THE B&H WEB CONTENT WRITER’S HANDBOOK

ContentsTHE B&H WEB CONTENT WRITER’S HANDBOOK.........................................................................................1

Contents......................................................................................................................................................1

INTRODUCTION................................................................................................................................5

Writing for the Customer..................................................................................................................5

The B&H Voice..................................................................................................................................6

ANATOMY OF A SKU.........................................................................................................................9

Information Source..............................................................................................................................9

Product Name....................................................................................................................................10

Point & Shoot Cameras..................................................................................................................11

Lenses............................................................................................................................................11

Interchangeable Lens Cameras......................................................................................................12

Consumer Camcorders..................................................................................................................12

Professional Camcorders / Video Cameras....................................................................................12

Tripods / Monopods......................................................................................................................13

Heads.............................................................................................................................................13

Riflescopes / Spotting Scopes / Zoom Binoculars..........................................................................13

Software........................................................................................................................................14

Laptops..........................................................................................................................................14

Desktops: All-in-One......................................................................................................................15

Monitors........................................................................................................................................15

Memory Cards...............................................................................................................................15

External Hard Drives......................................................................................................................15

Tablets...........................................................................................................................................16

Books & DVDs................................................................................................................................16

Lamps............................................................................................................................................17

SKUs with Little Precedent.................................................................................................................17

Selling Points.....................................................................................................................................18

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Description........................................................................................................................................20

Features.............................................................................................................................................22

Specifications / Attributes.................................................................................................................23

Attributes...........................................................................................................................................24

Includes.............................................................................................................................................25

DES Notes and Flags........................................................................................................................27

Web Site Note...................................................................................................................................27

DEO Note...........................................................................................................................................27

Writing Flags......................................................................................................................................28

Revisit Later...................................................................................................................................28

Awaiting Information.....................................................................................................................28

Gradus Product Devlpr N/A...........................................................................................................28

Suggest Accessory..........................................................................................................................29

PROPER WORKFLOW......................................................................................................................30

Priority Order.....................................................................................................................................30

The Level of Each SKU in DES.............................................................................................................30

Finding Information...........................................................................................................................31

Do I Have the Right SKU?...............................................................................................................32

Dealing with Reps..........................................................................................................................33

Forms of Info.................................................................................................................................33

Populating & Completing a SKU.......................................................................................................34

Special SKU Types..................................................................................................................................35

In-House Brands................................................................................................................................35

Grouping............................................................................................................................................37

How to Group in DES.....................................................................................................................38

How to Create, Enter, and View Variables in a Group...................................................................40

Kits.....................................................................................................................................................42

Manufacturer’s Kits.......................................................................................................................42

B&H Kits.........................................................................................................................................42

AFTER THE FACT.............................................................................................................................44

QA and Its Functions..........................................................................................................................44

Bugs...............................................................................................................................................45

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FIXED..............................................................................................................................................46

NO UPDATE REQUIRED:.................................................................................................................46

DUPLICATE.....................................................................................................................................46

WONTFIX.......................................................................................................................................46

WRITING STYLE BASICS...................................................................................................................47

Hyphens.............................................................................................................................................48

Dangling Modifiers............................................................................................................................48

Split Infinitives & Split Phrasal Verbs.................................................................................................49

Commas.............................................................................................................................................49

Gender-Specific Pronouns.................................................................................................................50

Title Casing........................................................................................................................................51

Ampersands.......................................................................................................................................51

B&H STYLE......................................................................................................................................52

Not Included, Optional, and Sold Separately.....................................................................................52

Units of Measurement.......................................................................................................................52

Selling Points, Description, and Features:......................................................................................52

Specifications.................................................................................................................................53

Conversion, Rounding & Significant Digits.....................................................................................53

Ranges...........................................................................................................................................53

Numerals...........................................................................................................................................54

Use Your Judgment (and Stick to It)...................................................................................................54

Generic Names vs. Brand Names.......................................................................................................55

Bad Writing Practices.........................................................................................................................56

SOLVING COMMON WEB CONTENT ‘WHAT-IFS’..............................................................................57

What if a SKU shows up in red font in my queue? (Or, How do I handle embargoes?).....................57

What if I can’t find a product on the web?........................................................................................57

What if I never hear back from a rep after a few attempts?..............................................................59

What if I’m unsure about a piece of information? Can I include it in the SKU if I haven’t published it yet?....................................................................................................................................................59

What if I can’t find a product’s warranty? Can I move ahead without it?.........................................59

What if a SKU is compatible with so many products that all of them cannot be listed in the specs or the features?.....................................................................................................................................59

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What if a product name is also the name of the manufacturer?.......................................................60

What if a manufacturer assures me that my B&H SKU is a particular product of theirs, even though our Mfr#, product image, and/or Unix name do not match with that particular product?...............60

What if I find erroneous information in an existing SKU?..................................................................60

What if a manufacturer asks me to change something within a SKU?..............................................60

What if a manufacturer informs me that a particular SKU is no longer offered?...............................61

What if I need to make a correction to a SKU that is either in the Completed queue or the Accepted queue?...............................................................................................................................................61

What if a manufacturer or buyer asks you to write up a particular item?.........................................61

What if an attributes template is missing information?....................................................................61

What if a spec template is missing information or a spec label doesn’t exist?..................................62

APPENDIX.......................................................................................................................................63

Frequently Used HTML Codes............................................................................................................63

Web Tricks.........................................................................................................................................64

Units of Measurement: Space or No Space?.....................................................................................65

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INTRODUCTIONThis B&H Web Content Writer’s Handbook is part style guide, part user manual. It’s part reference, and part instructional. It lays out a writer’s workflow in step-by-step fashion with clear rules, and it explicates in-house writing style in terms that are, true to the nature of writing, more nuanced. There are rules to the way we write, but there are exceptions to those rules. There are also guidelines that cover situations that seem open to interpretation. For that reason you will need to absorb this guide wholly – the rules, the exceptions, and the situational guidelines.

The reason we take writing so seriously at B&H is that customer education is a paramount concern of the company. We want our customers to be able to understand what we offer as well as we understand it. We want to eliminate any customer confusion or complaints before they materialize. We want customers to make educated choices that satisfy them over the long term, so they’ll keep coming back.

This handbook promotes clear, simple, and effective writing. Our website is a sales vehicle, and our writing is the engine that drives it. (Other departments might take issue with the metaphor.) People all over the world read our site, both as a product catalog and as a reference. We want our product descriptions to be engaging, comprehensive, and beyond reproach.

But this guide focuses on more than just writing style; it explicates best practices for web content writers that make our jobs go more smoothly. The smoother our workflow, the fewer mistakes we make along the way; the fewer mistakes, the better our customers can trust our information. The data-entry practices that we have devised at B&H are designed to eliminate the errors before they’re committed, and, barring that, correcting errors promptly when they’re detected.

What’s ultimately up to the writer is to ensure that our information is stylistically consistent and free of typos. To make the customer feel confident in trusting our information, and for the sake of clarity, we present information in a professional fashion – free of typographical errors, and with consistency across the site.

More important than that, however, our information needs to be presented in clear prose that includes all available data, with 100% accuracy. Writing crystal-clear, clean, complete, and accurate product descriptions is one of the most important ways that B&H serves its customers as best as is humanly possible.

Writing for the CustomerThe website is a sales tool, but the writer should not write as if trying to close a sale. There are literally hundreds of thousands of items in our system, so much more important than writing to “hard-sell” any individual item is presenting complete and accurate information for each item. In addition, it’s imperative that we color in the factual outlines of every write-up with helpful perspective about how a single item fits into the gamut of other similar items that we sell, and suggest tasks and projects at which this particular product might excel.

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Think about it like this: If we tell a customer that a $150 digital camera is the best thing since sliced bread, with “every feature a photographer could ever desire,” and that it will “truly raise [him] to the level of a professional,” then how are we supposed to sell our $300 (and above) digital cameras? More importantly, what will that customer think of B&H when he’s ultimately disappointed by the less-than-stellar performance of his rather middling $150 point-and-shoot model?

We strive to forge long-term relationships with our customers. These relationships stand on the trust that grows from excellent customer service and helpful expertise. Sales result organically.

Returning to the $150 digital camera, we can see that reams of dazzling marketing fluff are ultimately not helpful. Much more helpful is a complete accounting of the features and specs that might be expected for this class of camera, and an illumination of those that might be unexpected at this level. Perhaps a face-recognition feature sets this camera apart from its class. By presenting the camera in this fashion, with the authority that comes from comprehensive knowledge of a product category, we educate the customer in a way that instills confidence in making a choice.

The B&H VoiceOf course, that doesn’t mean we need to sound dry or stodgy. On the contrary: we write in a warm, inviting manner that makes the customer comfortable in spending time reading our product descriptions. But at the same time, we give the customer multiple “points of entry” to a SKU, each with a different style that speaks to the needs of different types of customers.

No doubt you’ve been each of those customer types at various times. Sometimes you want to know every detail about an item. The purchase is just that important to you, and you will leave no stone unturned in your quest for the perfect electric can opener. Often, though, you need information in a hurry, and four paragraphs seem like an insurmountable wall of text. That’s why each SKU has Selling Points and most SKUs have Features. These elements are just as important as the product Description, but they answer to a different desire of the customer – one that demands “just the facts,” ordered in a hierarchy that reflects their relative significance.

The house style at B&H calls for a technical yet approachable voice. There is no single mandated voice, so every writer is encouraged to infuse the SKUs with his or her own personal voice. Of course, what works for one SKU might not work for the next. The specific balance of approachable vs. technical depends on the product: If you’re writing about a broadcast camcorder, your voice should be quite different from your style of describing a Hello Kitty camcorder.

Clearly, you need to keep in mind your intended audience as you write. Each new SKU requires you to determine afresh who exactly that audience might be. Doing so will help you strike a balance: Writing for a general audience vs. writing for a tech-savvy audience. For instance, with a professional camcorder, you probably wouldn’t expend the effort to explain that you can connect the camera to an HDTV set by using the included HDMI cable. Simply mentioning the HDMI output somewhere in the SKU is sufficient.

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For a lower-end consumer camcorder that includes an HDMI port and a cable? It might be worth the customer’s while to have that feature spelled out.

Just remember that we don’t write for SEO (“search engine optimization”), and we don’t write for any particular demographic. The SKU dictates not only the content but the level of discourse that’s appropriate for that content.

But some universal principles apply for all types of items.

State the obvious. Though we don’t write for the purposes of SEO, we do write so that our products will be found by search engines – both the B&H website’s and any outside search tools. If you’re staring for an hour at a manufacturer’s data sheet about a 500GB hard drive, it’s going to be obvious to you that you’re writing about a hard drive. However, while LaCie ZYX-500 500GB SATA might seem clear enough to you, it’s going to be invisible to Google. Without including the term Hard Drive, the rest of your valiant efforts will be for naught.

In addition, you should explain in basic terms what the item does within the first sentence of a product description. While such an explanation might seem unnecessary to you – and even to most of your intended audience – a customer is never going to write in to complain about it. For other customers, that first basic description will serve as a welcoming entry point to the description.

Write clearly. Clear writing reflects a writer’s clear understanding of a particular topic. Clear writing inspires confidence in customers and serves to guide them well. On the other hand, if you don’t understand what you’re writing about, stop writing. If you’re co-opting a manufacturer’s verbiage wholesale as a means to cloak your ignorance about a facet of technology, you serve no one. Do some research and attack the SKU with a fresh perspective when you understand it. This self-education will pay dividends when you’re faced with a similar product in the future.

Boil it down. The fewer the words, the more impact they’ll have. Half as long, twice as strong. Which description would keep you reading?

1. With the independently adjustable leg angles and the retractable spiked feet of the ABC-123 tripod, you can be confident that you’ll be able to capture long-exposure images no matter what terrain you find yourself on during your travels and hikes – be it rocky, sandy, muddy, or uneven – with the stability and precision that you’ve come to expect from Acme Tripods.

2. The tripod is well suited for long-exposure photography outdoors. Use the ABC-123 tripod’s spiked feet for stability on softer terrain, and set each leg angle independently for precise positioning on uneven or rocky ground.

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The second example is not only shorter, leaner, and easier to digest. By explicitly pairing the two features with their respective applications, it also presents clearer information than the first example.

Write original phrases, sentences, paragraphs. After reading about an item thoroughly, you should be able to write without the training wheels of the manufacturer’s copy. In the Product Description, you must write originally, from the ground up. Rewording a manufacturer’s website doesn’t help anyone. In other sections, the amount of original writing that will be required is inversely proportional to the quality of the manufacturer’s prose. In other words, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it – but do fix what’s broken. For instance, you might need to reorganize a set of features to give them a logical flow or hierarchy. (Note that this corresponds to Features only; all Description copy must be 100% original.)

Vary your phrasing. Few things are worse than repetitive copy that reads like a jargon-laden mantra. If most sentences begin with the product name, that’s a problem. If every paragraph begins likewise, that’s another problem – both a visual problem and one of prose. If every reference to the product deploys the same form of its name, that too is a problem. Luckily, you can solve these problems easily by varying your sentence structure and by consciously toggling between the full product name and a shortened version. To wit:

1. The ABC-123 tripod reaches a maximum height of 63” and features four-section, anti-rotation legs. The ABC-123 tripod supports loads up to 13 lb, so you can use it with any professional DSLR camera and lens. The ABC-123 tripod has retractable spikes in its rubber feet so it can be used on any type of terrain.

With a modicum of care and effort, this monotonous but otherwise sound copy easily becomes serviceable.

2. With its four-section, anti-rotation legs fully extended, the ABC-123 tripod reaches a maximum height of 63”. The tripod supports loads up to 13 lb, so you can use it with any professional DSLR camera and lens. Featuring retractable spikes in its rubber feet, the ABC-123 can be used on any type of terrain.

Likewise, avoid beginning each sentence with you can do this and you can do that. After much practice, this variety in phrasing will establish itself as a rhythm, and you won’t need to tabulate how each sentence begins. The prose will just “sound” right as it flows from your fingers.

Bring something to the table. There’s a reason we have jobs here, and it’s not because we’re adept at filling boxes and clicking buttons. Our product descriptions need to offer something unique: Information that’s been synthesized from a few different sources, for completeness; a unique perspective that from the writer’s personal experience with similar gear; or just a presentation that’s clearer than other available info.

Your copy needs to be inviting, trustworthy, thorough, and satisfying. Picture yourself explaining a product to a potential customer face-to-face. Would you run down its best features? Would you mention how a person might use it? Would you explain how it relates to other pieces of gear? All of the

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above? These are good tactics for writing a SKU in a way that surpasses what a manufacturer has offered, thereby adding something valuable to a customer’s understanding.

Write directly to the customer. There is no reason to avoid using the term you. As a sales vehicle, the website attempts to engage the customer, and addressing the customer directly helps achieve that. Keep an image in mind as you address this you. Think of a specific customer who might be interested in the SKU that you’re writing up. What does she want to know that’s not covered on the manufacturer’s landing page for the item?

The bottom line is that you are a knowledgeable, friendly, and helpful presenter of information who is happy to share every last fact that you know about a particular SKU, along with nuance and context. You lead with basic pertinent information, and communicate at a level that is likely to make the intended customer feel comfortable. You strive to keep the customer’s attention throughout your prose by striving for brevity, varying your phrasing, and by addressing him or her like a human being.

