down, “portrait” style. Most computer displays are left to right, horizontal. That’s why the manifesto format flips 8 ½ x 11 documents on their side.

Landscape

Basic design rule: make the best use of the real estate you are given.

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MANIFESTOS ARE FOR INDIVIDUALS

Manifestos are a livelier way to publish information than white papers or books. Presentation software has its place: in front of a group. A PowerPoint printout reads like a large-type book printed for the visually impaired. Four-word bullet points never convey as much punch as a real, live sentence.

White papers have a role to play, too. They provide in-depth coverage. Unfortunately, often white papers are ugly. And few people read them.

Articles can be a great read but sometimes they’re too short to tell the full story. Also, getting an article published takes time.

Manifestos are designed to be read by an individual. Rapidly. On screen or printed out.

Why are we doing this? I am an author. For fun and for money. I think the Manifesto format will increase my readership. ChangeThis refuses to share its templates. That’s okay. I decided to develop my own.

White Paper

Manifesto

PresentationPresentation

One- PagerOne- Pager

Article

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POWERPOINT IS FOR LISTENING

PowerPoint without narration is not worth a damn. People get as much meaning from a collection of inkblots or an essay in Urdu.

Gettysburg Address

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PDF = Pretty damned f….

“Reading a PDF is often like dancing with an awkward partner: you need to constantly shuffle left and right, up and down, trying to readjust to something that just doesn’t fit.

The problem with most PDF documents is that they’re just scanned-in pieces of paper, meant to be read from top to bottom on a 8.5 x 11 sheet.

Did we mention you can print manifestos, too? Just set your printer to landscape mode and you’ll have a beautifully designed manifesto ready for it’s spot on the coffee table.”

Posted by Noah Weiss on July 19, 2004

Wise Words from Read & Pass, the ChangeThis Blog

Proud of their copyrights Waste

Waste

Waste

Waste

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Context

Content

I want a container that’s on a par with the quality of my content.

Container

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QUESTIONS?

This will become a standard FAQ.

Any questions?

This is an early draft. I’m exploring the potential of the manifesto format. What do you think?

Drop me a note.

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INFORMATION PAGE

Jay Cross is a thought leader in informal learning, results measurement, corporate culture, and training. A veteran of the software industry and the training business, he coined the term "eLearning" in 1998. He is CEO of Emergent Learning Forum, an 1800-member advocacy group, and founder of Internet Time Group. The Group helps organizations learn and perform on Internet time. Carpe momentum.

Internet Time Group helps organizations improve the performance of their people by speeding up their learning. We develop action plans, training programs, sales presentations, white papers, marketing campaigns, and development teams -- whatever it takes. Because we enjoy a vast array of relationships with experts in change management, conceptual graphics, eLearning, instructional design, marketing, collaboration, software development, knowledge management, and enterprise applications, we can assemble best-of-breed project teams at a moment's notice.

1.510.528.3105 www.internettime.com

Jay Cross