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 unlessor you’veuse testedemojis itat onthe differentend platforms.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, which is counterproductive and can put people off.messy.
• Just use one emoji at the start of athe line,title, if you’re going to use them.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