/preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/authors/tyrus-manuel/ Recent content on Digital.gov Hugo en-us /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2017/08/17/shedding-light-on-underserved-users-through-research/ Thu, 17 Aug 2017 02:29:33 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2017/08/17/shedding-light-on-underserved-users-through-research/ How user interviews helped spotlight the needs of a previously forgotten group. We may not like to admit it, but, most web services or sites have users that (for whatever reason) just aren’t well understood—and in turn, not well served. Conducting user interviews and making sure you get good participation from those groups can help /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2016/04/11/the-content-corner-will-you-read-this-entire-post/ Mon, 11 Apr 2016 11:00:29 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2016/04/11/the-content-corner-will-you-read-this-entire-post/ Deep down we’ve always known that people only read a small portion of any content shared online. In many ways that can’t be fixed but there are ways to help people read more or at least scan better. There was a book I loved as a child that featured the Sesame Street character Grover, titled /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2016/03/28/the-content-corner-code-is-a-tool-content-is-the-solution/ Mon, 28 Mar 2016 10:00:50 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2016/03/28/the-content-corner-code-is-a-tool-content-is-the-solution/ It seems of late that the focus on coding and technology within the federal space has become out of balance with that of good, solid content. As I believe I have said before with regard to user experience, great technology with poor content is still worthless. Amazing code that delivers poorly written or designed content /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2016/03/21/the-content-corner-social-media-metrics-and-the-challenge-of-effective-measurement/ Mon, 21 Mar 2016 11:18:21 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2016/03/21/the-content-corner-social-media-metrics-and-the-challenge-of-effective-measurement/ I’ve recently been required to focus more attention on social media from a federal agency standpoint and this has directly led to a greater consideration of content. One of my first steps was to begin sharing various forms of content and gauge the success of each type. In today’s post, I’ll share what I have /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2016/03/14/the-content-corner-feeding-the-beast-with-agile-content-development/ Mon, 14 Mar 2016 10:59:54 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2016/03/14/the-content-corner-feeding-the-beast-with-agile-content-development/ I feel as though I have ignored the beast in the room lately, and since I began my tenure on The Content Corner introducing that concept, I felt I needed to wrestle with it one last time before I depart. Previously, I discussed the concept of pair writing. Today I want to investigate how another software /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2016/03/07/the-content-corner-how-google-judges-your-content/ Mon, 07 Mar 2016 11:09:58 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2016/03/07/the-content-corner-how-google-judges-your-content/ Every week my main goal is to usually provide new ways to help you feed the content beast. However, today I am going to remind you of why feeding the beast is important, especially when it comes to your search engine rankings and helping users find your content. I’ve discussed key search engine optimization (SEO) /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2016/02/29/the-content-corner-facebook-expands-access-to-instant-articles/ Mon, 29 Feb 2016 10:21:01 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2016/02/29/the-content-corner-facebook-expands-access-to-instant-articles/ One of my biggest content concerns is digital sharecropping. The recent announcement from Facebook that they will soon open their Instant Articles publishing capability to everyone was reason enough for me to revisit the topic. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2016/02/22/the-content-corner-government-as-api/ Mon, 22 Feb 2016 11:10:39 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2016/02/22/the-content-corner-government-as-api/ Here at DigitalGov, we generally focus on federal governmental digital efforts within the U.S. It is where we live and operate, so it makes sense, but many governments across the world struggle with the same issues and leverage technology as a common solution. When I came across an article where Australia announced its “government as /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2016/02/10/what-is-content/ Wed, 10 Feb 2016 04:06:01 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2016/02/10/what-is-content/ In this age of content marketing that has led publications to call certain ads “paid content,” those of us in government need to broaden our ideas about what “content” is. Many of us get it, but some agencies may also be missing opportunities because they don’t even grasp that content is a broad and fluid /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2016/02/08/the-content-corner-location-aware-content/ Mon, 08 Feb 2016 11:00:00 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2016/02/08/the-content-corner-location-aware-content/ While January was about looking ahead, February is focused on content and many of the new possibilities and challenges that will face us as content creators over the next year and beyond. At the intersection of these two themes lies the genesis of my topic today: location-aware content. More than a Map One of the /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2016/02/01/the-content-corner-four-ways-to-help-your-content-stand-out/ Mon, 01 Feb 2016 10:00:28 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2016/02/01/the-content-corner-four-ways-to-help-your-content-stand-out/ When discussing trends for 2016, I made some mention of the content overload that started in 2015 but will certainly increase in 2016. Contently recently found that organizations created 73% more content in 2015 than in 2014. I see no reason why that number will decline in 2016, especially as content becomes the beast of /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2016/01/11/the-content-corner-content-trends-for-2016/ Mon, 11 Jan 2016 14:00:53 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2016/01/11/the-content-corner-content-trends-for-2016/ The beginning of a new year is generally a time where people on a personal and professional level look ahead and prognosticate. When it comes to almost any digital media, the one thing we can be certain of is that the pace will quicken, the offerings will expand, and something