ANATOMY OF A SKU“SKU” is an acronym for Shelf-Keeping Unit. Of course, not all of our SKUs keep shelf space either in the store or warehouse: Many are shipped directly to the customer from the manufacturer or the distributor once he or she makes an order from our website. But in either case, SKUs are the discrete parts that add up to the whole of a web content writer’s daily occupation. SKU can refer to the item itself, or it can refer to the in-house B&H code for an item. (Send me the SKU for that riflescope.) SKU can also refer to the write-up of the item. Taking that third definition, let’s now walk through a SKU, part by part.

Information SourceThe Information Source serves as a mandatory citation that accounts for all the factual information in a SKU. For nearly every SKU, a writer must use information directly from the manufacturer, whether from a webpage, customer support person, representative, manual, price sheet, or email. In some cases, writers will also need to rely upon information from the distributor of a given manufacturer’s products.

By providing links to websites and listing email addresses and phone numbers of reps and tech support as your info source, the writer establishes full factual accountability for all items. This accountability expedites any alterations to the SKU down the road, in the case of bugs, and it helps the QA and accessories teams verify info.

Often, of course, personal knowledge comes into play. There is no need to provide documentation to prove that the “standard screw for point & shoot cameras” is a 1/4”-20 screw, for instance. Or that Thunderbolt provides up to 10 Gb/s transfer speeds. Well-known technical facts do not require

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accounting in the Information Source. However, it’s a good idea to include any link that supports your writing.

Sometimes, especially with individual parts and small accessories, the only official documentation will be a price list with a basic description. In this case, personal knowledge might provide the basic function of the item. Perhaps it’s a Sony shoe to standard shoe adapter. Maybe it’s a LANC cable. In this type of scenario, you’ll want to list the location of the price sheet (if it’s online) and also list “personal knowledge” of the source of information beyond what’s included on the price sheet.

Often you’ll need to consult the product’s manual to glean info such as the warranty, included accessories, and detailed specs. If you use a manual as a source, list it in the Information Source section. In fact, the more sources you list, the more solid and credible your SKU becomes.

If you have a source for a piece of information, you must include it in the Info Source box. This might include an email address or tech support number that helped you verify, for example, a product’s warranty or its input voltage by means other than the primary information source. This has the potential to be helpful to several people along the way.

Product Name Determining the proper Product Name for a SKU can be an unexpectedly complicated process that often involves more than one judgment call. Manufacturers don’t always carve the names of their products in stone tablets. You might see a few variations even on a single landing page: Different capitalization patterns, employment or omission of the model number, and more. Establishing the proper Product Name for a SKU is therefore sometimes quite a challenge.

The goal of the Product Name is twofold: Identifying the product for the customer, and differentiating the product from every other SKU that we offer. Each product name should fulfill both tasks. To note, if a product has a descriptor, such as Voltage or Color, you must place it at the end of the product name as in XYZ Transformer (240V) or XYZ Camera Bag (Black) or if both apply, XYZ Transformer (240V, Black). Later, when you are writing up your description, you should weave these descriptors in your sentence so that they sound conversational. Placing the descriptor in front of the product name is an easy way to do this, as in the “black XYZ Camera Bag from Crumpler…”

For certain product classes, B&H uses an established template to fulfill these two goals and also maintain consistency across our site. What follows is by no means an exhaustive list. As always, you should look up similar products on our website before determining Product Name, Selling Points, or anything else, in order to absorb how this class of products is described and to determine why a product in question might stand out. As a tip, more recent SKUs are for the most part closer to our ideal style than older SKUs are. Newer SKUs have Selling Points, and you can always determine a SKU’s age by checking its Item History in the data entry system. If you’re going to follow an existing style, just don’t follow stupid.

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You should usually include a model number. However, if the model number will never aid a customer’s understanding, omit it. For example, there should never be an occasion to employ a model number for a USB cable or a lens cap. But even if a model number will never be used at a sales counter in conversation, its inclusion in a Product Name can help customers verify exactly which matte box kit is on their computer screen, for instance.

NOTE 1: Never use HTML coding in the Product Name field.

NOTE 2: For accessory items that are designed to work exclusively with only one, two, or three other products, list those items within the Product Name. If an accessory is compatible with more than three items, list these in Selling Points or in a Compatibility Selling Point. Of course, you need to remain aware of the character count. If a Product Name becomes unwieldy, look at existing similar products and use common sense to decide whether they provide a good template to adopt.

What follow are formulas that will help you devise Product Names for several common product classes. Words and characters to copy verbatim are in italics, and variables are not. Bear in mind that these are examples only, and the variables they cover are by no means exhaustive. Take care to maintain the consistency of our website, but above all, devise a name that serves the customer well. If you can’t figure out how to name a particular SKU, do not hesitate to ask your Manager for help. Naming is crucial.

Point & Shoot Cameras

[Product Line] [Model Number] [Waterproof or 3D or Other Crucial Descriptor, if applicable] Digital Camera [(Color)]

EasyShare Mini M200 Digital Camera (Purple)

Coolpix AW100 Waterproof Digital Camera (Blue)

Lenses

[Mount Type] [Focal Length or Focal Length Range] [Aperture or Aperture Range] [Mount Type, if Necessary] [Manufacturer’s Modifiers] [Basic Description] Lens

EF 70-200mm f/2.8L EF IS II USM Telephoto Zoom Lens

18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 E-Mount 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 Zoom Lens

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Now, those examples are Canon and Sony lenses designed for those respective camera brands. Many lenses are made by third-party manufacturers, such as Sigma or Tamron. In those cases the formula changes:

[Focal Length or Focal Length Range] [Aperture or Aperture Range] [Manufacturer’s Modifiers] [Basic Description] Lens [(Camera Manufacturer Plus Lens Type, if applicable)]

Interchangeable Lens Cameras

[Product Line, if applicable] [Model Number] Digital Camera [(Color if applicable)] with [Focal Length or Focal Length Range] [Aperture or Aperture Range] [Manufacturer’s Modifiers] Lens

Or

[Product Line, if applicable] [Manufacturer Number] Digital Camera (Body Only [- Color if applicable])

EOS 5D Mark II Digital Camera with 24-105mm f/4L IS USM AF Lens

Alpha NEX-5N Digital Camera (Body Only)

Consumer Camcorders

[Product Line, if applicable] [Model Number] [Waterproof, if applicable] [Defining Characteristic] [PAL, if applicable] Camcorder [with Projector, if applicable] [(Color if applicable)]

HX-WA10 Waterproof Dual HD Camcorder (Orange)

VIXIA HF R20 Flash Memory Camcorder (Silver)

HDR-PJ50E HDD PAL Camcorder with Projector

Professional Camcorders / Video Cameras

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[Model Number] [Product Line/Proprietary Recording Format, if applicable] [Defining Characteristic(s)] [PAL, if applicable] [Camera or Camcorder] [If it accepts interchangeable lenses: (With [Third-Party Manufacturer, if applicable] Zoom Ratio or Focal Length Range Lens) or (Body Only)]

GY-HM710U ProHD Compact Shoulder Camcorder with Canon 14x Lens

NEX-FS100U Super 35mm Camcorder (Body Only)

Tripods / Monopods

[Model Number, if applicable] [Product Line, if applicable] [#-Section] [Material] [Tripod or Monopod] [(Legs Only), if tripod]

C-2691 Travel Angel 5-Section Carbon Fiber Tripod (Legs Only)

Magic 5-Section Aluminum Monopod

Heads

[Model Number] [Head Type] [Fluid, if applicable and truly fluid] Head

Arrow 25 Video Fluid Head

GH-100 Pistol-Grip Ball Head

Riflescopes / Spotting Scopes / Zoom Binoculars

[Magnification Range]x[Objective Lens Diameter] [Product Line / Description] Riflescope or Spotting Scope or Zoom Binoculars [(Color), if applicable]

4.5-14x44 AO MC Conquest Riflescope (Matte Black)

20-60x90 WP Gladiator Spotting Scope

NOTE: For riflescopes, Field of View spec should be styled as such: feet at 100 yd, then the metric equivalent. For zoom binoculars and spotting scopes, Field of View spec should be styled as such: feet at 1000 yd then the metric equivalent:

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10’ @ 1000 yd (3.0 m @ 333 m)

Software

Remember that manufacturers treat the names of software programs somewhat like book titles. Therefore don’t change a software program’s title. The Product Name should follow this pattern:

[Title] [Version] [Modifier, if Applicable] for [Platform] [(Upgrade Status and/or Restrictions, if Applicable)]

Premiere Pro CS7 for Windows (Upgrade from CS5 or Higher, Academic Pricing)

Or, for the full-priced, non-upgrade version of the software:

Premiere Pro CS7 for Windows

As you can see, the name of this Adobe software suite can get quite long. But to differentiate this product from similar SKUs, every element of the Product Name needs to be there. (The Modifier doesn’t apply in this case; it could be something like “Professional,” “Basic,” or “Extended.”) Nothing can be left out, and in the first version there’s no room for explaining the function of the software. That should be handled in the first Selling Point. If a SKU is a software plug-in, include in the Product Name the host program that the program plugs into. You might, of course, need to turn to the Selling Points to establish the full compatibility list.

Certain classes of software do benefit from descriptive phrases within the Product Name field. Virtual Instruments and Virtual Processor Plug-Ins within the Professional Audio category is one example. These are generally in no danger of carrying long qualifiers such as upgrade versioning, and they tend to be rather opaque in their function.

Laptops

Windows:

[Product Line, if applicable] [Model Number] [Diagonal Screen Size] Notebook or Netbook Computer [(Color)]

Portege R835-P81 13.3" Notebook Computer (Blue)

Mac:

[Diagonal Screen Size] [Product Line] Notebook Computer

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11.6" MacBook Air Notebook Computer

Desktops: All-in-One

Windows:

[Product Line] [Model Number] [Diagonal Screen Size] All-in-One Desktop Computer [(Color, if applicable)]

TouchSmart 320-1050 20" All-in-One Desktop Computer

Mac:

[Diagonal Screen Size] [Product Line] Desktop Computer

27” iMac Desktop Computer

Monitors

[Product Name and Number][Diagonal Screen Size] [3D-ready, if applicable][Widescreen, if applicable][LED-Backlit, if applicable][Type of Monitor IPS, LCD, TFT LCD] [with a touchscreentouch-screen, if applicable] [(color)]

VX2770Smh-LED 27" Widescreen LED Backlit IPS LCD Monitor

GD235HZ bid 23.6" 3D Widescreen TFT LCD Monitor

Memory Cards

[Capacity] [Product Line] [Speed, if applicable] [Card Type: SD, SDXC, SDHC, CF] Memory Card [(Class #, Quantity, if applicable)]

32GB CombatFlash 685 CompactFlash Memory Card

16GB Professional 133x SDHC Memory Cards (2-Pack)

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External Hard Drives

[Capacity] [Product Line] [Interface Type] [Description] Hard Drive [(Color, if applicable)]

1TB MiniStation Metro Portable USB 2.0 Hard Drive (Black)

1TB GT 050Q Quad Interface Hard Drive

If a hard drive has too many interfaces to list in the Product Name, include them among the first few Selling Points.

Tablets

Windows:

[Capacity] [Product Line] [Version or Model Number][Diagonal Screen Size] Tablet [with 3G and/or WiFi, if applicable] [(Service Provider, Color, if applicable)]

32GB Google Nexus 7” Tablet with Wi-Fi

Mac:

[Capacity] [Product Line] [Version] [with 3G and/or WiFi, if applicable] [(Service Provider, Color, if applicable)]

32GB iPad 2 with Wi-Fi + 3G (AT&T, Black)

Books & DVDs

[DVD, DVD-ROM, Book, CD-ROM or combination thereof]: [Title] [(# Edition) if applicable]

The first Selling Point indicates the author(s) or presenter(s), as applicable.

Book: Cinema 4D (3rd Edition)

Authors: Kent McQuilkin & Anne Powers

Book & DVD-ROM: Adobe Premiere Pro CS5: Learn by Video

Authors: Maxim Jago & Jan Ozer

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Lamps

[(# Pack, if Applicable)] [Product Line] [Type of Lamp] [(Watts / Volts, Color)]

HPL X Plus Long Life Lamp (750W/120V)

ETB LAMP (250W/120V, Frosted)

8-Pack ETB LAMP (250W/120V, Frosted)

SKUs with Little PrecedentYou will come across some oddball SKUs, and manufacturers give many products names that are less than helpful to the customer. Manufacturers are also sometimes inconsistent in naming their products. These are all challenges in determining what to use as the Product Name. Take the following made-up SKU. At the top of Acme Industrial Concern’s landing page for imaginary B&H SKU# ACADC41, you’ll find:

4 in 1 Analog to Digital Converter

Then a little further down you’ll see that it’s given a model number:

ADC-41

Moving to the body of the company’s description, you see that the product’s name has somehow morphed into:

USB Analog Video Converter

This is worse than a dilemma, because that would involve a choice between two options. Instead, with this example, you face a matrix of choices. Do you use Acme’s manufacturer number? Which of the two longer names do you use? Do you strike a balance between the two? Do you keep the “4 in 1” in the name?

With cloudy product names such as this one, it’s important to take a step back before committing to a course of action. Our website is likely to have several of the manufacturer’s other products listed. Now, keep in mind that with these, precedence might be unhelpful. Earlier writers might not have done an exemplary job at nomenclature, but at least you have a few points of reference. Check also the manufacturer’s site for other similar products, which might (if you’re lucky) offer a greater degree of consistency, which you can then apply to the naming of this SKU.

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But let’s say that there’s no template for this hypothetical SKU. It’s sui generis. The most prudent course of action is the one that best serves the customer. Which name best describes the product, follows most closely the way potential customers and other websites will refer to it colloquially, and doesn’t get so long that it trips over itself? Let’s pick apart these names one by one:

4 in 1 Analog to Digital Converter: What does 4 in 1 refer to? Are there four inputs? Four functions? Analog to digital what conversion: Video? Audio? Are people going to ask for this “4 in 1” converter by this name, either via Google or in the SuperStore? This name seems to inspire nothing but questions.

ADC-41: These letters and numbers both seem to correspond to the above name. Perhaps the model number is useful to distinguish this product from other similar items with the same function. In any case, at six characters it’s not an especially clunky model number.

USB Analog Video Converter: Not the catchiest moniker by a long shot, this name does the job reasonably well. We know that it has a USB connector, and that it converts analog video – presumably to digital video, since it connects to a computer. We can reasonably assume all this, without needing to look at the product description. The customer, then, can probably do the same, so this is a pretty good name. Would we want to alter it? It’s a little clunky. How about Analog Video USB Converter? Analog Video Converter – USB? The second sounds and looks a little better than the original name, perhaps, but is the improvement enough to justify changing the manufacturer’s intended nomenclature, as murky as their intentions were? Maybe not.

This is a judgment call. There’s no 100% correct answer. But a few principles can guide our choice:

1. What is the product?2. Is there a path of consistency to follow, whether it starts from the manufacturer’s other items or

from similar items on our site?3. When you name a product, setting this product apart from all other products is your

responsibility. You want to eliminate confusion, not create it.

