www.flickr.com/photos/dandeluca/3083945050/FLEXIBLECONTENTfuture-readyorganizationsstc summit / atlanta /
may 6, 2013requiressara wachter-boettcher@sara_ann_marie

‘‘Every client, in my experience,
has acontent problem.Mark Boulton, Web Directions South 2012

Mobile is making the web
(finally)talk about it.

‘‘In traditional media, canvas dimensions
area known constraint. With digital, however,the canvas is an unknown...We need to build on what we do know:content.Chris Armstrong, “The Infinite Grid”

But do we actually know
our content?

That’s what content strategy is
all about.

‘‘A repeatable system that governs
themanagement of content throughout theentire lifecycle.Rahel Bailie, Just Before Lunch

✦ Defines how content will
supportboth users and business✦ Sets priorities, standards, andbenchmarks for success✦ Creates a framework for decision-making✦ Establishes shared vision for contentacross teams or departments

It might mean auditing your
content.

Defining what you should sound
like.Message architecture examplefrom Margot Bloomstein

Or creatingsystematic plansfor writing andcollecting
it...Page table example fromRelly Annett-Baker

and yet:IT’S STILL SODANG HARD,ISN’T
IT?

Inaccessible.

Broken.

Missing.

Useless.

Even launching a responsivehomepage is
hard.

‘‘The Microsoft.com team built tools,guidelines,
and processes to help localizeeverything from responsive images toresponsive content into approximately100 different markets... They adaptedtheir CMS to allow Content Strategists toprogram content on the site.Nishant Kothary,“The Story of the New Microsoft.com”

This is why mobile is
such a problem.

we’re moving forward,BUT OURCONTENT’SSTILL STUCK.

on the website”“just stick it
upwww.flickr.com/photos/wordridden/6125516150/

We create content like this.CONTENTGOES
HERE.

So we can do this.www.flickr.com/photos/76029035@N02/6829344565CONTENTGOESHERE.

But we end up with
this.CONTENTGOESHERE.

it’ll only getBy Eva-Lotta Lammworse

We can’t make more content
for everynew device and channel.

We have the tools to
make contentdo more.

NPR’sCentralCMSStorage APIWebsitesMobile SitesAppsThird PartiesCOPE: Create
Once,Publish Everywhere

content likewaterwww.flickr.com/photos/briangaid/2909765394/

Of course, content doesn’t justmagically
flow.

It takes infrastructure.

Which starts with content.

Less like this.

And a little more like
this.

how it all connectsthen modeling

Data models havebeen aroundforever (well,
afew decades atleast).From Web Database Applications with PHP & MySQLby Hugh E. Williams and David Lane (O’Reilly, 2003)

what?noidea!huh?But it’s easy to forget
that data isalso content.

www.melissaanddoug.combe arbitrarystructure can’t

By Eva-Lotta Lammbe humanit needs
to

This means revisiting our content...

www.flickr.com/photos/darkfoxprime/4348506299/patternsand finding

www.flickr.com/photos/peroshenka/408997641not just “pages”

Finding patterns gives youcontent types.

...etc. etc. etc.Event ListingsShowsBlog PostsArticlesProfilesBiosHelp
ModulesPress ReleasesDirectoriesRecipesShowsProduct ListingsNews BriefsResearch Papers

Content types help you create
acontent system.

Start with asingle type ofcontent,
like a recipe.What is it? What makesit a recipe?

Then, how do ourdifferent content
typesfit together?

systems giveus optionsBy Eva-Lotta Lamm

‘‘Adaptive content automatically adjusts todifferent
environments and devicecapabilities... [It] can be displayed in anydesired order, made to respond to specificcustomer interactions, changed based onlocation, and integrated with content fromother sources.Ann Rockley

We can’t manually manage howeach
bit of content looks.But every bit of structure gives usthe option to make a rule.

If a recipe is in
the app,then include the ratingsbefore the ingredients.

Display the headline andsummary of
the most recentarticle in the travel category.

structure setscontent freeBy Eva-Lotta Lamm

Getting there isn’t easy.

our content’s stuckBECAUSEWE ARESTUCK.

it’s people,not just tech

3CHALLENGESFOR OURORGANIZATIONS

mentality1. mass-production

People keep creating contentthe same
way they alwayshave: big WYSIWYG blobs,Word docs, and PDFs.THE PROBLEM

WYSIWYG orWYSIWTF?

THE REAL PROBLEMContent-producing roles aren’ttied
to business goals andvision—so those working inthem have no reason to change.

www.flickr.com/photos/seattlemunicipalarchives/2710933334that’s not my job! i
justkeep the productionline moving.

A BETTER WAYContent strategy bridges
thegap between executive visionand daily execution—not justfor a project, but over time.

teams2. compartmentalized

The organization is dividedinto departments
that don’tcommunicate—or, even worse,are hostile to one another.THE PROBLEM

protect thefiefdom!www.flickr.com/photos/domhill/7190797128/

Government is notorious for this.

This is duplicative and inefficient.
Notto mention confusing as hell.

Departments that are alwaysfocused on
themselves are notthinking about their customers.THE REAL PROBLEM

www.flickr.com/photos/red_devil/4728500604the underpantsproblem

‘‘Customers dont know—and dont care
toknow—how government is organized. Sowhy make them go from agency [website]to agency [website] to get the full picture ofwhat govt has to offer on any subject?Participant, National Dialogue onImproving Government Websites

Transcend silos with cross-department teams
focused ontackling a single issue. Empowerthem to spread new ideas.A BETTER WAY

www.flickr.com/photos/expertinfantry/5416964813control3. obsession with

Stakeholders don’t get digital—they want
to see everythingfixed in place, like print, beforeapproving it.THE PROBLEM

terrifies themuser control

The organization isn’t built forchange—and
suddenly, thingsare changing fast. Rather thanadapt, it’s trying to stop the shift.THE REAL PROBLEM

keep movingbut things

It’s not just dealing with
mobile.It’s becoming an organizationthat’s adept at change.A BETTER WAY

good news!WE CAN DOSOMETHINGABOUT THIS

excited bunchwe’re anLIFE magazine archives

It’s time we share that
passion with thewhole organization.

3WAYSTO WORKDIFFERENTLY

Make mobile an entrypoint, not
the end point.1

‘‘Use mobile as a wedge
to create a betterexperience for ALL users.Karen McGrane

True for changing organizations, too.

break down doorsuse mobile towww.flickr.com/photos/justin-march/3720489344/

Don’t sell solutions.Invest more deeply.2

save the daywe don’t

You can’t be your organization’ssavior.

You can’t be your organization’smastermind.

teamworkit’s hard, messywww.flickr.com/photos/trondheim_byarkiv/4773880876

Do less.Facilitate more.3

After the breakpoints are established...

Or the API is launched...

The content still needs work.

to fishteach ‘em

Find the people your work
affects,and incorporate them from the start.

know it allwe can’t

everyone alongbut we can help

THANK YOUFlickr images used via
CC-Attribution license unless otherwise noted.Illustrations used with the permission of Eva-Lotta Lamm.Save 25% on Content Everywhere withthe code SWB:rfld.me/content-everywheresarawb.com // @sara_ann_marie