One of my favorite projects when working at Tufts University was leading the creation of our social media hub, a custom-built page which hosted feeds from all of our social media accounts and served as an at-a-glance destination for campus social chatter. I was (and still am) extremely proud of what we built. But that was back in 2010. Now, four years later, these types of pages (often called hubs, mashups, or aggregators) are still very … [Read more...]
Content Strategy as Problem Solving
December 17, 2013 by
How many times has someone come to you and asked, “Can you make me a video?” or “Can you help me create this email newsletter?” or “We need a website, can you do this?” What do these requests have in common? In each instance, the requestor is leading with the solution, rather than articulating the problem. You might ask, why a video? What are you trying to communicate, and to whom? Is a video the best content type to support your message? … [Read more...]
Make Change: Host Your Own Content Strategy Conference
December 3, 2013 by
The following guest post was written by Laura D'Amelio, senior content developer for the Division of Students at York University, in Toronto, Canada Do you ever listen in to someone else’s conversation at lunch or while in line to grab a coffee on campus? Maybe you’ve heard the phrases “do more with less” and “wear multiple hats” often, like I do. My job hasn’t been so different – although originally hired as a writer, my content team and I … [Read more...]
Planning for Content Beyond the Web
September 19, 2013 by
The following guest post was written by Dave Olsen, a programmer and project manager at West Virginia University. Dave will be speaking at Confab Higher Ed in Atlanta, GA this November. "Get your content ready to go anywhere," says web designer Brad Frost, "because it’s going to go everywhere." For many, responsive web design has become the solution for ensuring that their content is, as Brad noted, “ready to go anywhere.” It’s a simple … [Read more...]
Content Strategist Job Descriptions in Higher Ed
August 8, 2013 by
From conversations with our peers and an occasional scan of the job boards, we observe that more universities are beginning to hire content strategists. This is great news! It means that administrators and senior leaders are recognizing the value of their web content and the work required to manage it well—and hiring accordingly. But what should go into that job description? What are the key responsibilities and tasks we need to … [Read more...]