In higher ed, any content worth its salt is going to convey some sense of the life on campus, whether it's student experience and an active research community. And that sense of life often boils down to people and their stories. Who are the people—real people, mind you, not stock photos and composite sketches—who make our campuses come alive? We can tell these stories well through profiles, both written and audio-visual. But what … [Read more...]
Storytelling on Facebook
March 20, 2012 by
Yes, Facebook's rollout of Timeline for brand pages has gotten an incredible amount of ink. Err, pixels. Whatever. It's gotten a lot of attention. As challenging as it can be to figure out yet another Facebook change, Timeline does offer some compelling ways to use Facebook to tell our brand story. By emphasizing an organization's history, Timeline allows us to demonstrate our brand identity as something that has been true and enduring over … [Read more...]
Content Takeaways from SXSW 2012
March 16, 2012 by
I recently returned from the annual SXSW Interactive festival, which brought 25,000 nerds of various stripes to Austin, Texas, for a week of learning and networking (and breakfast tacos). There were several highlights, but two things pleased me in particular: the strength of the panels on content-related topics and the significant number of higher education professionals in attendance. The great thing about SXSW is that, if you’re interested … [Read more...]
Breaking News: Context Rules
December 21, 2011 by
I've written before about how the Associated Press crafted a digital strategy in 2008 to reflect the changing online news marketplace. Well, they're at it again. This time, as PR consultant, Lou Hoffman relates, they're mapping out how to achieve success beyond breaking news. A memo by senior managing editor Michael Oreskes outlines how the AP should embrace "journalism that’s more analytical, maybe a fresh and immediate entry point, a move … [Read more...]
Web Content Insights Through ‘Understanding Comics’
June 6, 2011 by
I am not a comics nerd (I don’t think my Archie obsession as a kid holds muster), though I have befriended many — and married one. So while I’ve never sniffed at comics and graphic novels as child's play, I didn’t fully realize the complexity of the form until I picked up a copy of Scott McCloud’s seminal text, Understanding Comics, in which he explains many principles of visual communication and what makes comics tick. I had heard of the book … [Read more...]