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I just finished reading Michael Arrington’s "The End of Hand-Crafted Content " (also published elsewhere as "AOL’s New Fast-Food-Content Strategy Means the End of Journalism You Actually Enjoy").
How. Depressing.
Since reading Wired‘s apocalyptic article, "The Answer Factory: Demand Media and the Fast, Disposable, and Profitable as Hell Media Model," I’ve certainly spent plenty of time bitching about the lowering of our already low standards for web content.
Here’s a summary of how mass-produced content works:
Pieces [(content to be created)] aren’t dreamed up by trained editors nor commissioned based on submitted questions. Instead they are assigned by an algorithm, which mines nearly a terabyte of search data, Internet traffic patterns, and keyword rates to determine what users want to know and how much advertisers will pay to appear next to the answers.
Then, the assignment is posted to a ginormous database; it’s accepted by a freelancer somewhere, who then throws something together as quickly as possible because he’s only getting paid, like, four dollars to create it. (Want to know what the best vodka in the world is? A random bartender from a random bar in Florida KNOWS THE ANSWER!) (Uh, you’ll have to sit through the ad first.)
So, in one fell swoop, Demand Media—and now AOL—are both flooding the search engines with awful, terrible content and gleefully commodifying the work of writers, videographers, editors, and other media professionals around the world.
I hate them. Oooooo, how I hate them.
But, you know what?
McDonald’s didn’t put La Belle Vie out of business.
Does McDonald’s make more money than La Belle Vie? Of course they do. They’re freakin’ McDonalds. But La Belle Vie is running a very fine, profitable business, thank you very much, turning out exquisite French food that makes me want to weep with joy. (Even their cocktail menu is extraordinary.) (No, I do NOT say that about every cocktail menu.)
You don’t have to eat at La Belle Vie to appreciate the metaphor. Not everybody wants McDonald’s, and nobody wants McDonald’s all the time. People go out of their way to find what will satisfy, even delight, their appetites.
AOL and Demand Media (and dozens more competitors, I’m sure) are anathema to pretty much anyone who wants an even slightly obscure question answered online. But in the long run, I’m betting on people, not algorithms. Just because I clicked on your stupid video doesn’t mean I can’t use my back button.
p.s. Google, get on this.
Posted in Content Strategy, Editorial Strategy, Uncategorized, User Experience, Web Content, Web Writing
There’s a big fuss being made over the fact that Mr. Rupert Murdoch has said that his media empire will "probably remove our sites from Google’s index."
How DARE he hide his content behind the iron curtain of non-indexing?
Murdoch isn’t stupid. (Old and confused, yes. Stupid? Not so much.) He’s talking about making a seriously bold move, here, in the interest of keeping his empire from crumbling. So why are people freaking out?
It’s JUST WRONG. Right?
When the religion of the Web is that you can find anything you want, from anywhere, at any time, Murdoch’s plan is straight-up blasphemous.
With this in mind, our faithful interviewer asked, "One of the key, underlying principles of the Internet is that anyone from anywhere in the world can access information freely. Wouldn’t this change mean people have to afford it?"
Murdoch replied, "They’re already paying for newspapers. And anyone can afford a newspaper, they’re the cheapest things in the world. Electronically, it will be even cheaper."
(This cracks me up, because, of course, the majority of the world’s population either can’t afford newspapers or simply don’t have access to them … at least, newspapers that offer unbiased, quality reporting.)
Here’s what Rupert thinks you should do.
Generally, Murdoch wants you to know that his content is actually Quality Content because he employs real reporters, real writers, and real editors who offer experienced, insightful points of view. Which, of course, is true. However, this argument also implies that people shouldn’t go looking for "quality content" on search engines. No, no. You should go straight to an established publisher’s website.
Unfortunately, the internets don’t care so much about the "should"s. There’s a reason Google gets about a bajillion times more traffic than every publication website in the world … combined.
More than anything else, Murdoch is counting on his current readership’s loyalty to his brands. He admits, though, that he’s not sure what that’s going to look like in five, ten, twenty years… which means that this ends up looking more like a Hail Mary pass than anything else.
Rupert, dear, you can’t kill search.
Online readers typically know what they’re looking for, and they want the fastest way to get it. They want to be educated or entertained. They want their questions answered, their lives made easier. They have the Google or Yahoo! or MSN toolbar built into their browsers. They’re going to use it.
