What defines quality content? Does it communicate clearly? Does it attract new users? Does it engage current users? It can and should do all those things, but to what end? Ultimately, content should inspire action. On Meet Content, we talk a lot about purposeful content — goal-driven content for users and publishers alike. I think that's an idea most people can buy into. However, when you start talking about user actions, content contributors … [Read more...]
What the… Files: Content and Content Strategy
April 17, 2012 by
As with any field, the world of content has its fair share of jargon. And as we know, jargon can sometimes be an impediment to clear communication. So we decided that we wanted to look past the jargon and help people better understand the things we talk about on Meet Content. To that end, we would like to introduce the What The... Files (also known as WTF). Using a visual format with a more informal tone, we want to cut away the industry … [Read more...]
Structured Content: An Overview
March 27, 2012 by
When we create content—whether it’s a tweet, a blog post or a program description—we can no longer anticipate the default experience to be the desktop web browser. Our content is going places—sometimes places we can’t predict. It could be an iPhone, a Kindle, even a Nintendo Wii. As it is dispatched to digital corners far and wide, is it equipped to do its job, no matter the context? Will content goals and user needs remain well … [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...]
Planning for Time-Shifted Reading
March 5, 2012 by
A couple of weeks ago, I talked about how longform content is a growing trend that merits consideration in higher ed. A topic often discussed in tandem with longform content is time-shifted reading. Sometimes called “DVR for words,” time-shifted reading is an increasingly popular option for content consumption. Before diving into this post, you really need to read (or re-read) Rick’s excellent overview of how we as publishers must plan for … [Read more...]