With all that in mind, it would seem that the best choice for this SKU’s Product Name would be:

ADC-41 USB Analog Video Converter

You might have come to a different conclusion and chosen a perfectly workable name. We’re not trying to let our inner marketing wizards run wild – let alone are we trying to produce poetry. Workable works.

Selling PointsA SKU’s Selling Points are where a customer meets a product’s key features for the first time. Pretend you’re behind a sales counter, and a customer picks up an item. Let’s say it’s a point & shoot camera. “What can you tell me about this one?” she asks. Selling Points correspond to the first few things that you would tell her before her eyes glazed over. Where would you begin? Where would you stop? You’ve got but precious few seconds in this scenario; likewise, in Selling Points, you have precious little space.

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The purpose of the Selling Points is two-fold: Use them to explain basic features that help compare and contrast a product with other similar SKUs, and also point out features that are unique to the product in question – or at least rare, at this price point or for this category. Because they show up along with the Product Name and image in the results of a site search, they help the customer compare several products at once by presenting important product details in quick bites that are digestible at a glance.

Begin by doing an overview of the category on our website. For some categories, you’ll notice a rather strict hierarchical pattern to the Selling Points. But don’t just blindly copy any old pattern. If there’s no existing example that serves the customer, lay a solid foundation for the Selling Points of the category by creating one. This way other writers can build upon your work to cement your hierarchy as the style for the site. Always remember to balance this concept of hierarchy with a healthy dose of common sense.

A good hierarchy of Selling Points should look something like this:

1. How is it product unique within this product category?

2. What makes the product unique within its product line?

3. What are the important features (could require several Selling Points)?

4. Compatibility notes

5. Crucial notes that explain restrictions and/or limitations (keep this as positive as possible)

An example of number 5: “PAL Camcorder for Use in Europe & Asia”

If you notice an existing hierarchy, there is no reason to reinvent the wheel. There is, moreover, a great reason not to reinvent the wheel: When customers search through reams of products on our site, it helps if they can compare and contrast the features and specs of the various models with a quick visual scan. (If such a quick visual scan exposes a clear problem on our website, discuss it with your Manager.) For instance, in terms of consistency, for any camera that B&H sells, the aperture range must be a selling point and it must be formatted like the below. It should include the minimum and maximum apertures, not variable apertures:

Aperture range: f/2.0-4.0

Do not populate the Selling Points with technological buzzwords or fluff. Easy to Use might be acceptable sometimes, but usually you can explain the product’s ease of use in a specific way that the customer will actually believe. Likewise, never describe something only with a subjective adjective when you can deploy empirical data. As a Selling Point, Lightweight is meaningless. Lightweight at 2 lb, however, is concrete and therefore persuasive.

Any fact that shows up in the Selling Points needs to be repeated in either the Description or the Features, so keep that in mind as you reread all your completed sections. There’s no rule for the number of Selling Points that any one item requires; the actual features of the product dictate the need. If a

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carbon fiber rod is a run-of-the-mill carbon fiber rod, there’s no need to conjure up six Selling Points. Be complete, of course: The more the better, but don’t stretch it.

Selling Points require Title Casing (see the Basic Style section for an explanation). That includes words that follow hyphens that would otherwise normally be capitalized. (So it’s Quick-Release Plate Included, and Auto-Ties Four-in-Hand Knot.) If you can avoid it, don’t use a numeral to lead off a Selling Point. Also use complete words: non-native English speakers will not be familiar with most abbreviations. (Approx. and Equiv. are acceptable abbreviations; w/ is not.)

NOTE: Do not ever use HTML code with brackets in the selling points, as in <br> or <b>Bold</b>. Other HTML is ok; however, any code that you enter will eat up valuable space, so you should consider whether it’s necessary.

DescriptionThe Description field should reflect the sum of your efforts at researching the product in question, thinking about its applications (both intended and unintended by the manufacturer), and conceptualizing how it fits with related items and compares with competing items. The Description should illuminate a product’s uniqueness and answer these questions in this order: What is it? What does it do? If applicable, what are its most significant and unique features that make it different from other products in its category? What other significant features does it have? What other less significant features does it come with? You are answering the who, what, when, where, why of the product.

To create a unique description, you need to understand the product to a degree that allows you to differentiate it from all the other SKUs on the website. To create value for the customer, you need to be able to visualize the points of view of a variety of types of customers, and address them all with the confidence that results from thorough research and deep product knowledge.

The style of presentation should look professional. The prose should be engaging. The writing should glow with first-hand objective knowledge. Though it’s generally not possible to handle products before writing about them, you should always imagine yourself using the item as it’s described by your information sources. What do its unique features allow you to do? In what situations does this product represent an ideal solution?

Mention the product name and the manufacturer in bold within the first sentence; however, do not bold variables, such as voltage or color. Use the style that you settled on for the Product Name, but do shorten it or make it smoother when appropriate. Here are a few examples of how. If your product name is Nikon 1 SB-N5 Speedlight for V Cameras, then in your description you should shorten and smooth it out so your first sentence is “The Nikon 1 SB-N5 Speedlight is designed for use with Nikon’s V CS format mirror-less cameras.” If your product is a particular color, list the color in front of the item and bold the product name so that it is conversational in tone. For example, “The silver Sony MD-V6 Heaphones”, not

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“The Sony MD-V6 Headphones (Silver). Reorder the name in a way that makes the Description sound conversational. Sprinkle the product name throughout the Description, with different constructions (full name, shortened name) to keep things fresh.

When writing a description, you should start by stating the name of the product and then elaborate on what this product is and what it does. After, describe why this product is unique by citing its most important, unique features. If it isn’t particularly unique, then you should state its most important features. In so doing, you should use objective facts for the SKU to explain the features. You should never use superlative terms such as “high-quality”, “great for landscape photography”, “excellent sound quality” because they are fluff.

Beyond discussing what is unique about the product, then you can provide the other major features for the product. If you are writing a simple product that can be completely explained in the description, then you don’t need to include features. However, if you are writing a product that is more complicated, you will need to rely upon the features section to detail all of a product’s features. For instance, many DJ headphones can be fully written up in the description section and don’t need any features added. HDSLR cameras are an example of the opposite. With more complicated products, you need to list unique features of the product and any other important features without going into an excess of depth. You should then use the features section to fully explain and list all of that product’s features. There’s no need to mention specifications unless they have direct implications on the uniqueness of the item (and they very well might). The point of the Description field, its reason for being, is to explain to customers why this item might be worth their hard-earned dollars.

The item determines the proper length of the description. You can write up most items within three to five paragraphs. Some items – typically accessories and parts – will require only one or two paragraphs to properly sum them up. In any case, your paragraphs should look clean. It’s helpful to the customer to craft the paragraphs to look like the ones you’ve been reading just now: Relatively brief and uniform in length. To make a section stand out, you might vary the length.

Beyond writing short concise paragraphs, you should use simple, down-to-Earth words as often as possible. While that kind of language still gives you plenty of flexibility as a writer, there are some words that you should never use. Do not use words with a built-in expiration date like “new”, “latest”, “only SKU with XYZ technology” or anything similar. No product will be new or the latest for very long on the B&H website. Similarly, claims about products having the only this or that feature will most likely be proven false later when other products are released from other manufacturers.

You should never use words that refer to the price, as in “expensive” “affordable” “won’t break the bank”and so on. From time to time, B&H does sell an item that could be called “economical” or “cost-effective”. So these two words are ok, although you should use them sparingly.

You should never use words or phrases that single-out a brand, like “better than other brands”, “best at this price-point” “adequate for your needs” and so on. You as a writer are here to provide objective, complete, easy-to-read information –not an evaluation. Once you’ve completed your description, reread it. Is it fluid? Is it easy to read? Is it accurate? Ensure that it is.

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The Description can also have a Note associated with it; however, you should first try to incorporate note-related information in the description, where possible. If you do use a note, that content will be preceded by Note! This will show up in italics at the bottom of the Description. Use the Note field to explain:

1. Common misconceptions about the product2. Not included accessories that are necessary to enable the product to function as expected 3. Purchase or export restrictions4. Any other caveat about the item that a reasonable customer might miss 5. If you cannot list all of the compatible products that the SKU works with, then you will need to

include a note with a brief explanation. You will also need to create a “click-here” popup link that will allow the page to fly-out but that won’t take the customer off our main page. An example of the note would be “Certain models may have limited or no compatibility. Please see the Libec website for an updated list of camera models that are tested and approved.”

FeaturesMost SKUs need Features. Exceptions include replacement parts and accessory items about which there’s not a whole lot to say. Also, you do not need features when you can cover and explain everything about a product in a few short paragraphs. Use common sense to decide which products are simple enough to not require features.

Features can correspond to the bullet lists on manufacturer’s sites, but they must be rewritten in order to clean up the copy, to clear up any ambiguity or potential confusion, and to elaborate on any points that need it. In other words, you can copy & paste manufacturers’ verbiage, but prepare to rewrite everything.

Even with this rewriting, the Features section stands in stark contrast to the Description, which requires wholly original content. Adapt Features wholesale from manufacturers’ sites, but address them all to clean them up for style, check them over for veracity, and strip them of marketing fluff, outlandish claims, and the first person voice used by the manufacture, as in “We spent thirty years perfecting our XYZ technology”. The clearest example of a claim to excise – or at the very least closely scrutinize – is any superlative.

You have seen the type. “Best-in-class resolution.” “Only projector to offer built-in GPS with maps.” “Heaviest load capacity of any pistol-grip ball head.” Rewrite these phrases to remove these claims, which are provably untrue – or likely soon to be.

Features are an opportunity to augment the Description with facts about the SKU that do not fit neatly within the paragraphs of the Description or that require in-depth explanation. Features demand a balancing act: They should not be used as a jumbled clearinghouse for data about the product, nor should they simply recap what’s already covered within the Description.

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Some repetition is welcome, however. Features offer an alternative format for the information that we’re sharing about the product, and they will appeal to customers for whom the Description might be too daunting to read. The Features should be organized in a conceptual way, if at all possible. The easiest way to organize them is by starting with what’s most important and ending with what’s least important. Our directive as web content writers is to include within each SKU every fact that the manufacturer offers on their page for the product. If you haven’t mentioned a product feature within the Description, it needs to be represented in the Features. Beyond elaborating on features for a product, you should also utilize the features section to specifically state if the necessary accessories for the product are not included.

However, not every phrase that the manufacturer uses needs to be incorporated into Features. Let’s say that a manufacturer offers the following bullet points for a portable audio player:

Best-in-class audio performance Sleek product design for a truly high-end feel

You can safely omit these features from your SKU. Neither holds any water: The first is an unsupportable claim of technical superiority (a “superlative,” as explained above, but one that’s not even provable), and the second is an assertion of aesthetic excellence. Now, it’s reasonable to take these “features” as clues to how the manufacturer wants the customer to perceive the MP3 player. So a prudent course of action would be to play up these aspects of the audio player either within the Description or in Features.

NOTE: The look of the Features section is up to the writer, but consistency should rule within a SKU. Therefore all the Features of a SKU should end in a period, or none of them should. Features presented as full sentences should have a Feature Name or be presented under a Header, and sentence fragments should not.

Specifications / AttributesSpecifications must be 100% complete based on what the manufacturer offers. That said, manufacturers are notorious for including in their tables specs that are not really specs. Color is not a spec, for instance. UL listing is not a spec. Other examples of these non-specs include lists of special functions (especially of digital cameras) that should be listed as features, and step-by-step tours of menu screens. Determining what is and what is not a spec will require close familiarity with a product category. Sometimes manufacturers omit specs that are crucial to a customer’s understanding of how a product will operate. For example, specs for cheaper camcorders sometimes don’t include the type of file that the camera captures. Manufacturers often neglect to specify the weight of products that will be carried for long periods or mounted on objects with specific load capacities. For missing specs like these, you’ll need to keep the SKU in Works in Progress until you can gather the minimum of information that will let the customer develop a solid understanding of how the product will perform in the real world. As a first measure, you should obtain the contact information for the rep at the manufacturer or, in some cases,

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for the distributor. You can either use the B&H database for manufacturers or contact the buyer. You should always call the rep and then follow up with an email seeking information for your SKU. If you cannot obtain the full information for a stockable SKU after waiting a day, it is your responsibility as a writer to call up the item from the store and examine it at your desk. In some cases, you should consult with your manager first before requesting the item, such as when the item is very big or expensive.

Many SKUs include a pre-built spec template that’s based on their product category, and this may or may not suit the product in question. Delete any fields that do not apply, and of course add any missing spec fields. The bottom line is that if a manufacturer gives a spec that’s truly a spec, you need to include that spec, regardless if a corresponding label exists. If it’s missing, add a new Spec Label to the data entry system.

Populating the Specifications is a fairly simple process, but proper formatting is important. Use sentence casing for anything you enter into spec fields, except for “sub-specs.” For instance:

Construction Aluminum frame with Green-Rite dry-erase markerboard

A sub-spec creates a distinction within a spec field; it requires Title Casing. Like so:

Weight (Approx.) With Battery: 1.5 lb (0.7 kg) With Hood, Battery, Microphone & XLR Unit: 2.5 lb (1.1 kg)

Many specifications (especially Inputs & Outputs) require a denotation of quantity. To follow the style of the quantities within the Includes section, use the following construction for quantities:

2 x SD/HD-SDI

1 x HDMI type A

Dimensions should be listed second-to-last within the Specifications, and weight should be listed last, except in the case that there’s a system being described, and specifications for the component parts follow those for the full system. In that case, dimensions and weight should be the final two specs in the section that covers the full system.

For listing the AC or DC voltage of a product, you should use the abbreviations VAC and VDC after the numeral. So, for example, if the voltage of a product is 120 to 240, then you would just write 120 to 240 VAC.

For all specifications, a unit of measurement should follow a space that separates it from the numeral. See the Appendix for the proper abbreviations for units of measurement.

AttributesSome SKUs have Attributes rather than Specifications. This is determined entirely by the categorization of the product. Attributes employ drop-down menus and numerical insertion. This provides a baked-in

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style that cannot be modified by the writer, so you cannot adhere to style guidelines within these templates However, if an attributes template needs more information added to it, prepare a very detailed request of what needs to be added and send it to Webdesk. You will need to specify what attribute template needs to be updated, where in the template you need info added, and what info needs to be added specifically. Just to make sure your changes make the most sense, ask your manager to review your request beforehand.

A NOTE ABOUT USING SPEC AND ATTRIBUTES NOTES: Never use spec or attributes notes! These are off-limits unless you’re instructed to use them by your Manager or the Director.

IncludesThe Includes section translates on the website as “What’s in the Box,” and as such it sounds self-explanatory. Conceptually, it is. Practically, there’s a fair amount to learn.

The point of the section is simple enough: to let the customer know exactly what they are getting with their purchase. If a writer neglected to mention a USB cable in the Includes section of a digital camera, a customer might needlessly buy a second cable separately, and write us a nasty note after realizing the redundancy of his second purchase. This is exactly what we want not to happen.

Conversely, the completeness of our “What’s in the Box” section allows our Accessorizers to figure out what’s “missing” – items they can use to populate the “Essential Accessories” section that’s married to “What’s in the Box” on the B&H website.

First of all, do not list the “main item” in the Includes. If you look on the website, you’ll notice that the “What’s in the Box” section is headed by the Product Name. Including the “main item” would be purely redundant. List each appropriate item using Title Casing, and don’t forget the quantity: if there are 4 x AA batteries included, make sure that quantity is stipulated.

