We make a lot of site maps. It's a fundamental step in planning any content or web project. We used to use Omnigraffle for this task; and while it creates elegant looking site maps, a single site map took a long time to create and just as long to update—especially...
At the recent 2015 Healthcare Internet Conference in Orlando, several groups presented on content strategy. I sensed a clear theme: Slim is in. Everybody wants to cut content. I'm taking a stand against this. Not because we're a content-first company, but because...
I'm being replaced by machines, and I'm okay with it. Over the past few years, several companies have developed software and algorithms that can take basic data and transform it into content for their sites. Newspapers use these tools to write simple stories, like a...
There's fleeting style, and then there's timeless style. You content has a style, too, and it's saying something to everybody who visits. When we think about style, we often refer to clothes or a haircut or a color preference. But what we really mean is your...
The first rule of storytelling is “write what you know.” That doesn’t mean you can only write about things you’ve experienced firsthand; it means you should truly understand an idea, a person, or a situation before you try to tell a believable story about it. To...
I'm midway through another content inventory, one I'd been putting off for a couple of days while I tried to find the mental space to get started. It can seem so daunting before you start: visiting each page and cataloging it—almost like assembly line work. Where's...
Which of these would be the best way to speak to your audience? "Thoughts? Send 'em our way." "To submit a comment, please complete the form below." The answer: It depends. You need to define your voice and tone to determine which approach is appropriate. If you're...
We hear stories all the time—on TV, in songs, from friends. At its core, a story is simply a way of conveying information. But a story is more powerful than that. The difference between telling a story and reciting facts is that a story stays with you longer. We don't...
I love it when a plan comes together. —Hannibal Smith, The A-Team Have you decided it's time to create a content strategy? Ready, set...plan. The first stage of a content strategy should be to plan; otherwise how would you know what you're trying to create a strategy...