Broadcast Style Guide

See the Rebellion Broadcast or Movement Broadcast Telegram channels for examples of well-formatted messages

Content

• Keep messages short. Link out to further information.
• Be consistent in the name and image used for the event/action across all platforms.
• Consider accessibility: It is key in reaching as many people as possible and growing our movement. Mention where people can find out more about physical accessibility.
• Don’t assume knowledge, for example make clear what abbreviations stand for.
• Seek permission before sharing private numbers or email (and don’t share them as a rule otherwise).
• Slow down & check. Your message will land better if the info is accurate.

Links

• Use XR’s link shortener to make links shorter. (You’ll need a Mattermost account to create XR short links. If you don’t have one use TinyURL.)
• Put weblinks on the next line after the text/colon: this is for accessibility as it’s easier to read.
• Don’t use direct (embedded) links on Telegram, share the full hyperlink instead. (Messages are often shared-on to other platforms, which may not support linking.)
• Close linked windows (the cross in top right corner of the message) to reduce the message length and make a neater visual.

Formatting

• Use CAPS in bold for the title of the message (caps and bold because bold doesn't always work when messaged are shared-on to other platforms)
• Dont use italics. Dyslexia style guide and colour blindness info can be found here.

Lists

• Precede lists with a colon
• If lists need to be displayed (ie items on separate lines), consider using a bullet, asterisk or emoji before each item.
• If each item is in complete sentences, end with a full-stop. Otherwise, no punctuation at end of item except for a full stop at the end of the last one
• For in-line lists, separate items by commas; avoid Oxford commas (comma after penultimate item, preceding an ‘and’).

Using Emojis

• Limit the use of emojis. Less is more! Be inclusive in your message format. The visual is as important as the content.
• Don’t frame a message title with emojis or use emojis at the end of a line. The emojis often jump lines when the message is shared to different devices or platforms (Android or iPhone, Signal or Telegram, phone or computer) and can end up looking messy.
• Just use one emoji at the start of the title, if you’re going to use them, and try to colour-coordinate with the header image
• Use one space between image and emoji.
• Consider inclusivity when using emoji skin colours for hands etc. If you want to find more Telegram emojis including additional skin tones check out emojipedia

Attaching Images

• The dimensions for using an image on Telegram are 1920 x 1005 (the same proportions as a Facebook event header)
• Use one image in landscape format.
• Don’t use an image unless it’s a good one, clear & dynamic with high contrast.

Spellings

See the M&M Formatting Style Guide for some commonnly misspelt words