If you know an item is included with the SKU, but you’re not sure whether to put it in the Includes, err on the side of inclusion (avoid redundancy, however). If you’re not sure whether an item is included, that’s going to require a round of contact with the rep. Prevent a bug down the road by doing a bit more work on the front end.

Many items that make the Includes section are items that we also sell separately. Any item that fits this description – be it a quick-release plate, a cable, a battery charger, or a lens cap – must be listed as a B&H SKU. This serves two purposes: It gives customers a link for more complete information about what a SKU offers, and it helps them order an additional part or a replacement if the need arises.

If you’re linking to such an item, keep in mind that some items are sold as pairs or sets. If a camera rig comes with a pair of handgrips, make sure you don’t list the quantity as two if the linked SKU in question is actually a pair of handgrips. To add a B&H SKU, select “Link” next to Includes Type and add the B&H SKU number in the box.

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If all of the items included for a SKU are written up on the B&H website and have links, then you should link all of them. Also, you should click the “Display as Bundle” box. This will provide links to all of the items underneath the product description on the SKU’s webpage. The advantage to you as a writer is that you don’t have to add in features or specs. However, beforehand you must check to make sure all items linked to are written up and appearing on our website.

Warranty: At B&H we always list a warranty in the Includes section if it’s offered with a product. Determining the length of a warranty period can be tricky; many manufacturers do not list a standard warranty on their site, and it’s rare to find a warranty listed on a product’s landing page. Not every product has a warranty – software and consumable items such as drumsticks and non-rechargeable batteries spring to mind – but most have one. Always call the manufacturer if you can’t find explicit verification on your own.

Each company’s warranty terms are different. It’s not for us to spell out the minutiae of any warranty, but overpromising is always to be avoided. For that reason, it’s prudent to include the word “limited” with every mention of a warranty: “Limited 1-Year Warranty.”

You should not save a SKU as Completed until you’ve made an attempt at determining the warranty. Do not assume that because a company’s other products carry a one-year warranty that a SKU in question does too – even if it’s a minor variation on an earlier similar product. Companies change their warranty terms all the time, so if a company told you a year ago that “all our products carry a five-year warranty,” it’s a good idea to verify that again. Again, a phone call is the right move.

What makes the Includes (this list is not exhaustive):

Discs (with a tutorial or media or software – no instruction manual CDs should be listed) Cables Interchangeable Mounts Batteries Lens Caps Power Adapters/Cords Quick-Release Plates “Loose” Hardware (such as brackets and screws) Any other “Loose” Items that are not described in the Product Name Warranty Terms (only those that are standard and come spelled out in the box – be careful of

warranty terms that require the customer to complete online registration. Make the terms explicit if necessary)

What doesn’t make the Includes:

Warranty Card Instruction Manual (disc or paper) Quick Start Guide (disc or paper) Items that are designed to be permanently attached to the main unit Items that are listed in the product title (except in the case of Manufacturer Kits)

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Items that are in the Includes of another linked item from the Includes (i.e., no doubling up)

DES Notes and Flags

Web Site NoteMost of the time you will not need to use a Web Site Note. A SKU might need a Web Site Note if it carries restrictions on its use, purchase, or export. Most commonly, the Web Site Note is used to emphasize that a product is a PAL-region item, or that its purchase is allowed only by students or educational institutions with proof of their status. If you’re unfamiliar with the proper handling of a certain product type that takes a Web Site Note, contact your Manager for the current verbiage of these Web Site Note warnings.

DEO NoteBefore examining the other parts of a SKU that you’ll populate every time or almost every time, let’s first touch on the field that you will frequently need to use for the majority of SKUs. The DEO Note is a note field for the Data Entry Operator, i.e., the writer. It never gets published to the web; it’s for internal use only. You should use it to keep a log for yourself and others that explains how you are handling certain critical situations that sometimes happen when writing a SKU. Situations requiring a DEO note include why you are waiting for info, why you needed to fix a SKU that already published, as for a bug, why you updated a SKU with new info, why you think the manufacturer’s info might be wrong, if you needed to order a product from the store, among other things.

If you were waiting on info from the manufacturer, an example of a DEO note might be Left message for Max Powers (555-555-2343) at XYZ Corp for warranty info 1/23/12.

The DEO Note serves as a great way for the writer to communicate with QA about those extenuating circumstance – a reason why a SKU might veer outside the lines that this Writer’s Handbook lays out. As an example, say you’ve noticed what looks like a mistake on a manufacturer’s landing page: The camera rig is described as having 15 cm-diameter rods with 6mm spacing. Now obviously you know that the rig’s rods are actually 15mm in diameter, and they’re spaced 6 cm apart, because that’s the industry standard, and you know an obvious typo when you see one. So you leave a concise note explaining the situation for QA.

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Writing Flags Flags are important tools in DES that writers must use as they complete SKUs. Each flag means something different but in general, they are used to keep track of extremely important information or situations relating to a SKU. When writing up a SKU, you will notice a header on the upper right-hand side of the DES web page that says “Flags”. On a SKU’s webpage, underneath the “Flags” header, there is a dropdown box that has “Flag Item As…” and then a number of items that you can select if you click in the box. The below provides you with a list of the flags and when to use them. If a flag applies while you are writing a product, then you must use it.

Revisit Later: This flag means that you had enough information to release the item as “Completed” but that you know or suspect that new information will be released later. Therefore, you should use this flag as a reminder to add more info to the SKU later when that info becomes available. You should indicate in the SKU’s DEO note area when you expect this information. You might also setup a reminder for yourself in Outlook with the date you expect the information.

After you have added or modified the SKU’s information, you should remove the flag.

Awaiting Information: You must use this flag when a SKU is held up in the “Work in Progress” stage because you are waiting on further crucial information from the manufacturer. The purpose of the flag is to tell your manager, the director, and people in other departments that you cannot write this SKU until that info is obtained. You should add a DEO note as to what information you need, when you last contacted the manufacturer, who you contacted, and how you contacted them.

Once you have all the information that you need, you should remove the flag and save the SKU as “Completed”.

Gradus Product Devlpr N/A:There are two scenarios for using this flag. If you are writing up an In-House Brands item, then you must meet with the product developer as per protocol for In-House Brand SKUs (outlined later). If the product developer is not available to meet, then you must click on the “Gradus Product Devlpr N/A” flag within your SKU. If the product developer does not pick up your phone call or isn’t at their desk when you call them to setup a meeting, then you should immediately use the flag “Gradus Product Devlpr N/A”. I would also immediately send the developer an email about setting up a meeting, after you’ve called.

Once you use the flag, you will be required to add a note. Within the note box, include the below:

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A. The dateB. The name of the product developerC. The reason why that developer is not availableD. If you know when that person will be back in office, entering that info would be helpful

Also, if you wrote up an In-House Brands item and are waiting to hear back from the product developer, then, you should keep your SKU in Work-in-Progress. While you are waiting on the developer’s review, use the Flag “Gradus Product Devlpr N/A”. In the note box, enter the below:

A. The date you sent the email to the developerB. The developer’s nameC. And that your write-up is pending their review

Once the product developer approves the write-up, remove the flag, add a DEO note with the date of approval and the developer’s name. Then save and release the SKU.

Suggest Accessory: When you start writing up a SKU, most of the time the accessories team will already have selected and assigned accessories for your SKU. You can check this by clicking on the REG preview link on the right of your DES SKU page. When you load the preview webpage for your SKU, you should see an “Essential Accessories” header.

Before you save your SKU as “Completed”, you must use the “Suggest Accessory” flag if either of the below applies for your SKU:

1. If the product you are writing up requires a certain accessory that is not listed under “Essential Accessories”

2. If you mention any optional accessories in your write-up that B&H sells and they are not listed under “Essential Accessories”.

If you don’t see any accessories listed for your SKU before you save it as “Completed”, then you should still use the flag if either of the above apply.

Once you flag the SKU, you must include a note that lists any accessories that are missing. You should also include the B&H SKU# for each.

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PROPER WORKFLOW

Priority OrderAddress the SKUs in your queue in priority order. That is, address each Priority 1 item before you move on to any Priority 2 item. Address 2’s before 3’s, 3’s before 4’s, etc. Addressing a SKU means either writing it up completely or working on it until you determine that you have to wait for additional information in order to complete the writing. In the latter case, you should flag the item “Awaiting Info,” save the SKU to Works in Progress and leave a “DEO Note” explaining what you need. If you need information for a priority 1 item, then you will need to contact Abe Kohn to find out the name of the Gradus Group product developer. You will need to setup a meeting with the developer and obtain all information on the product in that meeting (more on that is in the Special SKU Types section). If you are waiting on information for an item that is priority 2 to 5 for longer than a day and it’s in stock, order the item from the store. While you are waiting for the item, you should work on other SKUs in priority order.

When information comes in about an item or when you receive the actual item, you should address the SKU immediately if its priority class is the highest of the items in your queue. In other words, if you’ve moved on to the Priority 4 items in your New Items queue, but information arrives for a Priority 3 item that has an Awaiting Info flag, that item then becomes your top priority.

Within any priority class, you are free to choose to address SKUs in any order that suits you, as long as you complete SKUs that are in stock before SKUs that are not in stock. These rules are all moot, of course, if your Manager directs you to handle your queue in any different way.

Once a day, you should address each SKU that has an Awaiting Info flag: Call the rep first and then email to follow up after your call; search the web to see if any additional info has been posted; update the SKU. And every morning, take stock of the pieces of information that have come in to your inbox. Regardless of the priority of an item that’s Awaiting Info, you can add those missing pieces as long as there are only one to three elements that the SKU lacks for completion.

The Level of Each SKU in DESAs you work in priority order, you will notice that each SKU is also assigned a level value, ranging from 1 to 6. These numbers have nothing to do with priority numbers. Every SKU within a given product category is assigned the same level value. Each level stands for a certain number of points and those points are awarded once a writer saves a SKU as “Completed.” As you work through priority order, most of the time, you will want to write-up items that will award you the most points. And why?

The level value is B&H’s way of translating the total time a writer should spend on a particular SKU into points. At the end of every month, the points for all SKUs written that month are totaled and that total number is translated into a percentage in DES. This percentage allows B&H to judge if the writer is working quickly enough or not. This percentage is particularly important but you should know that there

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are other factors –like writing accuracy and completeness and time spent on outside projects and events– that are also considered in evaluating a writer.

As stated above, every SKU within a product category is assigned the same level value. So, when a writer looks at their queue of products in “Item View”, he or she will see a level attached to each SKU. The levels range from 1 to 6 and each of these numbers stands for a certain number of points. These points also stand for minutes.

Below lists the point values for each level:

Level 1 = 120 points, or minutes

Level 2 = 90 points, or minutes

Level 3 = 60 points, or minutes

Level 4 = 45 points, or minutes

Level 5 = 30 points, or minutes

Level 6 = 20 points, or minutes

The above level values and their points apply when writing individual SKUs. Points are awarded differently for groups, manufacturer bundles, and B&H Kits.

When writing up a group, points are awarded as follows:

a. Only the first item in a group will receive the full allotted Level Value.b. All subsequent items within the group will receive 2.5 points each.c. Completion of the group as a whole will receive 2.5 points.

For B&H Kits and manufacturer kits, 20 points are awarded regardless of the level of the items included.

Finding Information Gathering, vetting, and interpreting information is perhaps the toughest part of the job of a web content writer. Compared to these research tasks, the actual fingers-to-keyboard writing of a SKU might be a piece of cake. Everyone is familiar with search engines and the search functions of individual websites, and a few tricks for using search engines follow in the Appendix. The difficulty comes in sifting through search results and finding more than just a reference to the product you’re after: We need complete information.

Other retailers are not acceptable sources for info. We want information straight from the manufacturer’s mouth. These competitors are working from many of the same price lists that we are, so you’re likely to find the item listed at these sites or elsewhere in similar fashion. But if they’ve

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introduced any errors into their web content, the last thing we want is for that bad information to infect our site. Besides, we want to present original information as much as possible, and that won’t happen if the info is already second-hand. The imperative, then, is to source information directly from the manufacturer or its exclusive distributor.

Of course, that’s not to say that trade journals, blogs, and message boards are not useful as secondary sources. They are. Especially for pre-release items, these secondary sources can reveal the reasons why potential customers are interested in a SKU in question. If you can glean a consensus from a few sources about an unfamiliar or pre-release item, you’ve got something to consider as you also work with information from the manufacturer, which might be bare bones in nature. (Make sure to respect any copyright claims as you consider any secondary sources.)

But you need that primary source: either the manufacturer, or the manufacturer’s exclusive distributor. You cannot proceed with writing a SKU until you establish this source.

Do I Have the Right SKU? It’s absolutely imperative that before you start populating a SKU, you must be 100% sure that what you’re looking at on a manufacturer’s page is the exact configuration of the B&H SKU that you’re trying to complete.

Generally when our version of the manufacturer’s model number (denoted as “Mfr#” in our system) matches precisely the model number on the manufacturer’s page, you can be confident that you’ve found what you’re looking for. That includes all letters, numbers, and any suffixes, although hyphenation and spacing will often differ. Our system’s Unix description (the capitalized name that the SKU carries before it’s written up) should reasonably match the manufacturer’s product name, too.

Sometimes a manufacturer will not employ our (or their) manufacturer number on their landing page. The number will instead be found on a price list. This is generally true of software: Manufacturers often make several pricing configurations for a single software package, including upgrade, student, and volume pricing. In this case you can rely on the price list for the pricing configuration, and use the landing page for general information about the software. To obtain a price list, contact the buyer assigned to the SKU. If you have trouble, ask your manager for access to the X drive.

Occasionally this is true for other products; you’ll find correspondence with our Unix description, but otherwise you won’t find any reference to the manufacturer number – or there will be a slight variation between the two. Or the opposite problem might arise. Sometimes you’ll find that our Mfr# corresponds to the manufacturer’s, but our Unix description contradicts that of the manufacturer.

In either of these cases, you need clarity. Get on the phone with the manufacturer’s rep.

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Dealing with RepsBe persistent when you’re seeking product information. Contact a rep multiple times in a few days if you aren’t getting a response. At the same time, remember that you are representing B&H. Politeness pays dividends – as does doing your homework. A rep is going to be much more willing to help you if you’ve already made an effort to glean the available info.

Check our internal database for company contacts if you don’t already have the email address and the phone number for the proper contact at the manufacturer. Remember that especially at larger companies, different reps own different product lines or categories. If you don’t find a satisfactory contact in our database, email or call the buyer. If the buyer or the buyer’s assistant is not forthcoming with this contact information, check with other writers and imaging team members. If this all fails, let your Manager know. There is no good reason to wait long for contact info.

Once you have the proper contact, tell him or her what you know, what’s unclear, and exactly what you’re looking for. You might ask for specific pieces of information that the manufacturer will likely fail to provide, such as the warranty or various specs, so anticipate everything that you’ll need and try to get all your questions answered in one shot. However, don’t hesitate to follow up with additional questions as they emerge.

A rep might in turn ask you questions about, for example, the status of this or other SKUs in our system, or where to send images. Let them know that any such questions – including “Who’s the buyer for this product?” – should be directed to webdesk@bhphoto.com. Again, be polite: Invite the rep to follow up with you if there’s no prompt response from Webdesk.

