Comments on: Secret’s in the source: Gathering useful source content

By: Elizabeth

Elizabeth — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 01:54:02 +0000

Zut alors! Apologies for the tardy response. Crazy week.

Okay, so ...

1) Some clients have content strategies. Some don't. Regardless, they'll need a web writer to write the content.

2) If I'm not mistaken, you're talking about a content creation plan. In her book, Content Strategy for the Web, my boss Kristina Halvoron talks about what a content creation plan should include, among other things:

"One of the content strategist's most valuable contributions to any project is the content creation plan. This plan details:

- Which content needs to be created.
- Who is responsible for each and every piece of content.
- How the source content maps to new content requirements.
- Where the content will be stored and delivered throughout the creation process.
- How the content will get done on time and on budget"

She goes on:

"All of this information should be as *detailed as possible* in the content strategy documentation, or in the accompanying documentation."

Does this help? I hope so. And thanks so much for reading my blog post!

By: Destry Wion

Destry Wion — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 03:42:33 +0000

"If you’re working with a content strategy, refer to that. If you’re not working with a content strategy, make a list of common questions users will likely ask when they come to a website that the source content didn’t answer."

Speaking of stupid questions, I'm always good for a few.

1) Assuming the client did have a content strategy, what would they need the consultant for? (Or do we assume they fail to govern their strategy?)

2) If there was a content strategy (and I imagine there's some master doc, or collections of docs, that detail it), how might this content sourcing be written into it? In other words, if a content strategy did exist and there was some content sourcing strategy to refer to, what would it look like?

More clues to the puzzle.

By: jerihastava

jerihastava — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 22:43:54 +0000

Thank you! This SO resonates right now. I've just begun a project working with a client whose total source content consists of 2 price lists and a homemade brochure. Eek! I find I'm frequently repeating always the same questions in our “interviews,” but the responses vary providing a richer more complete picture of their business.

By: melanie75

melanie75 — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 21:48:26 +0000

So great. So true. I love the last point. I was just telling a colleague the same thing, namely that “you can't do this job well if you're afraid of looking stupid.” I ask dumb questions all the time. Often, the answers are surprising.

By: Gabriel Smy

Gabriel Smy — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 15:11:42 +0000

Thanks Elizabeth. I love interviewing clients for content because you often get a new angle on their businesses. They will say things that they wouldn't have allowed themselves to write down. Plus you get a feel for what the natural tone could be because they are talking informally.

On the other hand, there are those interviews where you realise that the client has no idea what their business is/does and can't answer even the most simple questions about how it works. Still, at least you know that they don't know and can go away and make something up…