www.flickr.com/photos/dandeluca/3083945050/ FLEXIBLE CONTENT future-ready organizations
stc summit / atlanta / may 6, 2013 requires sara wachter-boettcher @sara_ann_marie

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

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

‘‘In traditional media, canvas dimensions
are a 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
the management of content throughout the entire lifecycle. Rahel Bailie, Just Before Lunch

✦ Defines how content will
support both users and business ✦ Sets priorities, standards, and benchmarks for success ✦ Creates a framework for decision- making ✦ Establishes shared vision for content across teams or departments

It might mean auditing your
content.

Defining what you should sound
like. Message architecture example from Margot Bloomstein

Or creating systematic plans for
writing and collecting it... Page table example from Relly Annett-Baker

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

Inaccessible.

Broken.

Missing.

Useless.

Even launching a responsive homepage
is hard.

‘‘ The Microsoft.com team built
tools, guidelines, and processes to help localize everything from responsive images to responsive content into approximately 100 different markets... They adapted their CMS to allow Content Strategists to program 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 OUR
CONTENT’S STILL STUCK.

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

We create content like this.
CONTENT GOES HERE.

So we can do this.
www.flickr.com/photos/76029035@N02/6829344565 CONTENT GOES HERE.

But we end up with
this. CONTENT GOES HERE.

it’ll only get By Eva-Lotta
Lamm worse

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

We have the tools to
make content do more.

NPR’s Central CMS Storage API
Websites Mobile Sites Apps Third Parties COPE: Create Once, Publish Everywhere

content like
water
www.flickr.com/photos/briangaid/2909765394/

Of course, content doesn’t just
magically flow.

It takes infrastructure.

Which starts with content.

Less like this.

And a little more like
this.

how it all connects then
modeling

Data models have been around
forever (well, a few decades at least). From Web Database Applications with PHP & MySQL by Hugh E. Williams and David Lane (O’Reilly, 2003)

what? no idea! huh? But
it’s easy to forget that data is also content.

www.melissaanddoug.com
be arbitrary
structure can’t

By Eva-Lotta Lamm be human
it needs to

This means revisiting our content...

www.flickr.com/photos/darkfoxprime/4348506299/
patterns
and finding

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

Finding patterns gives you content
types.

...etc. etc. etc. Event Listings
Shows Blog Posts Articles Profiles Bios Help Modules Press Releases Directories Recipes Shows Product Listings News Briefs Research Papers

Content types help you create
a content system.

Start with a single type
of content, like a recipe. What is it? What makes it a recipe?

Then, how do our different
content types fit together?

systems give us options By
Eva-Lotta Lamm

‘‘Adaptive content automatically adjusts to
different environments and device capabilities... [It] can be displayed in any desired order, made to respond to specific customer interactions, changed based on location, and integrated with content from other sources. Ann Rockley

We can’t manually manage how
each bit of content looks. But every bit of structure gives us the option to make a rule.

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

Display the headline and summary
of the most recent article in the travel category.

structure sets content free By
Eva-Lotta Lamm

Getting there isn’t easy.

our content’s stuck BECAUSE WE
ARE STUCK.

it’s people,
not just tech

3CHALLENGES
FOR OUR
ORGANIZATIONS

mentality
1. mass-production

People keep creating content the
same way they always have: big WYSIWYG blobs, Word docs, and PDFs. THE PROBLEM

WYSIWYG or
WYSIWTF?

THE REAL PROBLEM Content-producing roles
aren’t tied to business goals and vision—so those working in them have no reason to change.

www.flickr.com/photos/seattlemunicipalarchives/2710933334 that’s not my job!
i just keep the production line moving.

A BETTER WAY Content strategy
bridges the gap between executive vision and daily execution—not just for a project, but over time.

teams
2. compartmentalized

The organization is divided into
departments that don’t communicate—or, even worse, are hostile to one another. THE PROBLEM

protect the
fiefdom!
www.flickr.com/photos/domhill/7190797128/

Government is notorious for this.

This is duplicative and inefficient.
Not to mention confusing as hell.

Departments that are always focused
on themselves are not thinking about their customers. THE REAL PROBLEM

www.flickr.com/photos/red_devil/4728500604
the underpants
problem

‘‘Customers don't know—and don't care
to know—how government is organized. So why make them go from agency [website] to agency [website] to get the full picture of what gov't has to offer on any subject? Participant, National Dialogue on Improving Government Websites

Transcend silos with cross- department
teams focused on tackling a single issue. Empower them to spread new ideas. A BETTER WAY

www.flickr.com/photos/expertinfantry/5416964813
control
3. obsession with

Stakeholders don’t get digital— they
want to see everything fixed in place, like print, before approving it. THE PROBLEM

terrifies them
user control

The organization isn’t built for
change—and suddenly, things are changing fast. Rather than adapt, it’s trying to stop the shift. THE REAL PROBLEM

keep moving
but things

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

good news! WE CAN DO
SOMETHING ABOUT THIS

excited bunch we’re an LIFE
magazine archives

It’s time we share that
passion with the whole organization.

3WAYS
TO WORK
DIFFERENTLY

Make mobile an entry point,
not the end point. 1

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

True for changing organizations, too.

break down doors use mobile
to www.flickr.com/photos/justin-march/3720489344/

Don’t sell solutions. Invest more
deeply. 2

save the day
we don’t

You can’t be your organization’s
savior.

You can’t be your organization’s
mastermind.

teamwork
it’s hard, messy
www.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 fish
teach ‘em

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

know it all
we can’t

everyone along but we can
help

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