Forms of InfoA manufacturer’s landing page is a great source of information. A PDF from a rep also works. Instruction manuals are usually chocked full of information – these usually contain the list of What’s in the Box, so you can populate the Includes (including warranty) when it’s not listed on the landing page.

Price lists are a good resource for determining the precise configurations of SKUs that the manufacturer offers – which can help you anticipate when you’ll need to group SKUs. (See the Special SKUs Types Section). For small or simple items (such as replacement parts and mounting hardware), often the price list is the only source of information that the manufacturer will be able to offer.

For additional information you’ll also gather bits from emails and phone calls from the rep or from a company’s technical support team.

Any way you get it, it’s crucial to list all sources of information in the Information Source section in the data entry system. If a manufacturer emails you a PDF, forward this on to the QA Manager as you’re working on the SKU so that QA will have something to consult as they check your work. If you worked from the instruction manual for the product, list the specific page(s) that you used, because otherwise it’s too hard to find.

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Since you won’t use any factual data that’s found exclusively in sources such as other retailers, blogs, and message boards, you will not list these as Info Sources. These outlets should lend only perspective and color commentary about an item.

Populating & Completing a SKU There is no hard and fast rule about how to populate a SKU. Some writers move in a linear fashion from Selling Points to Includes. Other writers move in the opposite direction. Still others take a scattershot approach.

Working backwards is an extremely effective approach: Start with Specifications and Includes, move on to Features, write the Description, and finish with Selling Points. The advantage to populating a SKU backwards – from Includes through to Specifications & Features and then onto Description & Selling Points – is that you can learn about the product as you go. You move gradually from the copy & paste aspects of the task to the creative portion. First you find out physically what’s included, then absorb and impart the (more or less) objective specs – all of which is (or should be) divorced from a manufacturer’s marketing efforts. Along the way you come to grasp the product on a nuts-and-bolts level before you can be influenced too much by the manufacturer’s sales language.

By the time you get around to populating the Features, which can be lifted wholesale from the product’s landing page and adapted for your use, you’ve got a fairly good idea what the product is, and what the manufacturer purports that it does. At this point you should feel fairly confident in explaining the product in your own terms. You should be able to put the product in context with other products that we sell – whether or not you end up doing this explicitly in the Description. You should have determined what makes the product unique, and thus it’s time to give it a unique Description.

This workflow makes populating the Selling Points, an absolutely crucial element of the SKU, a relative breeze: You’re as familiar with this product as you’re going to be, assuming you have all the information that you need. You’ve described it in several ways already, and by now you should be able to boil down the SKU into the elements that are worthy for inclusion in the Selling Points.

But again, this method is not required. This is a workflow that many writers have found works for them, but you should feel free to tweak it or adopt a different style as best suits you.

Once you’ve populated the entire SKU, it’s time to check your work. The data entry system has no built-in Spell Check function, but you should still submit your copy to a spell check, either within Microsoft Word or, if you’ve installed it, the Google Toolbar. Don’t just scan for red marks – read over your writing to catch clunky phrasing, word-usage problems, factual problems, and any typos that a spell check would ignore. It’s amazing what can slip past our eyes multiple times.

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Special SKU Types

In-House Brands In your “New Items” queue, you will sooner or later be assigned an item that is a priority “1”. Any item with this priority number is an In-House Brand and is your highest priority. In-House Brands, such as impact, Xuma, Xcellon, and others are all designed and manufactured by B&H. However, in marketing materials and packaging, they all are sold under the umbrella brand, “Gradus Group”. You should know that Gradus Group and In-House brands are one and the same. Since these items should receive the highest priority in your queue, you must write them first.

Here are the protocols for writing up In-House Brands items.

1. Before writing up any In-House Brands item, you must speak face-to-face with the product developer and see the actual product. If there is no product or if you cannot meet face-to-face, then you cannot write up the SKU. Calls or emails are no substitute. Before you go to the meeting, you should still check the G drive to get all the preliminary information that you can about the product.

If the product developer is unavailable to meet, refer to #7 below.

2. Abe Kohn can tell you who the product developer is but you are responsible for setting up the meeting.

3. In that meeting, you must obtain all info about the product and sort out all of the finer details. Do not enter the meeting with the intention of just signing off on a product’s info that you got from the G drive. You must discuss the item in detail.

As part of the discussion, you should answer the below questions:

a. Why does this item exist?b. Why is it important?c. What are its significant features?

4. In your meeting, you should take notes and then save them into a Word doc. afterwards.

5. When you start writing up your SKU, you must write a note in the DEO NOTE BOX at the bottom of the SKU, not the Info Source Box. It must include the below:

a. The date when you met with the product developer b. The name of that developer

If there is no DEO note, the SKU will not be QA’d.

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6. After you have written up the item and added your DEO note, the project developer must review and sign off on your write-up. We want to make sure that it covers all info for the product and emphasizes the correct information about it.

If the developer does not review the write-up, then you cannot release it.

Here’s how to send the write-up to the product developer: Go into your SKU in DES, click the green Preview button, copy every section of your write-up, then forward it to the developer in an email. As an added safeguard for yourself, you might want to save any email replies from the developer.

Until you hear back from the product developer, keep your SKU in Work-in-Progress. While you are waiting on the developer’s review, use the Flag “Gradus Product Devlpr N/A”. In the note box, enter the below:

D. The date you sent the email to the developerE. The developer’s nameF. And that your write-up is pending their review

7. If the product developer signs off on your write-up, leave a DEO note that includes the name of the developer and the date that person approved your write-up.

If the product developer is not available to meet, then you must click on the “Gradus Product Devlpr N/A” flag within your SKU. If the product developer does not pick up your phone call or isn’t at their desk when you call them to setup a meeting, then you should immediately use the flag “Gradus Product Devlpr N/A”. You might also immediately send the developer an email about setting up a meeting, after you’ve called.

Once you use the flag, you will be required to add a note. Within the note box, include the below:

E. The dateF. The name of the product developerG. The reason why that developer is not availableH. If you know when that person will be back in office, entering that info would be helpful

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Grouping At B&H, each variation of a product gets its own SKU. Part of our job as content writers is to ensure that similar products – for instance, those that are differentiated only by color, capacity, size, or length – are grouped in the data entry system. Two classic examples are a point-and-shoot camera model that comes in five color variations and a cable that’s available in three lengths.

The practical reason for grouping similar items is that it improves the customer’s search experience on our site. Also, SKU content will sometimes need to be maintained. Effecting a content change globally – to a group of, say, 10 cameras differentiated only by color – is much more efficient than opening and altering 10 individual SKUs. It’s also more reliable, in that there are fewer opportunities to introduce typos and other mistakes.

As a rule of thumb, there should be no more than 10 variables for a group at the very most with 8 being the usual maximum. If your similar SKUs require more than that, do not group them. Also, if some Features apply to particular SKUs and not others, do not group these items.

When you see in your queue several SKUs that are similar enough to group, search the site to determine if there are other products to add to the group. If you notice that potential grouping partners include SKUs that aren’t the same priority or ones assigned to another writer, ask your Manager for assistance. Also, an appropriate group might already exist for your item, or there might be older ungrouped items that could be pulled into your new group.

It doesn’t make sense for us to create three groups for one camera model just because the red and pink SKUs weren’t yet in stock, and the green was assigned to a different writer. If you find yourself in this situation, you should contact the Manager for guidance and perhaps reassignment of SKUs.

Always group items that differ only in their color, capacities (e.g., hard drives and SD cards from the same line), or length & weight (cables; 15mm rods for DSLR rigs). Group software SKUs that differ only in their pricing scheme (upgrades, academic pricing, multi-license bundles) or platform (assuming that all Features are shared).

Sometimes it isn’t practical to group two SKUs even though there’s only one feature difference between them. For example, a tripod might come in two versions – one with twist-lock legs and another with flip locks. Let’s assume that otherwise, their sizes, materials, and features are the same. To group these, you’d need to create a variable (leg_lock_type) for the spec table, of course, and also several more: product name, perhaps the weight spec, and certainly the Description (and possibly the Features). You’d probably need another one for Selling Points, due to the requirement of Title Casing.

Keep in mind that at five or six variables, that number won’t keep you from grouping these SKUs. The question to ask yourself is, with these two SKUs, am I speaking to different types of customers? In other words, would I need to address a potential buyer of a tripod with twist-lock legs differently from the way I’d address a potential purchaser or a tripod with flip-lock legs? And do these tripods have different applications? The answer will tell you if you’ll write up two different SKUs. After all, the ultimate goal is to help the customer in the best way possible.

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Continuing with the example of the two similar tripods, a simple descriptive sentence could tip the balance toward not grouping them. Speed of setup is an advantage of tripods that feature twist locks and anti-rotation legs. This feature can shade your description of the twist-lock model to the point that it would make no sense to group the two SKUs – and more importantly, a customer gets very rich, nuanced guidance on choosing a tripod.

NOTE: To be grouped, SKUs need to share a category and brand. If a SKU is miscategorized and this is preventing you from grouping it properly, contact your Manager.

How to Group in DES 1. Find the SKUs that you want to group together and note their B&H#’s. You will need to examine

the SKUs and figure out what numbers they have in common. Bolded below.

OTDSIP5AP DEFENDER SERIES FOR iPHONE 5 - AP BLAZEDOTDSIP5APP DEFENDER SERIES FOR iPHONE 5 - AP PINKOTDSIP5B DEFENDER SERIES FOR iPHONE 5 - BLACKOTDSIP5BL DEFENDER SERIES FOR iPHONE 5 - BLUSHOTDSIP5BO DEFENDER SERIES FOR iPHONE 5 - BOLTOTDSIP5BOQ DEFENDER SERIES FOR iPHONE 5 - BOOMOTDSIP5G DEFENDER SERIES FOR iPHONE 5 - GLACIEROTDSIP5M4 DEFENDER SERIES FOR iPHONE 5 - MAX4 HDOTDSIP5NS DEFENDER SERIES FOR iPHONE 5-NIGHT SKYOTDSIP5P DEFENDER SERIES FOR iPHONE 5 - PUNK

2. Once you know what SKUs you want to group together, then you should go to the “Data Management” link in DES and within it select “Item Grouping.” You should then see a screen with a big gray box and a header at the top that reads “Item Group Management” in orangey-red text. If you see this, you’re in the right place. All of the remaining steps for grouping will take place on this webpage, except one.

3. Your next step is to create a name for your Group in the “Group Name” text box. There are few strict guidelines for naming your groups; however, here are some pointers. There’s a character count so try to be brief. Also, name your group as specifically as possible. Include the brand and product name for the SKUs you’re grouping. So, using the above SKUs, your name should be: Otter Box iPhone 5 Defender Series Cases. You can even throw in the common string of the B&H SKU# for added specificity: OTDSIP5 Otter Box iPhone 5 Defender Series Cases. So, you want to strike a balance between being brief and as specific as possible.

NOTE: While not mandatory, some manufacturers release similar versions of their products once a year, twice a year, or on even shorter cycles. Computers are a category where this widely applies. So, the smart adjustment to make when naming a group is to add in date-of-release

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info, as in Apple MacBook Air 11.6” (July 2011) or Apple MacBook Air 11.6” Summer 2012 or Apple MacBook Air 11.6” 3rd Qtr.

The benefit of naming groups as specifically as possible is that you or anyone else can find them more quickly and easily when changes need to be made within the group. Otherwise, you can always try and find a SKU on the B&H website that you think belongs to a group. However, when you plug in the B&H# in DES to learn the group’s name, you might only discover that you have the wrong group. That guess-and-check method sometimes works but isn’t foolfull proof and won’t necessarily work as quickly as you would like. So, name your groups intelligently.

4. Your next step, which is optional, is to include a description for your group in the “Description” text box. If you want to include even more specific info about your group here, feel free.

5. For plugging in your SKUs, look a little lower and find the “Search Itemcode” box. Remember our B&H SKU numbers and how we found the common string of numbers within them? OTDSIP5. Here’s where this comes in handy. Type this number in the Search Itemcode box, and then click on the magnifying glass to the immediate right.

NOTE: Make sure there are no spaces before or after the code that you typed; spaces will prevent DES from pulling up SKUs for grouping.

6. To the right of the magnifying glass, notice the header in blue text “Search By Filtering:” Below it are three small headers, “Brand”, “Category”, and “Item / Kits.” To the right of the “Brand” header, it will say “Select Brand”. Here you should select the brand of your product. If you entered the code correctly, you should see the brand there, so in this case “Otter Box.” The product category that you’re looking for will typically pop up, so you won’t need to select it. For “Items / Kits”, you shouldn’t select anything, it will by default be set to “Items”, which is what we always want. Now, click the magnifying glass to your right.

7. Once you click, you will be taken to another screen that lists all B&H SKUs that have this string of code OTDSIP5 in their B&H SKU#. Now you should select all of the items that you want to group together. To do so, click the check box to the left for each SKU. Make sure you have all of the correct items checked. Once done, click the “Add to Group” button to the lower right.

8. And we’re back to the “Item Group Management” page. Below the “Search By Filtering” area, you’ll see a white box that should list all the SKUs that you just selected for the group. If everything’s in order, there’s one last step. Click the “Submit” button to create your group. Once you click this button, DES will have saved your group. If everything is not in order and you see a SKU that shouldn’t be there, click on it once, so it’s highlighted navy blue. Then click the small trash can to the bottom right. This should remove it.

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NOTE: If you do not hit submit after getting everything in your group setup and instead hit the back button on your web browser or if your computer freezes, you will have to go through all of the above steps again. Point is, hit submit to save your group sooner rather later.

9. Once you’ve created your group, click the “Edit Group Content” button to start writing it up.

10. If you aren’t happy with your group or find a group that shouldn’t exist, click the “Delete Group” button to the lower left.

How to Create, Enter, and View Variables in a Group 1. Once you’ve created your group, click the “Edit Group Content” button.

2. You should see a webpage that looks similar to an individual SKU. The name of the group should be at the top in blue. From here, you should scroll down and click on the large, gray “Click to Edit” button to start working in your group.

3. In order to enter variables for the group, look to the left-hand side and find the green button in the shape of a box that says “Variables.” It’s above the green “Web Description” button.

4. To then create a variable, find the “Select Variable” box with a drop-down arrow on its right-hand side. Click it and select “New Variable.” You will then need to type in a name for your variable and click “Ok”.

Be specific when naming your variables, particularly if you create variables with the same kind of info for two different sections of a SKU. Normally, you would do this if the information needed to be formatted differently for each section. For instance, say you wanted to create one variable for cable length that would appear in the description and another variable for the length that would appear in the specs. In the first variable, you would include the length in feet but in the second you would include the length in feet and meters. You would need to make sure to include a bit in the names of each variable that told you where that info would appear in the SKU. An example might be “Length Description” and “Length_Specs”. The underscore is used because DES will not accept variable names with any spaces.

5. You will be taken to a screen with the name of your variable in large orange letters. Lower down you will notice the SKUs in your group are arranged by “Mfr Catalog” number first and the B&H “Item Code” number to the right. Next to each of these SKUs, you will need to enter the variable information in the text field under the header “Variable Value”. For example, if you created a capacity variable for a group of hard drives, this is where you would plug in the numbers for each capacity.

