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Not really a critique, more of a question

RCubedJewelryRCubedJewelry subscriber Posts: 3
edited March 2008 in Website Critique
I have a question that relates to how I set up the website, and I wasn`t sure where to post it, so I figure here is as good a place as any. I was wondering how to refer to myself on my website. I run a single person company, R Cubed Jewelry at http://www.rcubedjewelry.com, and I don`t really know whether to refer to myself in the singular or my company in the plural, which, at least to me seems more professional. That said, then there are spaces like on my FAQ page where the questions are more personal or refer to me as an artist rather than the company as a whole, where it seems to make more sense to use the singular. AHHH! What are your thoughts on this? I`d appreciate it if you could look at the site for that, to see if this is a reasonable solution. General thoughts also greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Comments

  • RCubedJewelryRCubedJewelry subscriber Posts: 3
    For instance, on the front page:
    Welcome to R Cubed Jewelry, your source for individualized, handcrafted jewelry in sterling silver and gold with precious and semi-precious stones, owned and solely run by Rebecca (Bekka) Ross Russell. I have been studying jewelry and metalwork for seven years, and take great pride in creating truly unique pieces for each client. I work to provide you with a balance between wearable and art jewelry, staples and splurges, the everyday and the extraordinary.
    OR
    Welcome to R Cubed Jewelry, your source for individualized, handcrafted jewelry in sterling silver and gold with precious and semi-precious stones, owned and solely run by Rebecca (Bekka) Ross Russell. Bekka has been studying jewelry and metalwork for seven years, and takes great pride in creating truly unique pieces for each client. R Cubed Jewelry strives to provide you with a balance between wearable and art jewelry, staples and splurges, the everyday and the extraordinary.
    From what I`ve read, first person is usually better because it`s more personal, but in my case, the business and page are so small that intimacy isn`t my problem, professionalism is. And if I DO use first person, there`s the darn I/We thing. Hrmph.
  • RCubedJewelryRCubedJewelry subscriber Posts: 3
    Great, thanks, I`m rewriting the homepage copy along those lines now. As for the FAQ page, I feel like it`s appropriate to use "I" still, since they`re questions directly to the artist. Does that make sense to you? I really appreciate your help, I`m clearly very new at this!
  • RCubedJewelryRCubedJewelry subscriber Posts: 3
    Alright, here is my compromise solution so far. I am avoiding "I" OR "We" in the first page introduction, and keeping it third person. All of the other pages I`ve rewritten to avoid personal pronouns except "you." The FAQ page, since it is written in a Q and A, impersonal format, I`ve used "I" on. I feel like the front page text is a little clunky, but this is all I could think of. Reasonable? Anyone have better ideas?
  • RCubedJewelryRCubedJewelry subscriber Posts: 3
    You could write your entire Web site without any pronouns at all, other
    than those referring to the customer. Then, on the "About Us" page,
    which specifically means a personal bio or autobiography, change the
    POV. At that point, if there`s only one person ("I"), the company
    appears differently than if it`s an organization ("
    we").This is the approach I`ve decided to go with, for now. The FAQ page refers to me in the first person singular, but every other page is "you" focused or uses the company name if there`s no way to rewrite it. I guess I`ll have to testdrive it a little and see how it works out. Thanks so much for your help, both of you, I really appreciate it.
  • RCubedJewelryRCubedJewelry subscriber Posts: 3
    PS, Craig, why don`t you like FAQ pages? Mine is essentially an "About Us" page but addressing the specific concerns I`ve heard from jewelry customers in a more organized format.
  • VideographyVideography subscriber Posts: 401 Silver Level Member
    "... and implies a larger organization than one person."
    I always use "we" because though I do 90% of the work myself, I generally hire a helper to go with me to a project.  So, "we" applies from the perspective of the client.
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