Murdoch doesn’t seem to get this, or care. The rest of the world, of course, does. Including you. You’ve been obsessed with SEO and page rankings for years. You don’t have the option of breaking up with Google.
However, you also shouldn’t be so obsessed with Google that you neglect to remember this all-important fact: getting your content indexed by the search engines isn’t enough to win eyeballs that matter. Just because your users can find your content doesn’t mean you’ve won your battle.
Content first. Google second.
Here’s where you can take a page from our friend Rupert and start placing significant value on content people will care about. Editorial oversight. Quality research. Quality writing. These things actually do matter. They inspire trust and motivate action.
Getting to quality content is worth your organization’s investment: time, budget, people. Because once your readers arrive from Google, they’ll either like what they see and stick around for a bit, or lunge for the back button.
Remember, people: If you have a website, you’re a publisher. If you participate in social media, you’re a publisher. If you create emails, help text, product descriptions … you’re a publisher.
You may not be selling content, but your content is selling you. Google won’t solve your problems. Of course, ignoring Google won’t, either … sorry, Rupert.
P.S.
I just have to add this little gem: In the interview, Murdoch says that public broadcasting should be of the highest quality, which commercial broadcasting can’t afford to be. Then he tells us that " most of the stuff [public broadcasting does] is stolen from the newspapers now. And we’ll be suing them for copyright. They’ll have to spend a lot more money paying a lot more reporters when they can’t steal from newspapers."
Old. Confused. Sigh.
Posted in Content Strategy, Editorial Strategy, Uncategorized, User Experience, Web Content, Web Writing
A few weeks ago, there was a rather heated debate (some might call it a "smackdown") between a few industry luminaries and their supporting communities. On one side, the web development/user experience community. On the other, the SEO community.
This battle has been fought more than once before. Is it possible for well-built, awesome websites and products to be findable simply by being built "right"? Are web developers behind the curve when it comes to the latest, most effective SEO techniques? Is either practice absolutely necessary for online success? Are they both?
There were some great discussion points that arose in this most recent debate. Let’s review.
"Good SEO techniques are just good web development techniques."
First, there appeared an inspired rant by the inimitable Derek Powazek on the evils of the search engine optimization (SEO) consulting industry. Derek’s ire was fueled largely by his recent experiences working with publishing organizations that are sinking millions of dollars into SEO initiatives while laying off writers left and right. His argument:
Good SEO techniques are just good web development techniques. They should be obvious to anyone who makes websites for a living. If they’re not obvious to you, and you make websites, you need to get informed. If you’re a client, make sure you hire an informed web developer.
Derek received a lot of feedback on his post and responded with a post called SEO FAQ, which is also an interesting read.
"SEO is a legitimate form of marketing."
The post was pretty heated, and it spread (accordingly) like wildfire. It wasn’t long before the post reached Danny Sullivan, Editor-in-Chief of SearchEngineLand.com and one of the SEO community’s most revered leaders. Danny posted a response to Derek’s first post, and then again to Derek’s "SEO FAQ" post. In Danny’s second post, he said:
Web development is not SEO. Good web developers will understand the fundamentals of SEO, in terms of good site architecture, crawlability and so on. But… few of them are dialed into how to handle giving Google and others a shopping feed. Or a feed of real estate listings. Or the completely separate ranking aspects that impact YouTube (the world’s second most popular search engine). Are they putting out a full-feed that Google Blog Search prefers? Are they checking that the URL shortener you use on Twitter spits back a 301 rather than a 302 redirect, or worse, frames stuff up via a 200 code?
Who has the secret sauce?
So. Whose advice is key for businesses truly succeeding online?
Fundamentally, Derek believes that the best way to drive traffic to your website or product is this: "Make something great. Tell people about it. Do it again." His position is difficult to argue with. But, it’s also based on several faulty assumptions, not the least of which is that everyone who "makes something great" has the right people’s attention, online and off. And, frankly, most of us who want to promote our products or services really don’t.
From Danny’s point of view, helping individuals and organizations raise the visibility of their websites is instrumental to online success. Important, yes. Instrumental? Not so sure. What’s prioritized by SEO professionals is getting as many eyeballs as possible on the page. And yet, if what you’ve made isn’t great, you’re going to lose attention and possible conversions, fast.