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NOTE: To the right of the “Variable Value” header, you will see the “N/A Unused Values” header. Underneath this header, you will see a checkbox with “N/A:” for each SKU in your group. The only time that you need to check these boxes is when a particular variable does not apply to one of the SKUs in your group. You must check this box if a variable doesn’t apply. If you don’t, the formatting in your write-up for your group will become disorganized whenever you enter this variable.

6. Once you have entered the variable info into each text box, click the “Submit Values” button below. After, immediately click the “Save & Edit” button.

At this point, you have learned how to create and enter variables. Next you will learn how to enter variables into your SKU and preview what each SKU looks like with its variables.

7. Inserting variables into your finished write-up or as you are writing up your group is easy. Simply go into each section of your SKU –Product Name, Web Description, Features, Specs, or Includes- and find the exact place where you want to insert the variable. Place your text cursor where you want the variable, hold down “CTRL” on your keyboard, and then hit the spacebar. A drop-down list of variables will appear and you should left-click on the relevant one.

NOTE 1: If for whatever reason, the dropdown list doesn’t work, you can insert a variable anywhere by typing the variable name in these brackets, $ . So, if you want to insert a variable you’ve called “amps”, then type $amps.

NOTE 2: You will notice that some SKUs have a “Specs” template while others have an “Attributes” template. SKUs with Attributes templates enter variables a little differently so you won’t need to do all of the above.

8. Once you have inserted all of the variables into your write-up, you will want to see what each SKU looks like. To preview each SKU, click the green box with “Preview” on it. After you should see each section of your SKU on one webpage in DES. To view each individual SKU in your group and see how the variables appear, you will need to find the “Select Itemcode” or “Select Mfr Cat #” drop down menus. They are above the product name field of your SKU and each has a drop-down arrow. Within these, click the arrow and select any of the SKUs in your group to preview.

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KitsThere are two general types of kits that you’ll encounter in your queue, manufacturer’s kits and B&H kits.

Manufacturer’s Kits are groups of items that the manufacturer has put together to sell as a bundle. These can be treated by and large like normal SKUs; every item and every feature needs to be described. If a manufacturer describes a SKU as a “kit,” you must determine if it has a main item or not. If the kit has a main item and smaller accessories, then the Product Name, Selling Points, Description, Features, and Specs should focus on the main item. However, the Selling Points, Features, Specs, and Includes sections should account for the other included items. Because the main item should appear in the name of the kit and the write up, you need not add it to the Includes section. To note, most SKUs with attribute templates will only allow you to enter spec information on the main item, or in the case of some camera bundles, the camera and the lens.

If the manufacturer kit doesn’t have a main item, your Selling Points should cover all items in the kit unless there are more than ten. If there are more than ten, then the Selling Points should focus on what the kit is designed to do. For instance, you might write something like, “Accessories to Store & Transport Camera”. Your Description, Features, Specs, and Includes sections should cover all items in the kit.

If all of the items included in a manufacturer’s kit are written up on the B&H website as separate SKUs, then you should link all of them in the Includes. Then you should click the “Display as Bundle” box. This will provide links to all of the items underneath the product description on the SKU’s webpage. The advantage to you as a writer is that you don’t have to add in features or specs. However, beforehand you must check to make sure all items linked to are written up and appearing on our website.

B&H Kits are a slightly different animal. Our buyers put these together, and the only fields to fill out are Product Name, Selling Points, and Description. There are several things to keep in mind as you approach writing up a B&H Kit. The first thing to do is to pull up every individual kit item on our site and familiarize yourself with the kit as a whole. Pay special attention to the quantity of each item that’s included. Why are the items kitted together? How do they interact as a system? And most importantly, what is the benefit to the customer of having this kit? Your description of the kit should primarily focus on this last question. Through that question, you will then go on to describe how items in the kit interact.

NOTE: Sometimes items will not have been written up before the kit becomes your priority. If the unwritten SKU is integral to the kit, contact your Manager to see whether or not this item should be written up out of priority order before you complete the kit.

There are all sorts of B&H kits, some with a main item and accessories, some with just accessories, some with just two items that work with a main item that’s not included and so on. As a writer, you won’t necessarily need to write a great deal for any kit; however, you will need to carefully consider what’s in a kit and how you will write it up. The Product Name of a B&H Kit is somewhat up to your discretion. The kit will have a Unix name that might need to be changed, depending on how close the description matches the anticipated application of the B&H Kit. If there are only two or three items, it might be

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appropriate to list the two or three items and follow that up with “Kit” – i.e., 17” MacBook Pro with 1 TB External Hard Drive Kit. Often you’ll have to shorten the full name of one or more of the items to keep the Product Name from becoming too unwieldy. Other times, there will be too many kit items to list all or even most of them in the Name. In this case, the Unix name might be appropriate, or you might need to generate one of your own. Many light kits and video camera kits require this extra bit of creativity.

You will need to include the word “Kit” in the product name. You should also think about naming kits in the same way that you would for any other SKU. You should aim to be concise and consistent. If there are a set of kits that are basically the same, let’s say they all consist of an iPad and a case for example, and the only difference is the color of the case in each kit, then you should setup a variable at the end of the name with the color. That way, the kits are concise, consistent, and different.

Your Selling Points should cover all of the significant items in the kit unless there are too many. If there are, then the selling points should focus on the main item, the kit accessories, and what those accessories are designed to do. If a B&H Kit does not include a main item, you should focus on what the included items allow someone to do; however, you should write these selling points in an as objective a fashion as possible, as in “Accessories for Indoor Lighting” or “Shoulder Bag for Carrying Camera” or “Bracket & Accessories for Drive Installation”.

The Description of a kit should be short and to the point – no more than two or three paragraphs should be necessary. After all, below your Description copy will be a list of each kit item, with links that expand to the full Description of each SKU. Start with the name as it’s more or less listed in the Product Name field. If you need to shorten it or smooth it out, then do so. For example, if the name of your kit is the “PIX 240i Portable Video Recorder Kit with Case”, your first sentence might be “This B&H Kit includes the Sound Devices PIX 240i Portable Video Recorder and a carrying case with a fully-adjustable suede shoulder strap.” The manufacturer of the main item should be named and bolded in front, as usual. If you think that any other items within the kit might be switched out by a buyer later, then you should not bold them in your description or provide their brand name. In your first sentence, you should indicate that the kit was put together by B&H and you want to bold the letters, as in “This B&H Kit” or “this kit from B&H features XYZ”. You want to make sure the customer knows that this is not a kit that the manufacturer put together.

Also in the first sentence of the description, list the most important kit items or if there aren’t too many extremely small accessories, all of the items included. Then go on to explain why these items are together in a B&H Kit and what the benefit is to the customer. Why is the whole greater than the sum of its parts? What does the whole of the kit enable the customer to do that he or she can’t do with just the main item? Describe the potential applications of the full kit. You are focusing on the why.

Use generic terms for secondary items whenever it makes sense. The reason for this is that buyers change items in kits with some regularity – often by swapping one item for another one with extremely similar specs. So don’t list the manufacturer or product name of a hard drive, for instance: just its type and capacity. By describing auxiliary kit items in a generic manner, you limit the amount of time you’ll need to spend later fixing a kit by changing the name of the manufacturer of the battery charger.

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Do not group kits, unless the kits are the exact same except for color. Buyers put together kits in different combinations for the very reason that they have different intended applications. As you’ll recall from the previous section, that’s sufficient reason not to group them.

AFTER THE FACT

QA and Its FunctionsThe Quality Assurance (QA) team is not here to provide writing guidance or to criticize your work otherwise on that level. Guidance like that comes from your Manager. However, QA might offer suggestions.

QA is here for two main reasons: First, to provide another set of eyes to look at your work. Second, to check that the following four elements are up to par:

1. Accuracy of information2. Completeness of information3. Clarity/grammar/spelling4. Adherence to B&H style

If you find a SKU in your Correction Required queue, that doesn’t mean there’s something necessarily wrong with the way you wrote the SKU. It could be that there’s something wrong, of course. Or QA might be requesting clarification on something that you wrote. Or QA might be offering a suggestion for how can better help the customer via your write-up.

In any case, the item appears in your Correction Required queue because it carries one of the following four flags, which correspond to the four elements listed above:

1. Inaccurate Information2. Incomplete Information3. Clarity/Grammar/Spelling 4. Style

Every morning, visit you Correction Required queue and review the QA flags. Ensure that all the corrections are in line. Correct everything – do not start your daily work of writing new SKUs before you’re finished with your corrections. Once you complete a correction, return the SKU to the Completed queue.

Just remember that the individuals in QA are all human. Like you, they will occasionally make mistakes. If you have a disagreement with any flags, politely and efficiently explain your case to the QA member who reviewed the SKU. If there’s no resolution after going back and forth one time, contact your Manager. Do not waste time arguing with QA, and don’t take anything personally. The two teams work toward the same goal. Any wasted time affects everyone’s performance.

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The goal is to solve all putative problems in one cycle of corrections. If a disagreement involves a debate on a point of technology or of in-house style, and it can’t be solved by the simple exchange of evidence (i.e., referring to technical documents or this Writer’s Handbook), it’s time to bring in the Managers. In most cases, of course, there will be no need for this. Everyone here is acting in good faith with the goal of best serving the customer, so the vast, vast majority of disagreements can and should be solved by sending an email or, preferably, by picking up the phone.

BugsBugs are an inevitability here at B&H. For a company that offers hundreds of thousands of SKUs, fixing errors and making changes to reflect manufacturer updates is a daily activity. It’s a credit to our Web Content team that we don’t have many, many more bugs to address. Still, whether or not you ever make a mistake while writing up a SKU (you will), bugs will fall into your lap. You’ll need to kill them with alacrity and care.

As you approach a new bug, it’s crucial to avoid making any assumptions. Do not assume anything – that the bug is bunk or that it’s correct, or even that the bug refers to the proper SKU. Read the bug, and look up the item on our site. Reread the bug. Look again at the SKU as it’s listed on our site. Bugs come to us from all over the world, so clarity of expression might be wanting. But that has no reflection on the validity of the claim.

Once you figure out what the bug is claiming, it’s time to assess the claim. First, is this bug about the web content writing? It should be. However, it might be about the photo, or about the web formatting or Accessories that are or are not listed. You might also get a bug for an In-House Brands item. In all of these cases, reassign the bug to webdesk@bhphoto.com and politely explain in a Comment why this bug falls outside your jurisdiction. To note, no In-House Brands SKU should ever be modified once you have written it up and QA’s accepted it, unless your manager gives you permission. Do not change the status of any bug in any way if it’s wrongly assigned to you.

If the bug is indeed about descriptive content, consider the source: is it from a customer, a B&H employee, or an employee of the manufacturer? In the third case, you can accept the information as correct as long as it makes sense to you. (After all, you’d probably be contacting this very person to verify the bug’s claim.) This doesn’t mean an update to the SKU is warranted, however. Often manufacturers send in bugs because they want their items marketed differently. That’s not what bugs are for: We’re tasked with correcting factual information and omissions only.

If a store employee or a customer sent in the bug, always verify his or her claim independently. If an employee’s name is attached to the bug and you need clarification, look up the employee and pick up the phone. On the other hand, do not contact a customer even if you see an email address attached to the bug. In either case, do not trust the words of the employee or the customer without first verifying their claims. If the manufacturer’s website does not make it readily apparent that the SKU as it stands is wrong, call the manufacturers’ rep to figure out the truth. Do not close a bug or make changes to a SKU until you’ve verified independently whether or not the bug is valid. Be able to defend your choice.

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NOTE: Be wary if a bug asks you to alter a SKU because the product has been “updated.” Generally speaking, if a manufacturer makes significant changes to an item, we’ll need to create a new SKU for our system – even if the manufacturer’s name stays the same. That’s because when a manufacturer updates an item, the units we have in stock don’t change. This can cause customer-service headaches that are particularly difficult to solve.

Of course, answers often take some time in coming. If this is the case you’ll need to flag the bug as “Waiting_for_information,” carefully and thoroughly document your contact attempt in the “Additional Comments” box, and save the bug as “NEW” once you’ve done some research and made an attempt at contacting the company. Email should serve as a follow-up to a phone call / voicemail – it records your attempt and offers your contact an alternative channel for answering your query.

Once you’ve determined the truth about the SKU in question, it’s time to make changes to the SKU (if warranted) and close the bug. Make sure that you address each area of the SKU to which the bug applies, even if (as is likely) every area is not specified. If you change the SKU, do it in this order. Enter the bug number into the Bug # box in DES, click “Save and Edit” and check to make sure that the bug was saved by clicking on the Bug History link. If you see that it didn’t save, do it again. Once it saves, go back into the SKU and make your fixes. If you have extensive fixes to make, you might click Save and Edit repeatedly so you don’t lose your work to DES freezing. In any case, once you are done, click the button with “Save and Release” on it. You must click “Save and Release” so QA can go into the SKU and add their comments if necessary.

As you close bugs and save them, refer to the following list to select the proper method of closing:

1. FIXED: Use this selection when the issue reported in the bug is valid, and you have fixed the issue so that the data is now correct.

2. NO UPDATE REQUIRED: This should be used when the issue reported in the bug is clear but no fix is required. Such that you either verified that the information that we currently have is correct or the bug is valid but will not be fixed due to B&H policy

[3.] DUPLICATE: Use this selection when the bug in question is a duplicate of another. Close it as a duplicate and list the number of the other bug in the comment box. Do not close both bugsSKUs as duplicates.

3.[4.] WONTFIX: Do not select this option. This is for Webdesk only. If the bug can’t be solved by you add a comment in the bug explaining what the problem is and then reassign the bug to Webdesk. Don’t close the bug.

NOTE: Bugs that belong to a different department should stay open and get reassigned to Webdesk with a comment. If the bug belongs to the writer but also needs changes by another department, the bug should be closed as usual and an email should be send to Webdesk for the changes needed by the other department.

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NOTE: Never select the “do not use” label from the drop down. EVER!

In terms of prioritizing bugs, all P1 bugs must be done the day you get them. If they come in after 5 pm (on M-Th) they can be handled the following day. On Fridays the cut-off time is 2 hr before the EOD. P2 bugs must be cleaned up by the end of the work week that they were assigned in.

Do not leave a bug open for weeks on end, even if you’ve flagged it Waiting_for_information. If you have made a thorough diligent effort to contact the manufacturer but cannot obtain any info from them and the product is in stock in the store, then order it. If the item is not in stock and you’ve made three attempts at calling the rep, take the non-response as evidence that the matter is thoroughly unimportant to the manufacturer. Close the bug as No Update Required.

Many bugs deal with SKUs that were written before our current style was more or less codified. These SKUs might exhibit outdated style, bare-bones information, and zero selling points. It’s not our job to update the style of every old SKU in the system; we’re focused mainly on writing up new items.

However, if a SKU includes a Long Name (in the “Name” field, as opposed to the current “Product Name” field, which should also be present), this should be deleted. Any information that’s in the “Name” field but not included in the SKU’s “Product Name” should be converted into Selling Points. That’s it. There’s no need to update style across the SKU – just address the bug and, if need be, fix the Name / Product Name and the Selling Points.

As a general note, many bugs constitute requests for additional information to be included in a SKU. If the additional information is valid (and available), do not fight the request. It’s quicker for all of us and more helpful to customers to simply add the info than it is to challenge the “importance” of the request.

