On Content Strategy Approaches to manage content Prasanna Lal Das (http://www.prasannalaldas.blogspot.com/)

Setting the stage Why content strategy Components of content strategy Planning your approach Prasanna Lal Das (http://www.prasannalaldas.blogspot.com/)

Why content strategy

Components of content strategy

Planning your approach

The content world Content plays different roles in organizations Communication/dissemination/information Operational/technical Learning/training Business continuity Legal/regulatory More All of us participate in the production and consumption of content Prasanna Lal Das (http://www.prasannalaldas.blogspot.com/)

Content plays different roles in organizations

Communication/dissemination/information

Operational/technical

Learning/training

Business continuity

Legal/regulatory

More

All of us participate in the production and consumption of content

The state of content Most of us are not trained content professionals and operate in an unstructured content environment No standard documentation process/standards Ill-defined workflows No defined storage guidelines Unclear lifecycle of individual pieces of content Little emphasis on reuse and maintenance The result is ‘discontent with content’ Content loss Poor content ‘findability’ and portability Trust issues and growing irrelevance of content Consequent impact on business Prasanna Lal Das (http://www.prasannalaldas.blogspot.com/)

Most of us are not trained content professionals and operate in an unstructured content environment

No standard documentation process/standards

Ill-defined workflows

No defined storage guidelines

Unclear lifecycle of individual pieces of content

Little emphasis on reuse and maintenance

The result is ‘discontent with content’

Content loss

Poor content ‘findability’ and portability

Trust issues and growing irrelevance of content

Consequent impact on business

The role of content strategy The role of content strategy is to – Help organizations define the purpose and value of their content Identify the content artifacts in an organization and define the characteristics and associated rules of an organization’s content types Establish a workflow that is sensitive to the unique needs and constraints of the organization Help develop the ‘personality’ of an organization’s content Help create/adapt a content infrastructure to support an organization’s content processes Help build capacity within the organization to sustain a best practices driven content environment Provide a long-term view to an organization’s content methodology The objective is to produce content that is – Relevant Accurate Usable Portable Sustainable Prasanna Lal Das (http://www.prasannalaldas.blogspot.com/)

The role of content strategy is to –

Help organizations define the purpose and value of their content

Identify the content artifacts in an organization and define the characteristics and associated rules of an organization’s content types

Establish a workflow that is sensitive to the unique needs and constraints of the organization

Help develop the ‘personality’ of an organization’s content

Help create/adapt a content infrastructure to support an organization’s content processes

Help build capacity within the organization to sustain a best practices driven content environment

Provide a long-term view to an organization’s content methodology

The objective is to produce content that is –

Relevant

Accurate

Usable

Portable

Sustainable

The purpose and value of content It is important to define the role of content in an organization Why do you produce content How do you know that your content is appropriate How well do you understand your readers’ needs (who needs what content, when, why, and how) Which parts of the content lifecycle (capture/storage/dissemination/disposal) are most critical to the organization Possible sources of input include – The organization’s communications strategy (internal/external) Management objectives Operational priorities It is also important to measure the effectiveness of your content delivery Impact on revenue Cost and time savings/Increased productivity Improved deployment of resources Better risk management/compliance Superior change management More Deliverables include – Content value-proposition Current state assessment (content) Content inventory Competition audits User analysis Prasanna Lal Das (http://www.prasannalaldas.blogspot.com/)

It is important to define the role of content in an organization

Why do you produce content

How do you know that your content is appropriate

How well do you understand your readers’ needs (who needs what content, when, why, and how)

Which parts of the content lifecycle (capture/storage/dissemination/disposal) are most critical to the organization

Possible sources of input include –

The organization’s communications strategy (internal/external)

Management objectives

Operational priorities

It is also important to measure the effectiveness of your content delivery

Impact on revenue

Cost and time savings/Increased productivity

Improved deployment of resources

Better risk management/compliance

Superior change management

More

Deliverables include –

Content value-proposition

Current state assessment (content)

Content inventory

Competition audits

User analysis

Content types and attributes As much as possible, each organization must define a finite list of content types A content type denotes a group of content objects with common – Structure Purpose Examples of content types include – Feature articles FAQs Working papers Reports It is advisable to group content types based on structure or purpose Content types definition helps – Determine authoring/publishing templates Create business rules to manage content Define content attributes or metadata Content type does not and should not determine display type Deliverables include – Inventory of content types (classified as necessary) Draft templates Prasanna Lal Das (http://www.prasannalaldas.blogspot.com/)

As much as possible, each organization must define a finite list of content types

A content type denotes a group of content objects with common –

Structure

Purpose

Examples of content types include –

Feature articles

FAQs

Working papers

Reports

It is advisable to group content types based on structure or purpose

Content types definition helps –

Determine authoring/publishing templates

Create business rules to manage content

Define content attributes or metadata

Content type does not and should not determine display type

Deliverables include –

Inventory of content types (classified as necessary)

Draft templates

Content attributes/metadata Metadata or content attributes represent information about a content object (‘data about data’, as per the standard definition) To be comprehensive, the metadata must include information about – The content type The document context Content of the document The domain The relationship of the document to other documents Assumptions/findings about user needs Taxonomy (thematic and business) provides the big picture to metadata development Metadata is used to improve – Search Information architecture Personalization Reuse Deliverables include – Metadata/content attributes documentation Taxonomy Prasanna Lal Das (http://www.prasannalaldas.blogspot.com/)

Metadata or content attributes represent information about a content object (‘data about data’, as per the standard definition)

To be comprehensive, the metadata must include information about –

The content type

The document context

Content of the document

The domain

The relationship of the document to other documents

Assumptions/findings about user needs

Taxonomy (thematic and business) provides the big picture to metadata development

