A New Content Creation Strategy: More Tanks

The Oatmeal often says things like no one else can, and this latest comic, decrying Facebook likebaiting and other "marketing douchebaggery," is no different. (Though it does remind us of Patrick Powers' insights from last fall about how no matter what changes Facebook throws our way, it's more important than ever to share awesome content.) So go read the comic. And then come back and let us know how you're incorporating cage-fighting nuns … [Read more...]

Taking Care of Harvard Business

It's always nice to see higher education content initiatives getting some attention from the broader content strategy community. The latest institution in the spotlight is Harvard Business School, and they're doing a lot of things right. Their content creation is driven by stories -- sourced from the campus population, refined by the marketing communications staff and published across multiple platforms. Content creators find resources and … [Read more...]

Going Long: The Role of Longform Web Content

With 140-character tweets and short, scannable web copy often top of mind, it can be difficult to think of a situation where we would willingly want to publish thousands of words. But longform content is carving out a significant niche in the habits of online content consumers, as evidenced by trends in journalism and ebook publishing. In higher ed, there are opportunities to capitalize on this trend, as well as implications to … [Read more...]

Keeping a Flexible Content Plan

Last week, Tim Nekritz, director of web communication at SUNY Oswego, tackled a great topic: content and serendipity. In it he shared an example of content that unexpectedly generated a record-breaking amount of engagement for the SUNY Oswego Facebook page: 275 likes, 48 shares and 28 comments. Not bad. This content wasn't a carefully planned editorial story or coverage of a campus event — and certainly not a report on the latest school … [Read more...]

Build Community Around Photo Content with Instagram

After years of loyal Blackberry usage, I finally bought an iPhone in early September. But it took me a few months to come around to what millions of iPhone users had been obsessing about for months: Instagram, the photo editing and sharing app. Once I decided to go all in, I realized what the buzz was all about—Instagram's real potential for engaging, community-driven content. In talking with Higher Ed Live's Seth Odell at EduComm 2011 last … [Read more...]