WRITING STYLE BASICS You know how to write. You know how to punctuate a sentence. It’s easy to make mistakes, however, and the QA process is not designed to catch you hyphenating adjectival phrases that don’t need hyphens, for instance. We’re largely on our own regarding the finer points of grammar.

Here at B&H, we do adhere to the standards of English grammar. QA upholds those standards. A high level of fluency is expected. This Web Content Writer’s Handbook is not the place to learn they’re vs. there vs. their or the fact that gray is the way we in the U.S. spell the name of a color somewhere on the

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spectrum between black and white. With that in mind, it’s important to recap a few basic rules of guidelines of grammar that are easy to neglect.

HyphensUse hyphens with adjectival phrases that start with adjectives, nouns, or short adverbs, such as quick-release plate, specialist-level ergonomic control, or ever-evolving technology, respectively. (However, adverbs that end in -ly take no hyphen: rarely matched sophistication.) Longer adjectival phrases that involve prepositional phrases or series of nouns also require hyphens: strength-to-weight ratio, nuts-and-bolts level.

Remember that these phrases don’t always precede nouns; sometimes they are found after a verb like is, seems, or becomes: A software suite that ended up being well-loved for several reasons. In these cases, the verbs serve to identify the adjectival phrase with the subject in the same manner as if the phrase preceded the subject: well-loved software suite.

Remember that compound verbs require a hyphen, too: You can fine-tune the settings.

These are not just schoolmarmish edicts. In many cases, these rules serve to clarify meaning. The intent of hyphens is to bind words together in discrete meaning-packets. (Not discrete-meaning packets.) There is a significant difference, for example, in the meanings of these two phrases:

1. Unnecessary job-killing regulations2. Unnecessary-job-killing regulations

The first sounds like a terrible set of rules; the second sounds like good policy for a well-regulated economy.

Dangling Modifiers Take heed that your phrases modify the intended words.

Typing away at the computer, the dog whined to get my attention.

Taken literally, this sentence suggests that the narrator has an exceptional dog that nonetheless needs help with some aspects of writing. Take the time to construct your sentences so that the relationships between the words and phrases are sound.

Modifiers (including participial phrases, as in the example above) should sit as close as possible to the phrases they modify.

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Split Infinitives & Split Phrasal VerbsSplitting an infinitive is sometimes necessary, but usually not. The same is true of verb-adverb combinations known as phrasal verbs. You can split phrasal verbs (you really can; look it up), but it’s best to keep the verb parts as close together as possible. Consider the following:

1. The input board allows you to very quickly convert formats.1. Morning is the best time to knock a bunch of long, involved SKUs out.

These are easy fixes. Revising your initial draft, you should be able to catch inelegant constructions like these, and fix them:

2. The input board allows you to convert formats very quickly.2. Morning is the best time to knock out a bunch of long, involved SKUs.

Commas Dozens of rules apply to commas, and you should be able to follow them. For the purpose of writing for our website, one type of comma is particularly important:

Appositives with or without commas. An appositive is a grammatical term for placing a noun or pronoun next to another noun or pronoun, such as Zach, the overpaid CEO, or Sally, the part-time bartender . Using or not using commas with appositives changes the meaning of a sentence. For example, commas in the below tell us that there is more information than necessary for us to understand the sentence:

1. John’s only sister, Meg, is a famous violinist.

What’s essential information and clear is that John’s only sister is a famous violinist. What’s inessential information is that Meg is her name. We don’t need to know her name to make sense of the sentence because we know that John only has one sister. There is no reason for us to guess. In grammatical terms, the commas here signify apposition, that the word or phrase within the commas (Meg) identifies 100% with the preceding noun (sister).

What about not using commas, after a noun or phrase? What does that mean?

Here’s the difference:

2. While all of Bob’s sisters like music, his sister Meg is the only musician.

Not adding commas to this statement tells us that the name “Meg” is essential for us to know which sister is a musician. The author has at the very least more than one sister –it could be two, three, four,

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or more; we just can’t tell how many from the sentence. What we do know is that of all Bob’s sisters, the one named Meg is the musician. We need to know her name in this case because if we didn’t, we would not know which sister is a musician and the sentence would be unclear. So, not adding commas to “Meg” is the grammatical way for the writer to ensure that the sentence makes clear sense for the reader.

If we had even less information, as in “John’s sister, Meg, is a famous violinist” or “John’s sister Meg is a famous violinist”, the commas or lack thereof become extremely important for us to understand the sentence. In the first example, the commas tell us Meg is John’s only sister; in the second sentence, no commas tell us that Meg is one of John’s sisters. These examples are trickier because we would need to know the grammar rule first in order to figure out if John has only one sister or more than one.

Why are these comma distinctions significant for us?

Red Giant’s plug-in, FaceMaker, is a professional facial animation program that works with Adobe After Effects.

This just makes us look ignorant. Using commas here tells the reader that FaceMaker is Red Giant’s only plug-in. It’s most certainly not, so omit the commas for accuracy.

Oxford (Serial) Commas. We like the Oxford comma, the punctuation mark that so often gets omitted from its proper place at the end of a series. In highly technical prose, lists can become confusing, and Oxford commas can help maintain clarity. Consider the following:

1. The device inputs and outputs video and audio files, continuously reports the status of file transfers and encodes files into proxy formats.

Without the comma, most readers will trip a bit as they move from the second to the third function of the imaginary unit in question. With the Oxford comma, this sentence is simply clearer and more elegant:

2. The device inputs and outputs video and audio files, continuously reports the status of file transfers, and encodes files into proxy formats.

Gender-Specific PronounsVery simply, avoid using them whenever possible, as he, she, and he/she all will potentially alienate someone. Eschew these pronouns by using terms like you, the professional user, a photographer, or whatever else fits the context. This is not an ironclad edict, but a guideline.

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Title Casing

B&H employs Title Casing for several parts of a SKU: Product Name, Selling Points, Feature headers, any sub-specifications within the Specifications, and Includes. Title Casing requires you to capitalize the first and last word of every title, as well as every interior word besides coordinating conjunctions, the infinitive (to), articles, and prepositions that are fewer than five letters long.

That means always capitalize It (a pronoun) and Around (six letters), but never capitalize with unless it’s the first or last word. Capitalize words like on and in if they’re adverbs, but never as prepositions in the interior of a title. Always capitalize conjunctions that introduce subordinate clauses: If, That, and As. Hyphenated terms are considered as separate words for capitalization purposes. The term Plug-In has both words capitalized in a Selling Point, because in this context In is not a preposition.

A few exceptions apply. Do not capitalize abbreviations for units of measurement that are not typically capitalized, such as f/ number and lb.

The following examples are Selling Points, but the same rules apply to feature headers and all other areas of a SKU that require title casing:

Built-In Waveform Monitor

Auto or Full Manual Control

Maximum Aperture of f/1.6

Load Capacity of 25 lb

Harmonious Bokeh in Out-of-Focus Areas

AmpersandsAmpersands are also helpful. They can help group related items within a longer series; e.g., “tuna fish, roast beef, and peanut butter & jelly sandwiches.” They are also strong visual separators to break up text within scan-friendly SKU areas such as Features headers and Selling Points, where they carry the side benefit of expending two fewer characters than the spelled-out word.

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B&H STYLE

Not Included, Optional, and Sold SeparatelyManufacturer’s websites sometimes fudge the line between what’s included with an item and what’s an add-on option that requires an additional purchase. We, however, do not. When you have to read a manufacturer’s sentence a couple of times to determine whether a quick-release plate is included with a head, for instance, you can be sure that customers are confused, too. If it’s not selling directly to the public, a manufacturer doesn’t suffer much by encouraging the perception that a product comes with more than it actually does. We, however, do.

For that reason we like to use the phrases not included, optional, and sold separately liberally when warranted. Add this information in both the features and description section, if crucial accessories are not included. To note, if a key accessory needed for a SKU to function is not included, you must also use the “Suggest Accessory” flag and include the B&H SKU# for the accessories not included.

Customers don’t always scrutinize the What’s in the Box section with the degree of care that you might expect from someone about to drop four figures on a lighting kit, and for that reason we use the terms optional, not included, and sold separately to make everything clear. Internal consistency here is important: If you choose to employ not included for a particular SKU, maintain the use of that phrase throughout the SKU.

Some SKUs don’t really stand very well on their own; they’re greatly enhanced by their accessories. If you have more than two optional items to list, there’s an alternative to sprinkling parenthetical warnings throughout a SKU. Instead you can cover all optional add-ons in a single Feature, one that makes it clear in the title that items described in this particular Feature are not included with the purchase of the SKU.

Units of MeasurementEstablishing a style for units of measurement is important not just for the purpose of promoting consistency, but also for safeguarding the readability of the numbers. These figures will, of course, often be viewed at small font sizes on tiny devices by imperfect eyes. Spacing is therefore important for the Specifications section. Everywhere else, including Selling Points, the Description, and Features, we have different rules for spacing, based on industry conventions and what looks “correct” as eyes scan the screen.

Selling Points, Description, and Features: Consult the table in the Appendix, to determine whether or not to include a space between a numeral and the corresponding unit of measurement. Note that any orders-of-magnitude multiplier (kilo-, giga-, tera-) absent from this list should follow the style of its family members that share the same basic unit of measurement. Also to note, for any instances of degrees, inches, or feet, you should use the symbols. So use ° for degrees, ‘ for feet, and “ for inches.

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Specifications: Always insert a space between the numeral and the unit of measurement in Specifications. So instead of 16cm16mm, we normally write 16 cmmm. Exceptions exist for “mm” with focal length and lens diameter as well as hash marks for feet and inches, and for degree marks for temperature and angular measurement. So 40°C, 360°, 72mm, and 12”. (Kelvin measurements do not take the degree symbol; Kelvin should be styled as such: 5600 K daylight.)

Whenever there is a standard unit and a metric equivalent, we list both in the Specifications. For this, the exceptions are focal length and diameter. Because of the precision involved and the millimeter’s wide usage throughout the photo industry, we use millimeters for these measurements.

Of course, within that exception there are a couple of exceptions. Screw dimensions are typically given in standard units only: 1/4”-20 and 3/8”-16 studs. Also, a quarter-inch plug can remain a 1/4” TRS connector (though we prefer 3.5 mm over 1/8” for mini jacks, and 2.5 mm for LANC connections). None of these examples – screw types, lens diameter, focal length – requires conversion for the Spec table.

Conversion, Rounding & Significant Digits: The vast majority of measurements listed in Specifications do require conversion, however. When you convert, use the same number of significant digits in the converted figure as the manufacturer employed originally. That means if a monitor is specified to weigh 6.7 lb, the converted figure should also contain one significant figure after the decimal point: 3.0 kg.

Also, all figures within a particular specification should contain the same number of significant digits. So if an audio recorder’s dimensions are specified as 2.5 x 1 x 4”, these should be changed and converted to 2.5 x 1.0 x 4.0” (6.2 x 2.5 x 10.2 cm).

In all fields besides the Specifications, drop zeros from figures (so the audio recorder is now again 4” high, not 4.0”).

Finally, use common sense with regard to orders of magnitude. That is, if a camera has 85 MB of internal storage, do not write that it features “0.085 GB of internal storage.” This is an extreme example, but the rule of thumb is to avoid extremely high and extremely low numerals by adjusting the unit of measurement accordingly. So a 2000 GB hard drive easily becomes a 2 TB hard drive.

Ranges: Do not double up the unit of measurement. If a range is five to nine meters, this becomes 5-9 m. Likewise, 20 to 60°C. Of course, if the range contains two different units of measurement (as is common with specs such as frequency response), do not convert. Instead, preserve the two different units and add spaces on either side of the hyphen: 20 Hz - 20 kHz.

See the Appendix, p. XX, for the style of specific units of measurement, and to determine whether or not to use a space in non-Specifications sections.

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NumeralsThere is no hard and fast rule for writing numbers in numeral or word form, as in “nine” versus “9”. There are fortunately a few guidelines to help you decide for yourself. As a general ruleTypically, you should use the worda numeral for any numbers that are from 0 to 10. For numbers beyond 10, you should representspell them with numerals. Even with a general rule, it really depends on what part of the SKU the writer is completing. For example, selling points have space constraints so using words to represent numbers is less than ideal. Also, ifout. If you decide not to spell out a given number, then you should ensure that using the numeral will not look awkward or confuse the customer. For instance, if you write “11 Oblong Pegs”, the “11” and the “O” might look like “110” to the customer perusing our website. We want clarity, not misunderstandings, so in this case, spelling out “Eleven” would be the wiser move. Make exceptions where it makes the utmost sense.

As you will discover, some products will have more than one of something, as in inputs or cables or straps or antennae or lenses or whatever else. In the selling points, you will need to decide whether to lead with a number as in, “1TB Hard Drive Capacity” or not, as in “Hard Drive Capacity 1TB”. The latter is generally preferred, except when you’re listing information that conventionally leads with a number, like “12x Zoom Lens.” In the Description and Features, you should write more conversationally, as in “this hub features 8 USB 3.0 ports” or “this hub features twenty-five USB 3.0 ports.” The best way to express this in the Specs is with the number followed by a space and an “x” as in, “8 x USB 3.0 Ports”.

On a topic related to numbers, you will notice that some letters are used to refer to a quantity, as in “k” referring to a thousand. Some of these exact same letters are also used to refer to a unit of measurement, as in “K” for Kelvins. To avoid confusion, you should follow the standard capitalization used for a standard of measurement, as in “dB” for decibels, or “K” for Kelvins. Do not capitalize letters that are only used to abbreviate quantity, as in “300k” or “300 cm”. A prime example of proper style then would be “400K” versus “400k”, where the first represents four hundred Kelvins and the second just represents four hundred thousand.

Use Your Judgment (and Stick to It)We recognize that language shifts like Saharan sands, and technology has a way of accelerating linguistic changes more than anything else. For instance, at the turn of the century it was house practice at most major publications to style the now-familiar website as Web site. Today, that formulation looks as dated as the New Yorker’s insistence on spelling vendor as vender.

We’re not trying to be the New Yorker, or any other literary publication for that matter. We’re not trying to turn back the tide of two-word constructions becoming single, compound words, such as handheld and widescreen. Nor are we updating our house style every time a novel construction crosses some ill-defined threshold of acceptability.

However, as technological language changes, we strive to follow its subtle shifts and transformations. That means you’ll have to use your own judgment, not to mention Google, to figure out how to style a

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wide variety of phrases/words, including (but certainly not limited to) hand-held/handheld, ball head/ballhead, smart phone/smartphone, and pass-through/passthrough. Do not use older B&H SKUs as your guide, because they are just that: older. Use common sense, and take a step back from your work so you can look at it objectively. The visual flow of the prose might carry the answer.

Just remember that brand names, such as QuickTime, require you to follow the style of the manufacturer. If a software company wants to capitalize multiple internal letters within a title, more power to them. WiDGeT MakeR PrO it shall be. Of course, you should follow the company’s style for print, not graphics – check the body copy of the website rather than the product’s logo.

And above all, remember to be consistent within your SKU. That means don’t switch from pass-through to passthrough midway through. And though it won’t always make sense to, try to be consistent from SKU to SKU.

