A review of my 3 days at Confab Europe 2014, in Barcelona. Had a great time so wanted to share some of my learning.

1. Confab Barcelona 2014

2. Workshop
29th
September
Day 1
30th
September
Day 2
1st October

3. Workshop
Content strategy 101: Start here

4. Some key learning points
A core strategy
can be scary, it
means saying no
at times. But – it’s
essential to have
constraints
A site trying to
give everything to
everyone, gives
nothing to nobody
MUST get goals,
key audiences
and how success
will be measured
agreed and
signed off at
START

5. Some key learning points
Get the
writer(s)
involved ASAP
Discovery
phase is key
Stakeholder
interviews –
DON’T give
them advice at
initial stages,
LISTEN
Do the 1-3-6
(seconds) test

6. Some key learning points
Write voice &
tone guide using
like this, not this
examples
Editorial
calendars are a
MUST to ensure
sustainability
Use the RACI
chart for content:
Responsible?
Accountable?
Consulted?
Informed?

7. Without a strategy, the bear could be standing in a dry field with it’s
To catch fish
Stand with
mouth open
mouth open trying to catch fish!
STRATEGY IS KEY
Go down to
the river

8. Day 1

9. Opening keynote: Kristina Halvorson
Key thing I took
away from this
Don’t make processes your God (agile or
otherwise). Documents are tools, NOT outcomes.

10. Using agile methods to work together on content:
Jonathan Kahn
Key thing I took
away from this
Think about moving towards a facilitation /
coaching role where anyone can write content.
Let go of the need for control over every word
and share skills.

11. Bringing new content thinking to old-world
companies: Kate Kenyon
Key thing I took
away from this
Even though it may seem obvious, point out the
basics and use examples. Will help things be
understood and picked up.

12. Good content, good strategy, good business – put it
all into your software: Ray Gallon
Key thing I took
away from this
User interface has content. Our software IS
content, so should be developed and created
using the same processes and considerations.

13. How to make your content flow – content
strategy for smart content: Theresa
Grotendorst & Ute Klingelhöfer
Key thing I took
away from this
Smart content that is structurally and
semantically rich is the way forward!

14. Going Pinternational – bringing Pinterest to 32
languages in less than a year: Sadia Latifi
Key thing I took
away from this
Mass translation AND localisation IS possible.

15. How to make your CMS support your content
strategy: Erik Hartman
Key thing I took
away from this
There’s no reason for there to be so much CMS
pain out there. They should be there to help us
and not hinder us. Test before you buy.

16. Day 2

17. In it together – co-creating your content strategy:
Sara Wachter-Boettcher
Key thing I took
away from this
Working WITH people and helping them come to
decisions / make changes is much more
productive than doing everything for them and
then walking away. Co-creation is the way
forward!

18. Like minded – the content strategy/UX
research connection for better content (and
a better life):Sarah Cancilla & Jane Leibrock
Key thing I took
away from this
It makes a lot of sense for UX and content teams
to work closely together.

19. Escaping the Peter Pan approach to content
management: Christopher Strebel
Key thing I took
away from this
Do not ignore legacy content. Is essential to
create a content lifecycle.

20. Content strategy and micro-enterprises –a symbiosis:
Clara Guasch
Key thing I took
away from this
ALL businesses need a content strategy. Size
doesn’t matter. What matters is the challenge
and challenges need strategy. If anything,
smaller businesses need our help more.

21. 10 steps to salvation – creating digital governance
that works: Kate Thomas
Key thing I took
away from this
There are other people out there who wave the
governance flag (hurrah).
Digital simply cannot be done well without
governance. The more platforms there are, the
more people publishing, the more need for
governance.

22. Making the most out of SEO to achieve your content
goals: Aleyda Solis
Key thing I took
away from this
Knowing what to measure and how to measure
it, is key to the success and development of any
digital project.

23. Redefining content strategy for greater business
impact – a case study: Madelaine Verchere
Key thing I took
away from this
Content strategy is beginning to be seen as
worthwhile and necessary in large financial
corporations. It’s catching on

24. Closing keynote: Gerry McGovern
Key thing I took
away from this
Something is wrong, we launch pages and pages
of content then just leave them. Content
crocodiles are needed to get rid of the stuff that
shouldn’t be online!
Don’t put EVERYTHING online. Put the right stuff
on and manage it.

25. By Rachel Caldwell
@r_a_c_h_e_