Add the workshop hello video (re-edit)

[mirisuzanne]

https://www.dropbox.com/s/4lr0pqqc20eb0ee/mia%20workshop%20intro%20v2.mov?dl=0

[mirisuzanne]

Looking at this, I think we might want to re-record the video - adjusting the script to focus more on teams/companies as a target audience. I did a quick draft based on the original script, but figure Pland might also have some input that changes what we want to say. So I won't record until next week. happy for thoughts on the draft:

I'm Miriam Suzanne. Here at OddBird, we've been helping clients of all sizes build more resilient and maintainable web software and design systems.

Over the last few years, I've also been part of the CSS Working Group, helping develop new CSS features like container queries, cascade layers, scope, and nesting.

We've seen an explosion of these new features in CSS lately, shipping quickly across all the browsers – including several features we thought were impossible. But a lot of companies and teams are missing out – stuck using outdated work-arounds, when there are more efficient approaches available.

I get it. Changing your approach can be overwhelming.

• Which features deserve your attention?
• And where are the hidden traps along the way?

That's why we developed this workshop. It's a series of practical sessions on writing more resilient styles for the web – from code organization to layout, custom properties, and the cascade.

At each step, we'll pull the language apart to really understand how it works. Then we'll use that understanding to develop more resilient and delightful experiences that hold up across browsers, languages, and device interfaces.

This workshop is for anyone who writes CSS at work. And for teams who want to improve their approach, for writing and maintaining resilient CSS at any scale.

I really believe understanding CSS can make your job a bit less stressful, and your web sites more reliable.

If you or your company are interested, please reach out. We'd love to help.

[SondraE]

@mirisuzanne It'll be interesting to hear what Pland says.

The things I'd change just from my initial reading are the first and second sentences. Bring the first sentence more inline with the audience we've said we'd like to reach. And move your statement explaining what/who/why this workshop to the beginning.

"Here at OddBird we enjoy working with teams pursuing large-scale projects to build more resilient and maintainable web applications and design systems.

Now we've created a workshop for individuals and teams who want to improve their approach for writing and maintaining resilient CSS at any scale."

[dvdherron]

I agree with Sondra that it could be good to move who this is for and why a bit earlier in the script.

Something like this?

I'm Miriam Suzanne. I'm one of the founders of OddBird, where we work with teams pursuing large-scale projects to build more resilient and maintainable web applications and design systems.

Over the last few years, I've also been part of the CSS Working Group, helping develop new CSS features like container queries, cascade layers, scope, and nesting.

Now, the OddBird team and I have created a workshop for individuals and teams who want to take advantage of these features to improve their approach to writing and maintaining resilient CSS at any scale.

We've seen an explosion of these new features in CSS lately, shipping quickly across all the browsers – including several features we thought were impossible. But a lot of companies and teams are missing out – stuck using outdated work-arounds, when there are more efficient approaches available.
I get it. Changing your approach can be overwhelming.

• Which features deserve your attention?
• And where are the hidden traps along the way?

That's why we developed this workshop. It's a series of practical sessions on writing more resilient styles for the web – from code organization to layout, custom properties, and the cascade.
At each step, we'll pull the language apart to really understand how it works. Then we'll use that understanding to develop more resilient and delightful experiences that hold up across browsers, languages, and device interfaces.

This workshop is for anyone who writes CSS at work. And for teams who want to improve their process for writing and maintaining CSS.

I really believe understanding CSS can make your job a bit less stressful, and your web sites more reliable.
If you or your company are interested, please reach out. We'd love to help.

[mirisuzanne]

Those adjustments look good. If only we had a tool for collaborative text editing… 😏

[mirisuzanne]

Ok, I recorded two takes. I was messing with the script as I went, but I think the second one is closer to addressing the comments here.

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/z31x6edfaxq0is7ex9gxa/AP74Oq42YaRcbT26REEzbps?rlkey=97wzjng0p65cc90zl4k143bee&dl=0

I can do more takes, but wanted to make sure I'm on the right track. Thoughts?

[SondraE]

@mirisuzanne

I like take 2 as well. Nice job stating who you are and the workshop addresses people's problems.

Two sound things that distracted me from the content:

• At first, I had trouble hearing your voice. I had to turn the volume on the dropbox video and my computer all the way up and the sound was still on the soft end.
• The sound is a little tinny or echoey. If that's the best the sound can be right now, that's not a dealbreaker.

Content thoughts:

• You seem pretty serious, and it strikes me that during your workshops you use humor to draw people in. Is there any way to add a moment of levity so that this video is more representative of what you'll be like as a speaker?
• Based on what Jonny learned at the last Pysortium meeting and our target audience of companies, this video should probably speak to the decision makers who can decide to spend the money to bring you to their company. To that end, we want to "help decision-makers realize what pain points they have, what will happen if they don't address them, what the benefits are of investing."

You have some of these elements:

Pain Point: stuck using out-dated workarounds
Benefit of Wkshp: learn more reliable and efficient methods
Pain Point: changing your approach can be overwhelming, how to prioritize, where are the traps
Benefit of Wkshp: practical sessions, resilient and delightful experiences across devices/interfaces
Benefit of Wkshp: job less stressful, website more reliable

Some of these seem right/understandable for CTOs. But others seem more targeted to developers and maybe difficult for CEOs or COOs to related to, like "resilient experiences across devices/interfaces" and "make your job less stressful."

Pain Points Translated for CEOs/COOs:

• changing your approach can be expensive (for example: how to prioritize? where are the traps?)
• developer team is inefficient
• customers/clients can't access what they need
• accessibility issues (do you cover this explicitly in the workshop?)

Outcome If They Don't Address PPs:

• out-dated workarounds get more time consuming and expensive
• developers get stressed
• difficulty scaling
• website looks broken or inconsistent on different sized devices
• get sued for website being inaccessible

Benefit of Wkshp:

• learn what to change to get the biggest bang for your buck
• practical sessions for your developer team
• more efficient and effective scaling
• customers/clients have delightful experiences with your website on any device

Probably can't include all of this because the video shouldn't be any longer than it is. Just some examples of how I'd reorient or reword the issues and benefits since we're decided that for now, this workshop page will be focused on attracting companies.

This video seems better for when we are advertising the OddBird-run version of this workshop.

[dvdherron]

I was drawn more to take two as well. You definitely establish why you should be teaching this workshop.

The audio did seem a little thin and low. And I also think adding in more of your sense of humor could help even out the tone.

My two cents on the camera angle: Is it possible to adjust the camera so that the shelf in the background lines up with the edge of the frame? It looks like it's at a slight angle.

As far as content, maybe it's possible to be more direct in the "That's why we made this workshop" section. It could a be a quick list that incorporates some of the benefits Sondra listed above instead of "writing more resilient styles for the web."

Otherwise, I think this edit is definitely on the right track.