Generic Names vs. Brand NamesDeciding whether or not to use a brand name to describe a common technology is a bit tricky. Take, for instance, the IEEE 1394 interface. This is most commonly known as FireWire, Apple’s name for the technology, which the company co-developed. Sony, which also helped develop the technology, uses its own, lesser-known nomenclature: i.LINK. Now, strictly on principle, i.LINK and FireWire should be given equal consideration for usage, right? Sure – but practically, no one says i.LINK. Very simply, people call it FireWire, so we adopt that as the primary name. IEEE 1394 or simply 1394 connection are good secondary terms to deploy for variety’s sake.

Similarly, is it a PowerTap, Power-Con, D-Tap, or P-Tap connector? In some cases (and this might be one of them), it’s advisable to inform the customer that there are different terms. Even if a particular brand name is widely known, using the generic is helpful because competing manufacturers avoid using the brand names of their competitors. That covers your bases for customers who might be familiar with terminology from other manufacturers. No reason to be the jargon police; let’s strive to speak everyone’s language. After all, we’re not trying to be aesthetically correct; we’re trying to be helpful.

This is also the section that tells you never to use the word Velcro. Unless you know for a fact that a particular item contains bona-fide, name-brand Velcro (and you won’t), use hook & loop fastener or touch-tab fastener instead. Plexiglas and Lens Bracelet are other terms to avoid because of trademark claims.

Finally, there is no reason to use registered trademark (®) or trademark (™) symbols. Omit them always.

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Bad Writing PracticesThere could be a whole other style guide listing every bad writing practice; however, just a few practices to not do are listed here. Some of the below have already been mentioned elsewhere in the handbook as “NOTES.”

-Do not include marketing fluff in your write-up ever.

-Do not abbreviate words that are not commonly abbreviated. Also, do not abbreviate “with” as “w/”.

-Don not use </br> html code anywhere in your SKU.

-Do not use any kind of HTML code that uses brackets within the selling points. So do not use bolding code <b> </b>, italicize code <i></i>, and so on.

-Do not use the word “Velcro” anywhere. Use “Hook-and-Loop-Fastener”.

-Once you have written up an In-House Brand SKU and QA has accepted it, do not go back into it and make changes unless specifically instructed to by your manager or Director. If you receive a bug for an IHB SKU, notify your manager.

-Never use spec, attribute, or feature notes unless you have permission from your manager.

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SOLVING COMMON WEB CONTENT ‘WHAT-IFS’

What if a SKU shows up in red font in my queue? (Or, How do I handle embargoes?) Proceed with extreme caution if a SKU in your queue is listed in red. This means it carries an embargo: A date before which the manufacturer forbids us to release information about a product.

The good news is that our system is set up to prevent the release of information about these SKUs until a certain time. This means that embargoes can be viewed as deadlines. Though we take great care not to break embargoes, we also want to be ready to go with complete, accurate, well-written information the second an embargo lifts. When potential customers start Googling for information about a hot, newly announced item, our site needs to have it written up. In some cases, the manufacturer will modify existing information or provide additional information for a SKU after an embargo release date. Our job is to write-up the SKU as completely as possible with the information that we have before the embargo date and to add all new or different information afterwards. If you know that info will be provided later, then flag the SKU as “Revisit Later” and add a note explaining what info will be added.

NOTE: Pay close attention to military time vs. regular time: 0700 does not mean 7 p.m.; it means 7 a.m. Failure to recognize this distinction could result in missed embargo liftoffs and scary conflagrations all over the building.

Make sure to write up any item with red font well before its embargo liftoff occurs. If you can’t find sufficient information, inform your Manager immediately and also request info from the buyer. Inform the QA Manager and the assigned QA team member once you put the item in Completed.

What if I can’t find a product on the web? Shocking as it may seem, not everything is on the internet. If you don’t already have contact info for this manufacturer, search for it in the manufacturer database or request it from the buyer (and save it when you get it). Every SKU has a link to the email address of the buyer of the particular item. There’s no reason the buyer or the assistant should take longer than 24 hours retrieving this information for you – pick up the phone and call them if you don’t get an answer promptly. It’s in their interest for the products for which they’re responsible to be written up.

Armed with contact information, you can proceed to contact the buyer. But before you do that, make sure you do your homework. The capitalized UNIX name for the item should describe it fairly accurately (this is not always the case, however). Even if it doesn’t turn up the exact SKU you’re working on, searching the manufacturer’s website could reveal an earlier version or a variation of the product that you seem to be seeking. These are good things to mention to the manufacturer when you do make a request for information. Compare the following:

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Hello,

Please send information about the ABC-CT46 tripod.

Thanks.

Steve

Hi Christine,

I’m a writer for B&H’s website and I’m assigned to write up the ABC-CT60 tripod. On your website I see information about other models in the ABC line, but not the CT60. Could you please send me information (full specs, features, etc.) about this model?

Also, do the standard included accessories (bag & Allen keys) and 5-year warranty apply for this model?

Thanks for your help.

Avrum

The first is short and, for the writer, very efficient. It is, however, quite curt. The second, while still brief and to the point, addresses the manufacturer’s rep as a human being rather than a spam recipient. It might take one or even two minutes longer to write than the first email, but the rep is much likelier to respond to it promptly. Because it shows the groundwork that you’ve laid, the rep sees your effort and will probably be happy to meet that effort halfway. Also, because it asks for specific pieces of information, it might obviate the need for repeated emails back and forth when it becomes clear that the warranty or Includes information is not on the manufacturer’s PDF about the ABC-CT60.

Calling the manufacturer and following up a voicemail with an email is a good plan of attack. Like the buyer, the manufacturer’s rep has a vested interested in seeing products written up, so don’t be timid about following up if you don’t get a quick response.

Once you’ve requested info, flag the SKU “Awaiting Information” and move on. If you don’t receive a response in a day, request the item from the store, if it’s in stock. If it’s not in stock, continue to call the manufacturer and send follow-up emails. Use the “Awaiting Information” and DEO Note sections of the SKU to record your contact attempts.

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What if I never hear back from a rep after a few attempts? Ask the buyer if there’s another contact at the company. It’s possible that he’s supplied you with outdated contact info. If the rep is simply missing in action, then contact your Manager and explain the situation. There should be no reason that we can’t get information about products that we sell. Order it from the store if it’s in stock. If it’s not, log your attempts to get info in DEO and Awaiting Information notes.

What if I’m unsure about a piece of information? Can I include it in the SKU if I haven’t published it yet?This is dangerous territory, because it introduces the potential of erroneous information being published on the site. SKUs get reassigned from one writer to another with some regularity, so there’s no certainty that if you leave a SKU in Works in Progress one evening that it’ll be there the next morning. Another writer might take your information as Gospel and run with it. As a general rule, only information for which you have a credible source should be included in a SKU at any point in the writing process.

This rule applies doubly for Product Name and Selling Points. The reason is that whenever we save a SKU, even if it’s saved as New or Works in Progress, anything entered in the Selling Points or Product Name fields immediately goes live to the site. Always proofread the Product Name and Selling Points before you save, regardless of the save status.

What if I can’t find a product’s warranty? Can I move ahead without it?Did you call the rep? You should call (and perhaps email) the rep, and leave a DEO note stating that you did so and you’re waiting on warranty. Keep it in Works in Progress. Wait a day and if you cannot receive info, order it from the store, assuming that it’s in stock. If it’s not, continue to contact the manufacturer. After a second contact attempt, leave a flag to Revisit the item and change the DEO note, and save it as Complete. Then when the information comes in, update the SKU and remove the flag, changing again the DEO note to reflect why you’re changing its status from Accepted to Completed.

What if a SKU is compatible with so many products that all of them cannot be listed in the specs or the features? Under the compatibility spec, the writer should include “Select XYZ modems” and use the description note for adding a brief explanation about compatibility. In addition, the writer should use the description note for including a link to the manufacturer’s website. The writer should create a “click-here” popup link that will keep the customer on the B&H website.

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What if a product name is also the name of the manufacturer?In a scenario that happens with surprising regularity, manufacturers offer eponymous products. For SKUs like this, some redundancy is inevitable. The UNIX manufacturer name will always display, and you always need to pick a product name. That means that when you search the B&H site, you’ll find, for instance, the Pico Dolly Pico Dolly. However, in the Description we can minimize this redundancy by omitting the second reference to the name. That is, we don’t describe The Pico Dolly from Pico Dolly. Just The Pico Dolly is fine.

What if a manufacturer assures me that my B&H SKU is a particular product of theirs, even though our Mfr#, product image, and/or Unix name do not match with that particular product?As long as you and the manufacturer are 100% clear about what’s in question, send an email to webdesk@bhphoto.com and request a Unix bug based on the information you received from the manufacturer. If the Unix name is wrong, request that the bug fix that. Likewise for an erroneous Mfr# or a misleading or altogether wrong photo: Tell Webdesk what you’ve learned, and don’t forget to include the SKU and the rep’s contact info.

Also, when you’re writing up the SKU, make sure to include a DEO note that very briefly explains the discrepancy.

What if I find erroneous information in an existing SKU?During your travels around the B&H website, you’re bound to find some bad information (and typos). See above. Alert Webdesk and request a bug, listing the SKU and explaining why you know information is incorrect.

What if a manufacturer asks me to change something within a SKU?As politely as possible, request that they submit an email to webdesk@bhphoto.com that lists the affected SKU or SKUs and outlines the solution. Or, if the request is already in email form, forward the message on to Webdesk. Never make changes at a manufacturer’s behest without following the protocol of involving Webdesk. There is no consideration for the time that you spend “fixing” SKUs on a freelance basis. Your productivity will slip. If, however, the manufacturer submits a bug, everything will get handled in the proper fashion and you’ll receive credit for your time if you have it coming.

Sometimes, however, the manufacturer will change a product in a significant way, and this will be the crux of the “bug.” In this case you will need to contact the buyer and request the creation of a new SKU for the new item that the manufacturer is describing. Often we still have the older version in stock, so we need to be careful any time there’s a request to change a SKU based on a product update.

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What if a manufacturer informs me that a particular SKU is no longer offered? Check the data entry system to see whether the item is in stock.

If not, then forward an email documenting this fact to the buyer. Ask the buyer to de-list (“DNLA”) the SKU. Put a note in the DEO Note field explaining the situation, add an Awaiting Info flag, and move on to the next SKU.

If the item is in stock and you need further information, kindly explain to the manufacturer that you understand the item is no longer available, but that B&H has several still in stock. Work with whatever information is available. If there’s none or very little, a trip to the store might be in order. (See the section on Bugs for more on that process.) Make sure to inform the buyer that once current stock is depleted, the item should be DNLA’d.

What if I need to make a correction to a SKU that is either in the Completed queue or the Accepted queue?First of all, do not transfer a SKU from Completed or Accepted back into Works in Progress and let it just sit there. This removes all information from the web. For minor corrections to SKUs that are already in Completed or Accepted, fix the SKU, return it to Completed, and write a DEO note explaining what’s been updated and why.

However, in the rare case that the SKU is completely written up wrong, then you will need to fix the SKU and return it to Completed (if complete) or Works in Progress (if incomplete). Write an email to your Manager explaining this situation.

What if a manufacturer or buyer asks you to write up a particular item? Refer any such requests to your Manager. Do not work on any SKU by request of a manufacturer or a buyer.

What if an attributes template is missing information? You must write out a detailed request that states exactly what you want changed or added and send it to webdesk@bhphoto.com. You must specify what attributes template needs to be changed and where in the template the change needs to occur. Include the header name, the relevant field, and what new information should be there or what existing info needs to change. The more specific, the better.

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What if a spec template is missing information or a spec label doesn’t exist? You must go into the “Data Management” tab in DES. For adding a label, you must select “Labels” from the dropdown. You will then be able to create a new spec label. Before you do, you might as well double check to make sure the header you want to create doesn’t already exist.

For updating an existing spec template, use the same dropdown and instead select “Update Existing.” There you can find the appropriate spec template and make your changes.

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APPENDIX

Frequently Used HTML CodesLine break: <br>

Double line break (paragraph spacing): <p>

Space: &nbsp; (This is useful for Groups. Some variables, especially those that don’t apply to every SKU in the Group, need a space at the front. Typing an initial or final space into the Variable field won’t take effect, so instead use the HTML code.)

En dash: &ndash; (–)

Degrees: &deg; (°)

Ohm symbol: &#8486; (Ω)

Micro (mu) symbol (for micrometers, et al): &micro; (µ)

Plus/minus: &plusmn; (±)

Superscript numeral: ^NUMERAL (e.g., ²) (²)*

*Note: In Selling Points, use this code: &supNUMERAL; (e.g., &sup3;) (³)

Bold: <b>bolded words</b>

Italic: <i>italicized words</i>

Bulleted list: <ul><li>First list item</li><li>Second list item</li><li>Third list item (etc.)</li><li>Final list item</li></ul>

NOTE: Never use </br> in any part of your SKU.

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Web Tricks To search for a specific sequence of words only, put quotation marks around the terms you want

to group. To search on a manufacturer’s site only, enter the search term (e.g., “warranty” or “AX-12345”)

followed by “site:www.manufacturer.com”. This often turns up results that the manufacturer’s website search function does not.

If a manufacturer has several different international versions of its site, replacing the “.com” with an asterisk will allow you to search all versions of the site (e.g., “AX-12345 site:canon.*”).

Sometimes placing an item in a “shopping cart” on a manufacturer’s site will reveal its product code. This is helpful for identifying a SKU by manufacturer name when it’s not listed elsewhere.

Use the Google search field for converting different units of measurement or calculating numbers

The Google Toolbar is useful for spell-checking your work as is Microsoft Word

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Units of Measurement: Space or No Space?The below table tells you whether or not you should use a space in between a number and a unit of measurement in the selling points, description, product name, and features of a SKU.

Unit of Measurement Space Required? Exampleamperes No 2.2Abeats per minute Yes 200 BPMcentimeters No 10cmcubic centimeters Yes 10 ccCubic meters Yes 10 m³decibels Yes -10 dBdegrees Celsius No 30°Cdegrees Fahrenheit No 60°Fdegrees Kelvin No 5600Kdots per inch Yes 300 dpiexposure value Yes +3 EVfeet No 3’Feet Yes 3 ftfilm speed or sensor sensitivity rating

Yes 1600 ISO

frames per second Yes 24 fpsf-stop No f/5.6gigabits per second Yes 1.5 Gb/sgigabytes No 8GBGigahertz Yes 3 GHzgrams No 37.1gHertz Yes 60 Hzhours Yes 3 hours (no abbreviation)Images per minute Yes 19 ipminches No 4”Inches Yes 4.0 inkilobits per second Yes 14.4 kb/skilograms No 6kgKilohertz Yes 500 kHzkilohms No 20kΩmegabits per second Yes 25 Mb/smegabytes No 500MBMegahertz Yes 600 MHzMegapixels NoYes 12.3MP3 Mp

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meters No 6.3mmicrometers No 5μmmicroseconds Yes 2 μsmilliamp hours No 17.3mAhmillimeters No 35mmmilliseconds Yes 5 msminutes Yes 50 minutes (no abbreviation)Ohms No 8ΩOunces Yes 4.9 ozPages per minute Yes 19 ppmPounds Yes 7.4 lbrotations per minute Yes 2000 rpmseconds Yes 50 secSquare inches Yes 122 in²Terabyte No 1TBT-stop No T1.8VAC Yes 120 VACVDC Yes 120 VDCvolts No 9Vwatts No 18W

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