My favorite job is writing

Hello! This is Sawada from the WS Department (Webmaster Support Department).

Our job in the WS department is to work with our clients to manage their websites. The work is varied, but one of my favorite parts is "writing."
This time, I would like to tell you about what writing work in the WS club entails.

WS Club Writing Work "Pine, Bamboo, and Plum"

The WS department's work is so diverse because the types, scales, and uses of the websites operated by our clients are so varied. It also depends on whether we are involved in the entire site or just a portion of the content, but there are also different types of "writing" work. This time, we would like to introduce the work by dividing it into three categories based on the volume of work: "pine, bamboo, and plum."

Plum (small volume):
Use wireframes to think about headlines and simple body text

A writing job that involves less volume is creating wireframes on a page-by-page basis.

Clients who request monthly updates often request the renewal of existing pages or the creation of landing pages. In most cases, the client submits paper data or text manuscripts that will serve as the originals, and we create wireframes of the structure that will be used when integrated into the website. In these cases, we start by proposing things like headings and basic text. After that, the client uses our proposals as a starting point for proofreading and fleshing out the content.

For example, we can make suggestions from the user's perspective, such as an access page that clearly shows the route to the destination, or a reading page that serves as an introduction to featuring seasonal products.

Bamboo (medium volume):
Create an article after the interview has already been completed

As an example of a service that will produce a larger volume than "Ume," we sometimes receive audio recordings of interviews and manuscripts after they have been transcribed, and then create articles to match the existing content.

Since you provide us with the materials, we don't have to come up with the concept of the article from scratch.
In this case, it is important to read the existing content and follow the structure, and to fully understand the material that has already been transcribed. If an audio recording is provided, listen to the audio as well.

In addition to making sure that the information that needs to be conveyed (for example, if you are introducing a store, the store's detailed information, its history, etc.) is properly conveyed, you must also capture the parts where the interviewee is likely to have spoken enthusiastically and edit so that the context is correct. When someone is speaking enthusiastically, it is often the case that the same thing is repeated over and over again in different words, so care must be taken.
On the other hand, when the topics are scattered, I carefully consider how to consolidate them or whether to cut them out altogether.

Since I didn't actually go and interview the people, the basic editing action of cutting and connecting sentences feels difficult. When I listen to the interview audio at times like this, I can hear the intonation of the words and the atmosphere of the scene as sound, and I think, "I see." It's also a moment when I realize that people pick up information with their five senses.

Pine (large volume):
Write an article upon request from the interviewer

The most substantial jobs involve writing that is requested based on interviews.

First, I organize my articles by thoroughly understanding the position of the website on which they will be published. Although it is a website that I usually manage, I think about who will be reading it and thoroughly read through previous articles. If I take the time to do this, it will provide material for questions when I go to the interview, and it will also make things smoother when I write the article.

I ask the client why they chose the interviewee, but I also try to find out as much about the interviewee and their surroundings as possible in advance and prepare a few questions. I think that by thinking about the interviewee little by little at the beginning, the way I speak on the day will change.

On the day, I visit the location, explain the purpose of the interview to the person I'm interviewing, get permission to record, and then begin the interview. At first, I proceed while looking at the outline, but if I feel that the other person's story has deepened, I will dig deeper even if the story goes back and forth. As long as the other person is still talking, I don't interrupt them, and when they stop talking, I choose something from what they've said and ask a question. If I can hear what comes out of the other person's mind, then I've ended up ignoring all of the outline I brought with me!

I started to be conscious of this way of listening when I was a student of the second term of the Kamiyama Monosasu Juku and took a few days of lectures on "listening to others" from Yoshiaki Nishimura. Although it was only a few days of experience, I was able to learn about situations where I was not listening to what the other person was saying properly. Even outside of interviews, I try to be conscious of this when listening to others.
In particular, I had a habit of asking the other person the same thing I wanted to ask one after the other, or conversely, I would desperately try to think of what to ask, so just being more conscious of this helped me calm down.

Even if you feel anxious, wondering "Did I hear what was said properly?", if you have the feeling that "Yes, I listened until the other person stopped speaking," then I don't think it will be a situation that is not enough to write an article about.

The photos to be used in the article will include shots of the elements before the interview, expressions during the interview, and group photos of all the people involved. However, if there is an image that comes up in the interview that I would like to have, I will negotiate to see if I can borrow the photo after the interview.
Of course, the photos taken at that time are good, but I think the photos held by the interviewees are the most brilliant.

It's fun to put it into words

The writing jobs I have introduced this time are currently a small proportion of the WS department as a whole. Since I do not work as a full-time writer, there are limits to what I can write. This is true whether I am transcribing a subject's story after an interview or introducing a product on a landing page.

After all, what the person involved is thinking is best conveyed to the other person when they speak in their own words. Our job is to write down those words for the person involved, but I feel that it is quite a difficult job to listen, research, think, and write until we are able to "write for them." In the process of writing, while thinking about what kind of image the customer wants to portray, we sometimes find perspectives that we have not seen before.

The same feeling can be felt during interviews. Listen intently to what the person in question is feeling. At that time, personal curiosity disappears and questions are kept to a minimum.
After experiencing this kind of writing work, (personally) the way I deal with the monthly operation update work seems to have changed a little. I think that's the best part of writing work.

The world of the web today is overflowing with highly interesting 'reading' content, with an increasing number of all kinds of owned media, from individual, enthusiastic content from large corporations to highly specialized content from free to paid content.
I hope that the "writing work" that we are involved in as part of the WS club will become even more varied in the future. We look forward to receiving your work!