Ultimately, Danny and Derek talked. Common ground (of sorts) was reached. Derek posted a very classy, very informed apology to "the people out there doing good work for real clients under the auspices of SEO." Danny published Thoughts on Web Developers, SEO, and Reputation Problems. The storm quieted. And we all went back to our work.
Alignment: A girl can dare to dream
I’m a content strategist, which means I care deeply about the expertise and insights on both sides of the table. I want websites to be awesome. And I want the right audiences to find out about them, so those users can accomplish what they need to, and be happy.
Really, that’s what I want. For people to have happy online experiences.
You know, here’s how I see it. For the web development community to tell us that "if you build it and it’s awesome, they will come" is simply naïve, bordering on irresponsible. However, for SEO professionals to promote SEO as one of the primary tactics for online success is equally misleading.
There’s some fairly obvious common ground, here, that’s getting overlooked. And that’s creating and maintaining awesome content that’s optimized for the right people to find it at the right time in the right places.
In my experience, both the web development and SEO communities have largely marginalized the importance of delivering relevant, quality content that’s focused on meeting clear business objectives and user needs. Or, they’ll pay passionate lip service to it, then go back to preaching and promoting their areas of expertise.
And so the content, as it often is, becomes someone else’s problem. Which ultimately becomes the end user’s problem. Which then results in a really crappy ROI for all those web design/development/SEO dollars you just spent.
One of the key components of any business’s online success is to start by deeply considering the content itself. Before you worry about building the damn thing, let alone promoting it, figure out why you’re publishing content, who it’s for, what it’s going to say, how it’s going to sound, and what happens to it once it’s "out there."
In other words … figure out your content strategy. Or, if you’re a web developer/designer or SEO wonk, ask for it. Because it should be informing what you are (or aren’t) doing.
Postscript: Get yourself edumacated
There were a lot of hopped-up, dueling posts and tweets that came out of both communities during the few days of battle. But there were a few added to the conversation in really valuable ways, and I encourage you to read them:
Additionally, I highly recommend the following resources to, well, pretty much anyone that deals with web content:
Onward, content comrades. Now, let’s hug it out.
Posted in Content Strategy, Editorial Strategy
A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of visiting the lovely city of Atlanta to moderate a panel discussion on content strategy.
Panel participants were selected from a variety of disciplines in order to facilitate discussion about how content strategy has impact on (and benefits for) a number of roles and functions across an organization. (OK, we were also hoping for a little fighting.)
Participants were:
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Karen McGrane, Bond Art + Science (User Experience)
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John Muehlbauer, InterContinental Hotels Group (Marketing)
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Brian Ikeda, Philips Design (Visual Design)
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Ryan Esparza, Content Management Consultant (CMS/IT)
See it here:
Big thanks to Josh Cothran, CHI*Atlanta’s Media Chair for doing an awesome job with both video and audio.
Posted in Content Strategy
Hiya. I figured that since the book has been finished for, oh, two months now, that I didn’t really have an excuse not to start blogging again.
Anyhow.
So, earlier this week there was a little Twitter exchange that began in response to j. boye’s post, Who Should Be on Your CMS Shortlist? (Because j. boye is a "vendor neutral" consultation firm, its findings are very well-respected throughout the EU and beyond.)
Initially, there was a flurry of responses from people who thought one CMS or another really sucked. I also had people asking me which CMS I would recommend, which was kind of weird, as I obviously have no idea about their organization’s content management needs.
But here’s my point. While the CMS Shortlist is useful in many ways, it’s certainly not the best place to start when trying to solve your content problems. No matter what your CMS vendor tells you.
I’m a big fan of iSite’s The CMS Myth (and wish they would post more often!), whose central tenet is this: In reality, CMS success hinges on your plan, your people, and your process behind your web content management initiative.
That’s content strategy, folks. No matter what CMS vendors promise, no matter how "powerful" a CMS is, a CMS is not going to help make your content more useful, usable, or relevant to your end users. Moreover, a CMS isn’t going to solve anything for anyone in your organization who struggles with the day-to-day realities of content creation, delivery, and governance.
