For our December event, we’re mashing up the worlds of branding and libraries with two spectacular talks. Kate Kiefer Lee is the brains behind MailChimp’s brilliant Voice & Tone resource and will be talking about how to create better connections with our customers through prose. Nate Hill is a rockstar in the library world and will be talking about the future of libraries.
The best company voices reflect real people and real values. Kate will talk about finding your company’s voice and adapting your tone of voice based on the reader’s feelings. She’ll share the voice and tone guide her team created and explain how MailChimp’s content improved when they introduced accessible writing guidelines that work across departments. Kate will also share a few lessons she learned the hard way, and we’ll look at some examples of empathetic content (and not-so-empathetic content) from around the web.
Kate works on MailChimp’s creative team to publish and maintain the company’s content. A former magazine writer and editor, Kate makes storytelling a central part of MailChimp’s website.
Kate created VoiceAndTone.com to show MailChimp’s writers across departments how to maintain a consistent voice but adjust their tone based on the reader’s feelings. She wrote a voice and tone primer for UX Magazine and writes a column about web content for Forbes.com. She lives in Atlanta with her giant dog and average-sized husband.
In order to remain relevant in modern societies, libraries need an overhaul. In this talk, Nate Hill will explore the current predicament facing libraries and talk about what they need to do to remain relevant in our fast-paced digital world. He’ll highlight how the Chattanooga Public Library is setting the precedent for libraries nationwide with its move to become an open clearinghouse for municipal data. He’ll also highlight the business and educational opportunities the library is creating for Chattanooga’s tech community.
Nate Hill is an Assistant Director at the Chattanooga Public Library, where he launched The 4th Floor project. The 4th Floor is a 14,000 square foot flexible community library space: some days it is a makerspace/hackerspace, others it serves as an event, production, and presentation space. In addition to his work in Chattanooga, Nate serves as a co-chair of the Digital Public Library of America’s Marketing and Outreach Committee, and he’s been recognized by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation as an American representative for the International Network of Emerging Library Innovators (INELI) program. Nate was also named a “Mover and Shaker” by Library Journal in 2012. If Nate isn’t thinking about libraries, he’s thinking about design, nature, hiking, camping, or more importantly his fantastic wife, son, daughter, dog, and cat.
Code & Creativity is a social talk series created to connect us with each other and our larger community. Every other month, we’ll gather at the Camp House for a few hours to listen to one local and one visiting designer/developer as they share their passions, wisdom, and war stories. We'll ask questions, talk shop, and maybe even make some new friends. Of course no gathering would be complete without something yummy in your tummy, so snacks and a tasty beverage (coffee, soft drink, or beer) are on us!