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Meet Merry Bruns

DC Web woman Merry Bruns is a career-change success story.

Merry started out in Atlanta, then moved New York City where she lived for 24 years, working in the communications field. In her words, she "adored every minute of it." She also worked for years as a TV actress, while pursuing a graduate degree in anthropology.

Merry decided to combine her communication skills with her academic science background, never dreaming she would apply her crafts on the World Wide Web.

She has pioneered communicating science through the Web since 1994 and continues to specialize in science organizations' Web sites. She started in 1997 a consultant business, ScienceSites Communications. Her services include audience strategy, usability, editing, content development, writing and editing, project management and site architecture.

"You must be adaptable and opportunistic in order to take advantage of the continuous twists and changes that come up in life," she said, and advises the key to success for a content developer is to "stay current."

" I read incessantly (on and off line) about usability, site architecture and navigation, science and writing," Merry said. "I give workshops, appear on panels attend several major science conferences and Internet expos. ALL of this is necessary to stay committed to your field, to have fun and to develop a good client base. "

She offers the following Web site "Dos and Don'ts" to up and coming DC Web Women:

  • Speak to your audience. Make sure your site tells them what they need and want to know. Yes, it's necessary to think about and research this stuff. You have to "think outside the box" and brainstorm a lot of crazy ideas sometimes, and understand what the audience wants from a particular business.

  • Learning to write for the Web audience is an issue in itself, which is why the marketing dept. should never do the writing.

  • Make sure, via simple or complex usability testing, that others understand how your site's laid out. This is absolutely crucial. Don't use frames if you can help it. Have friends, relatives and potential customers give you feedback. Don't focus on their personal opinions but do listen to whether they know what the company does.

  • Make sure the graphics don't impede the flow of information. People now come to the web to get things done. A simple, beautiful, quick loading interface takes more thought than a heavily-worked design, but it gets the job done more efficiently.

  • Make content useful. What do you want to say? For example, do you have useful health information for baby boomers and parents? A great widget and you want to show folks how it can help them? Deep resources that folks can tap? You get the picture. And Merry recommends the following resources:

  • For general Web work, check out the Webreview.com training site.

  • For more speciialized work:
    Jakob Neilsen's useable information technology site,
    The Usable Web Guide to Web usability resources,
    And John Rhode's WebWord, an Internet usability site.

  • Browse Contentious, an online magazine for Web writers.

  • For science ideas, try:
    NewScientist Magazine,
    Discovery Online,
    The Why? Files.

    Merry also recommends "Web Navigation" by Jennifer Fleming, published by O'Reilly Books.

    On May 17 at 6:30 p.m., Merry will hold the next quarterly "Content and Coffee" soiree at La Madeleine restaurant in Bethesda, a networking opportunity for content developers.

    In September, she will fly to Germany, to teach a seminar on Media Anthropology at the University of Hamburg. It's for science communicators who are committed to bringing anthropological viewpoints, discoveries, explanations and challenges to people through Web sites and doing interviews on TV and in print.

    Merry Bruns can be reached at mbruns@nasw.org.

    Do you know someone who would shine in the spotlight? If so, please fill out our nomination form!

    Curious to see who our previous member spotlights were? Check out our archives!

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