Don’t try selecting a tool until you really understand what you’re trying to build, and for whom. Start with your content strategy.
Here are two related posts by j. boye analyst Dorthe Raakjær Jespersen, well worth reading:
> Why IT Should Not Run a CMS Project
> Why IT Should Run a CMS Project
One last thing: I’m really excited to be a part of the j. boye Conference in Aarhus, Denmark, November 3-5. Tagline: "A knowledge sharing summit for online professionals." Bring it.
Posted in Content Strategy, Editorial Strategy, Uncategorized, Web Content
Several months ago, I started a Google Group on content strategy. And then promptly neglected it. (Yes, thank you, the irony does not escape me.)
And so, after an initial flurry of activity, it died.
And then! Much to my delight and surprise, a comment was posted to the group from a graduate student named Brynn, who asked the following question:
I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions for postgraduate study that would lead to a career in content strategy.
From what I've read, it seems like people kind of ended up in the position before it was even labeled – but considering the work you do now and the challenges you face, what would anyone recommend to a Silicon Valley resident with a B.A. in English looking to do some Masters work to get into your field?
The programs I have looked at are all so specific and none are exactly in line with what I think is relevant study… I know that I might end up combining things, like a Masters in professional writing and taking some computer science classes on the side. I have considered advertising/marketing, professional writing, computer science or information systems (or something similarly related to IA), but I am really just starting my search.
The responses – coming from content strategists all over the country – have been terrific, and very worthy of sharing with the community at large. So, with the authors' permissions, here's what they have to say:
Jeffrey MacIntyre, Principal, Predicate LLC:
I would say follow your muse, but then that's not something you can bank on exactly, is it?
Library sciences is a very strong basis for content strategy skills. I came to be a content strategist out of a constellation of management/ communications consulting, interactive copywriting, and a strong field interest in publishing.
There's no one path that's right, in my experience. It really comes down to best aligning your interests and getting some project exposure as soon as you feel ready to test the waters.
I strongly recommend you join the CS mailing list and ask the subscribers what they think! To subscribe, send an email request to Content-strategy-request@mail.asis.org.
Karen McGrane, Principal, Bond Art Science:
Consider programs in Technical Communications and Rhetoric. University of Washington, University of Minnesota, Carnegie Mellon, and Rensselaer Polytechnic all have well-known programs.
Rahel Bailie, Principal, Intentional Design:
I had to chuckle because I have never been hired as a content strategist. The last gigs I've been hired as:
- Business analyst with user-centered design specialty
- Copywriter (but did very little copywriting, mostly UX activities)
- Marketing writer/Usability expert
- Information architect
- Web design analyst (my personal favorite)
- Training project manager
My M.O. is this: Half the effort is showing up and listening to their problem. When the problem can be re-articulated as a content strategy problem (possibly combined with other problems, such as site architecture), then I just write that in as a line item and explain what I'm doing and why.
Richard Sheffield, Author, The Web Content Strategist's Bible:
From the point of view of someone who hires content strategists, I look for two basic kinds of experience (on top of solid writing skills):
- Web writing as part of good-sized Web development project. You don't have to have a lead role, I just want to see that you have worked in the Web development environment and understand the various roles and responsibilities.
- Having created Web content using a Web Content Management System.
My experience shows that if you take ten good writers and put them to work using a WCMS, that 5 will simply not "get" it or completely hate the process. So I want to hire content folks who have previously worked with a WCMS, otherwise its a fifty-fifty shot.
I'd focus on internships and contract work to make sure you get as much exposure to the Web development process as possible while working on your degree. I got my MA in Professional Writing. I needed a broader exposure to all kinds of writing to counter my tech-heavy background.
Content strategists can share a lot of concepts with librarians and information architects, so another idea would be to look into univerities with a School of Information, or iSchool.
[Your Name Goes Here]
Have other ideas for Brynn? Want to help breathe new life into the Content Strategy Group? Visit and join today!
Posted in Content Strategy
It's not every day a person gets interviewed by Lou Rosenfeld.
You know. The guy who helped create the profession of information architecture.
Perhaps you even have a copy of Lou's book, Information Architecture for the World Wide Web, sitting on your shelf, right within arm's reach. If you don't, you should. Maybe even two copies.
As a longtime fan of Lou's work, I was honored to help "open his eyes" to content strategy (his words, not mine).
