Times Have Definitely Changed

I found this great list over at Wired.com titled 100 Things Your Kids May Never Know. Since I have no kids at the moment this will undoubtedly be true. There are a couple I don’t know about myself.

I bring this up for two reasons. One, reading this list has reminded me just how much the speed at which technology progresses has quickened. It seems ever more difficult to develop technology which can sustain for significant period of time. It’s also fun to wax nostalgic over technology I just had to be a part of when I was a teen, and now dates me.

Second, the title of this piece is an excellent example of how to entice your readers with a title. Look at the magazine racks around you, there are numbers everywhere. Studies have shown that using number in the title of an article makes it more likely to be read. It lends more credibility to the piece since numbers are recognized as something solid, believable. “It’s got a number, there must have been a lot of research involved.”

I struggle a great deal with titles. I think that a lot of us creative types do. It can make or break any piece.

Any suggestions on how to title something?