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the MYTH of  the perfectMETHODOLOGY
hashtag:#methmyth
hiI’m corey @mrvilhauer
Blend Interactive Sioux Falls, SD
METHODOLOGY?“Formal  documentation of  a  set  of  processes.”
SCIENTIFIC METHOD ASK A QUESTION Research a problem Form a Hypothesis Test the Hypothesis Communicat...
METHODOLOGIES ALLOW FOR REPLICATION
hooray web!
The LIst
METHODOLOGY ≠A List of tasks
In the beginning...
define thedamn thing
THESE ARE GUIDESNOT METHODOLOGIES
“Content  strategy  is  suf8iciently  diverse  that  nearly  all  content  workers  must  specialize  to  som...
It’s morecomplicated than that
We Thinkwe’re this
But really,we’re this
Each projectis different
Eachdeliverableis different
Each clientis different
Each one of usis different
WE’RE ALLSNOWFLAKES
So.Why bother?
CommunicatioN
MAKE IT OFFICIALguidanceConsistencyintegrity
The Methodology for creating a methodology
find a trail guide
Content Strategy Deliverables* What Are You Trying to Achieve? Summary of company goals What Do You Own? Content inv...
break andrecreate
You are neverfinished
“With  iteration,  instead  of  driving  an  idea  blindly  into  the  world,  hoping  to  get  lucky,  you...
steal like an artist
“...A  result  of  4-­‐5  years  of   pilfering  the  Internet.” -­‐Jeffrey  MacIntyre,  Ar...
“This  one’s  mine.Let’s  take  another.” -­‐Fugazi  (kind  of)
give a little dap, yo
With specialthanks to...
MAKE IT personal
“Experience  is  a  brutal  teacher,  but  you  learn.  My   God,  do  you  learn.” ...
An Example:Audiences and Outcomes
tl;dr
YOU CAN’T BREAK the RULES IF YOU DON’T MAKE the RULES.
THE SOAPBOX
OUR WORK IS PERSONAL
OUR WORK IS fluid
“Strategy  is  a  frontier   sport.” -­‐Melissa  Rach,  CS  Forum  2011
OUR WORK isworth sharing
"We  have  to  be  okay  with  sharing  what  we  know.  Everyone  gets  credit  for  showing  their  work...
So. Go forth and METHODOLOGIZE
( thank you ) For  notes  and  resources,  visit:eatingelephant.com/2012/05/confab2012
COREY VILHAUER @mrvilhauerwww.eatingelephant.comwww.blendinteractive.com www.blackmarks.net
"The Myth of the Perfect Methodology" - Corey Vilhauer at Confab 2012
"The Myth of the Perfect Methodology" - Corey Vilhauer at Confab 2012
"The Myth of the Perfect Methodology" - Corey Vilhauer at Confab 2012
"The Myth of the Perfect Methodology" - Corey Vilhauer at Confab 2012
"The Myth of the Perfect Methodology" - Corey Vilhauer at Confab 2012
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"The Myth of the Perfect Methodology" - Corey Vilhauer at Confab 2012

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"The Myth of the Perfect Methodology: Breaking and Recreating the Content Strategy Process" - Corey Vilhauer at Confab 2012 in Minneapolis, MN. (May 15, 2012)

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"The Myth of the Perfect Methodology" - Corey Vilhauer at Confab 2012

  1. the MYTH of  the perfectMETHODOLOGY
  2. hashtag:#methmyth
  3. hiI’m corey @mrvilhauer
  4. Blend Interactive Sioux Falls, SD
  5. METHODOLOGY?“Formal  documentation of  a  set  of  processes.”
  6. SCIENTIFIC METHOD ASK A QUESTION Research a problem Form a Hypothesis Test the Hypothesis Communicate/Change
  7. METHODOLOGIES ALLOW FOR REPLICATION
  8. hooray web!
  9. The LIst
  10. METHODOLOGY ≠A List of tasks
  11. In the beginning...
  12. define thedamn thing
  13. THESE ARE GUIDESNOT METHODOLOGIES
  14. “Content  strategy  is  suf8iciently  diverse  that  nearly  all  content  workers  must  specialize  to  some  extent,  and  our  methodologies  tend  to  re8lect  on  that  specialization.” -­‐Erin  Kissane    
  15. It’s morecomplicated than that
  16. We Thinkwe’re this
  17. But really,we’re this
  18. Each projectis different
  19. Eachdeliverableis different
  20. Each clientis different
  21. Each one of usis different
  22. WE’RE ALLSNOWFLAKES
  23. So.Why bother?
  24. CommunicatioN
  25. MAKE IT OFFICIALguidanceConsistencyintegrity
  26. The Methodology for creating a methodology
  27. find a trail guide
  28. Content Strategy Deliverables* What Are You Trying to Achieve? Summary of company goals What Do You Own? Content inventory or audit Content assessment (quality and quantity) Whatʼs Missing? Content gap analysis Comparative content analysis Competitive analysis How Do You Present the Words? User personas User scenarios (think believable stories) Editorial strategy Core messaging strategy Content templates Sample content Search Engine Optimization (SEO) strategy Metadata strategy Brand strategy Style guideCREATE A MASTER LIST Glossary Where Does It Go? Copy deck Content conversion/migration strategy Content flow schematic Channel strategy
  29. break andrecreate
  30. You are neverfinished
  31. “With  iteration,  instead  of  driving  an  idea  blindly  into  the  world,  hoping  to  get  lucky,  you  tip-­‐toe,  feeling  as  you  go.  And  you  are  guided  by  the  feedback  you  get.  ...  There  are  no  beginnings  or  endings  -­‐  just  small  steps  forward.” -­‐Robin  Sloan
  32. steal like an artist
  33. “...A  result  of  4-­‐5  years  of   pilfering  the  Internet.” -­‐Jeffrey  MacIntyre,  Arc90  
  34. “This  one’s  mine.Let’s  take  another.” -­‐Fugazi  (kind  of)
  35. give a little dap, yo
  36. With specialthanks to...
  37. MAKE IT personal
  38. “Experience  is  a  brutal  teacher,  but  you  learn.  My   God,  do  you  learn.” -­‐C.S.  Lewis
  39. An Example:Audiences and Outcomes
  40. tl;dr
  41. YOU CAN’T BREAK the RULES IF YOU DON’T MAKE the RULES.
  42. THE SOAPBOX
  43. OUR WORK IS PERSONAL
  44. OUR WORK IS fluid
  45. “Strategy  is  a  frontier   sport.” -­‐Melissa  Rach,  CS  Forum  2011
  46. OUR WORK isworth sharing
  47. "We  have  to  be  okay  with  sharing  what  we  know.  Everyone  gets  credit  for  showing  their  work.  There’s  no  reason  to  protect  how  we  do  things.  Every  client  is  different;  every  project  presents  new  information  to  learn  from." -­‐Nicole  Jones
  48. So. Go forth and METHODOLOGIZE
  49. ( thank you ) For  notes  and  resources,  visit:eatingelephant.com/2012/05/confab2012
  50. COREY VILHAUER @mrvilhauerwww.eatingelephant.comwww.blendinteractive.com www.blackmarks.net

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