Metadata is used to improve –

Search

Information architecture

Personalization

Reuse

Deliverables include –

Metadata/content attributes documentation

Taxonomy

Content workflow Content workflow describes the lifecycle of a piece of content from inception to finish Typical stages include – Initiation Research Authoring Editing/testing Approval/publishing/finalization Post-publication/finalization A workflow must define – Information flow Activities Rules/security Decision-points Controls Tools Metadata opportunities/techniques Storage Options/exceptions Deliverables include – Workflow diagrams Workflow description/rules Prasanna Lal Das (http://www.prasannalaldas.blogspot.com/)

Content workflow describes the lifecycle of a piece of content from inception to finish

Typical stages include –

Initiation

Research

Authoring

Editing/testing

Approval/publishing/finalization

Post-publication/finalization

A workflow must define –

Information flow

Activities

Rules/security

Decision-points

Controls

Tools

Metadata opportunities/techniques

Storage

Options/exceptions

Deliverables include –

Workflow diagrams

Workflow description/rules

Voice and tone Voice is the editorial representation of an organization/brand. It stands for an organization’s personality, its attitude towards its constituency, and conveys its positioning to its target constituencies Voice and tone is important to – Strategize the role of content in an application Create standards for nomenclature and diction Ensure the consistent execution of content Establish the broad contexts to which text behavior must be tailored Deliverables include – Voice and tone documentation Style guide, if necessary and appropriate Additional editorial guidelines and checklists Prasanna Lal Das (http://www.prasannalaldas.blogspot.com/) ‘ Infra’ XYZ XYZ ‘ Supra’ XYZ Unsure Confident Presumptuous Apathetic Empathic Intrusive Vague Practical Esoteric Unreliable Trustworthy Guardian Lackluster Energetic/Vital Hyper-active Confined Approachable Inaccessible

Voice is the editorial representation of an organization/brand. It stands for an organization’s personality, its attitude towards its constituency, and conveys its positioning to its target constituencies

Voice and tone is important to –

Strategize the role of content in an application

Create standards for nomenclature and diction

Ensure the consistent execution of content

Establish the broad contexts to which text behavior must be tailored

Deliverables include –

Voice and tone documentation

Style guide, if necessary and appropriate

Additional editorial guidelines and checklists

Content infrastructure The content infrastructure of an organization includes all the tools/technologies available to content producers to create, edit, publish, and maintain content This may include – Project tools (SAP, for instance) Authoring tools and templates (Office tools, CMS) Workflow (online or offline) Storage/disposal tools Publishing/dissemination tools Maintenance tools Deliverables include – Current state assessment (infrastructure - business) CMS specifications (business) Storage guidelines (business) User experience input Search strategy input Publishing rules input Legal/regulatory input Prasanna Lal Das (http://www.prasannalaldas.blogspot.com/)

The content infrastructure of an organization includes all the tools/technologies available to content producers to create, edit, publish, and maintain content

This may include –

Project tools (SAP, for instance)

Authoring tools and templates (Office tools, CMS)

Workflow (online or offline)

Storage/disposal tools

Publishing/dissemination tools

Maintenance tools

Deliverables include –

Current state assessment (infrastructure - business)

CMS specifications (business)

Storage guidelines (business)

User experience input

Search strategy input

Publishing rules input

Legal/regulatory input

Content as culture Content management is as much a cultural initiative as it an operational or technical one Organizations must build a content management culture to support its overall content goals Elements of a content management culture include – Familiarity with content objectives and processes Awareness of content tools Training in content standards and guidelines Deliverables include – Training material Checklists and guidelines Prasanna Lal Das (http://www.prasannalaldas.blogspot.com/)

Content management is as much a cultural initiative as it an operational or technical one

Organizations must build a content management culture to support its overall content goals

Elements of a content management culture include –

Familiarity with content objectives and processes

Awareness of content tools

Training in content standards and guidelines

Deliverables include –

Training material

Checklists and guidelines

Long-term view A few general observations as you embark on your own content strategy Unify your content management process Separate content presentation from authoring Pay heed to the institutional framework Focus on user experience Disaggregate content Define templates early, whenever possible and appropriate Plan for life after publication/dissemination Bridge the gap between business and technology Plan first, buy the tools later Prasanna Lal Das (http://www.prasannalaldas.blogspot.com/)

A few general observations as you embark on your own content strategy

Unify your content management process

Separate content presentation from authoring

Pay heed to the institutional framework

Focus on user experience

Disaggregate content

Define templates early, whenever possible and appropriate

Plan for life after publication/dissemination

Bridge the gap between business and technology

Plan first, buy the tools later

Can you do it? Content management was once described as 10% technology, 40% process control, and 50% governance Key skills for a content practitioner include – Content sub-process expertise Business analysis Information architecture Technology awareness Industry knowledge Culture/change management Prasanna Lal Das (http://www.prasannalaldas.blogspot.com/)

Content management was once described as 10% technology, 40% process control, and 50% governance

Key skills for a content practitioner include –

Content sub-process expertise

Business analysis

Information architecture

Technology awareness

Industry knowledge

Culture/change management

Suggested reading Managing Enterprise Content – Ann Rockley (with Pamela Kostur and Steve Manning) Content Management Bible – Bob Boiko Enterprise Content Management – Tom Jenkins www.metatorial.com www.boxesandarrows.com Prasanna Lal Das (http://www.prasannalaldas.blogspot.com/)

Managing Enterprise Content – Ann Rockley (with Pamela Kostur and Steve Manning)

Content Management Bible – Bob Boiko

Enterprise Content Management – Tom Jenkins

www.metatorial.com

www.boxesandarrows.com

Thank you Prasanna Lal Das (http://www.prasannalaldas.blogspot.com/)