An excerpt from our interview:
Lou: Kristina, tell me how you came to practice content strategy.
Kristina: Lou, OMG, you so totally rock. Seriously? You ROCK. Will you sign my copy of the polar bear book?
Lou: Uh.
Kristina: Tell me something. Are you a big IA or a little IA?
Lou: Could we focus, here?
(Hm. Upon review, I think he actually took that part out …)
Read the actual, non-annoying, mostly informative interview here: Future Practice Interview: Kristina Halvorson
Kristina's Rosenfeld Media webinar Content Strategy for Websites takes place on April 23, 2009, 1-2pm EST. Use code RMWBNR for a 20% discount off your ticket purchase.
Posted in Content Strategy, Presentations
I've been at conferences almost non-stop for the past several weeks. My brain is full. It hurts. IT HURTS.
The bad news is that I'm tired. The good news is that there are many, many smart people out there who are serious about making web content better. More relevant. Findable. Persuasive. Consistent.
I'd like to highlight the work of a few brainy colleagues, here.
Colleen Jones (Threebrick) participated in the Content Strategy Consortium at the IA Summit in Memphis (big post on that coming later this week!).
At the IA Summit last week, she spoke about the need for content to find a balance between "usable" and "marketing-focused." I'm very impressed by Colleen's thinking about the role of persuasive content in web user experience.
Rahel Anne Bailie (Intentional Design) and I finally met in person at SXSW. She's been writing and talking about content management system design and strategy for a very long time. I admire her straightforward style and her smart, common-sense problem-solving approach. This is a presentation she gave at the DocTrain conference.
And finally, Derek Powazek (powazek.com) totally wowed me with his SXSW presentation, Design for the Widsom of Crowds. Plenty to think about here when you're hatching your user-generated content strategy. (He includes a few references on his blog.)
Which presentations blew you away? Share the love.
Posted in Presentations
I'm mostly excited – but a little nervous – about my first-ever SXSW experience, which kicks off tomorrow.
After admitting my "South-by-naivete" to the Twitterverse, I received all sorts of helpful ideas from the cool kids who have been going since the beginning of the millennium.
Walking shoes? Check. Business cards? Check. Dorkbot and Nuclear Taco Night? On my can't-miss list.
If you'll be there, find me on Twitter (@halvorson) and let's say "hi" in person. Brain Traffic's own Julie Vollenweider (@jjvollenweider) will be there, too, trying to pretend I'm not embarrassing her too much.
You're especially invited to check out the two terrific panels I'm honored to be a part of:
Try Making Yourself More Interesting
Friday, March 13, 5:00pm – Room A
There are no cheat codes for community. No Charles Atlas shortcuts to
make your pet project the one to rule them all. Want people to think
you're awesome? Be awesome.
Brian Oberkirch has asked me to address Being Sustainably Awesome on this panel, which obviously has close ties to content strategy. (Not seeing it? Oh, believe me. You will.) I'm excited to mind-meld with co-panelists DL Byron (Bikehugger), Amit Gupta (Photojojo), and especially David Rees, who writes my very favorite cartoon, Get Your War On.
From Freelance to Agency: Start Small, Stay Small
Saturday, March 14, 3:30pm – Room C
The web has always attracted mavericks and entrepreneurs, and a rocky
economy makes the freelance life more desirable (or at least more
inevitable) than ever. So what happens when your freelance business
starts to grow? How big can you get without getting bad?
The esteemed Jeffrey Zeldman (Happy Cog, A List Apart, Zeldman.com) invited me to share the stage with the brilliant Roger Black and UX designer/celebrity blogger Whitney Hess to talk about our shared experiences along the professional path. I promise to use the phrase "in these uncertain times" as often as humanly possible.
See you soon!
Posted in Brain Traffic
Last night, I had the distinct honor of appearing in Conversations About the Future of Advertising, a speaker series co-sponsored by MCAD and MIMA.
As is often the case in the Twin Cites, the audience was wonderfully engaged and asked smart, insightful questions. Thanks for coming! And special thanks to Tim Brunelle, series coordinator and prinicipal of Hello Viking for inviting me to speak.
If you missed it, here it is again. Enjoy. Comments welcomed!
Posted in Content Strategy