Who rocks the party?
Prepared for the Content Strategy Consortium
Margot Bloomstein | March 19, 2009

Who rocks the party
that rocks the body?

Who rocks the party
that rocks the body?
Content rocks the party
that rocks the body!

what to wear
gossip & chatter
Content rocks the party
directions
invitations
food

snarky t-shirt
or black tie?
what to wear
what she said
gossip & chatter
Content rocks the party
directions
invitations
evite or engraved?
food
crudités or veggie platter?
college friends or
work friends?

So… what happens when
content strategy
doesn’t host the party?

“ I love Skittles so much I want
to take it behind the middle “ Chocolate Skittles… peat,
school and get it pregnant.” burnt food, cigarette butts”
“‘ Taste the rainbow’ clearly
an NAACP plot to encourage
interracial promiscuity”

How do you throw a good party
and get user-generated content
that’s appropriate for your brand?

Answer:
Content strategy must anticipate—
and accommodate and invite—
user-generated content.
(otherwise, expect party crashers)

Web 1.0 was easy.

In Web 2.0,
everybody In Web 2.0,
has a say.
everyone is
part of the
conversation.

Even if it’s a potluck,
a good host still provides
appetizers.

Even if it’s a potluck,
a good host still provides
appetizers.
You’re the hostess with the mostess.

Even if it’s a potluck,
a good host still provides
appetizers.
You’re the hostess with the mostess.
publisher

Even if it’s a potluck,
a good host still provides
appetizers.
You’re the hostess with the mostess.
publisher*
editor
* Joe Pulizzi/Kristina Halvorson Web Content Strategy OMS presentation

starter content
appetizers
“role model”
profiles
“refill drinks”
stir up discussion

According to comScore, many of
the top 10 sites for inbound traffic
deal in user-generated content.
craigslist—Craig = positive brand

Black turtleneck
…or black tie?

Ancillary content helps set the tone
Instructional copy, help, FAQs
Error messaging
Example / default content
Prefilled fields
Structures (top 5 lists, restricted taxonomies)

Ancillary content helps set the tone
Instructional copy, help, FAQs
Error messaging
Example / default content
Prefilled fields
Structures (top 5 lists, restricted taxonomies)

Ancillary content helps set the tone
Instructional copy, help, FAQs
Error messaging
Example / default content
Prefilled fields
Structures (top 5 lists, restricted taxonomies)

What’s in, and what’s out?
User-generated vs. user-aggregated content
Photograph vs. illustration, headshot vs. full body
Snark vs. polite discourse

Throw a good party—
invite a content strategist.
Margot Bloomstein
mbloomstein@isitedesign.com
@mbloomstein
Presentation © 2009 Margot Bloomstein;
All images copyright their respective owners.