totally unexpected will jump out /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/12/21/the-content-corner-can-you-leverage-cornerstone-content/ Mon, 21 Dec 2015 10:00:02 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/12/21/the-content-corner-can-you-leverage-cornerstone-content/ If you have a website, then you most likely have cornerstone content—though you may not think of it in that way or even considered it. Just as in architecture, a cornerstone is a basic and essential part of any online presence. Cornerstone content is also important to any new visitors to your agency site, even if you /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/12/14/the-content-corner-is-pair-writing-right-for-you/ Mon, 14 Dec 2015 10:00:35 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/12/14/the-content-corner-is-pair-writing-right-for-you/ Fresh from last week’s article about workflows and their importance in the content creation process, I stumbled upon a new twist in content production known as pair writing. Many of you familiar with agile methodologies or software programming in general should know the term pair programming. Pair writing hopes to take some of the same /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/12/07/the-content-corner-work-smarter-with-workflows/ Mon, 07 Dec 2015 10:00:55 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/12/07/the-content-corner-work-smarter-with-workflows/ I noticed recently that I have spent a decent amount of time discussing or referencing content workflow, but I haven’t spent much time on how to actually create or use workflows. Developing content workflows can be a fairly painless process that can make your regular content creation a much smoother and efficient process. Content workflows /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/11/30/the-content-corner-the-balance-between-seo-and-the-user/ Mon, 30 Nov 2015 10:00:16 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/11/30/the-content-corner-the-balance-between-seo-and-the-user/ I always think of SEO like the dentist—no one really likes it, but you need to do it. Yet, despite my lack of excitement for the topic, this will be at a minimum my second post (here’s the first) about the relationship between creating good content and SEO practices. Today I want to dive a little /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/11/23/the-content-corner-good-ux-needs-good-content/ Mon, 23 Nov 2015 11:00:13 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/11/23/the-content-corner-good-ux-needs-good-content/ As DigitalGov focuses on user experience this month it is good to remember one harsh truth: You cannot have a good user experience with bad content. It is important to keep a “content first” strategy in place during any website redesign or new site development. It is so easy for the various disciplines involved in /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/11/16/the-content-corner-user-research-for-complex-systems/ Mon, 16 Nov 2015 10:21:56 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/11/16/the-content-corner-user-research-for-complex-systems/ My office is preparing to embark on a complete redesign of a 10-year-old system that averages 20,000 users a month. The success and adoption of the new system design and the product as a whole will be heavily determined by how well our team translates users’ needs. Providing a good user experience will also play /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/11/09/the-content-corner-structured-content-and-the-power-of-syndication/ Mon, 09 Nov 2015 09:52:53 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/11/09/the-content-corner-structured-content-and-the-power-of-syndication/ A recent DigitalGov webinar on syndicated content and the recent achievements of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention helped open my eyes even wider to the possibilities of open and structured content. By offering critical health information via syndication, CDC and other Department of Health and Human Services agencies are helping resource-strapped local agencies share /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/11/02/the-content-corner-the-joys-of-the-content-template/ Mon, 02 Nov 2015 10:13:29 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/11/02/the-content-corner-the-joys-of-the-content-template/ Many of us depend a great deal on subject matter experts (SMEs) to generate content that will eventually end up on our site. These are men and women that have critical knowledge to share with our audiences, and it is our job to make it match our various editorial and content guidelines. Using a simple /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/10/26/the-content-corner-twitter-apple-news-and-the-importance-of-our-websites/ Mon, 26 Oct 2015 11:00:19 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/10/26/the-content-corner-twitter-apple-news-and-the-importance-of-our-websites/ First, McDonald’s started serving breakfast all day. Now, Twitter announced it is dropping its 140 character limit for tweets. Black is white, up is down. Or is it really that big a deal? Is Twitter just keeping itself relevant in the battle for your content? LinkedIn and Facebook were first with their strong push for organizations to /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/10/19/the-content-corner-helping-your-content-contributors/ Mon, 19 Oct 2015 10:04:17 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/10/19/the-content-corner-helping-your-content-contributors/ Recently, I shared some suggestions and personal lessons learned for agencies either shopping for a new CMS or preparing to revamp their content strategy and workflow. Let’s take things one step further and focus on arguably the most important parts of your CMS: the content creator or user. Arguments can be made that content is the most /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/10/05/the-content-corner-content-management-system-considerations/ Mon, 05 Oct 2015 11:24:31 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/10/05/the-content-corner-content-management-system-considerations/ These days you couldn’t be faulted for thinking your content management system (CMS) choices are limited to two open source systems and maybe an enterprise-level offering that no one uses anymore. And while it’s true that for the public sector the popular open source options are extremely attractive from a cost standpoint, if nothing else, /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/09/28/the-content-corner-defining-your-core/ Mon, 28 Sep 2015 01:30:53 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/09/28/the-content-corner-defining-your-core/ Through the course of this blog, I have frequently mentioned the need to feed the content beast and have discussed tactics such as the content pillar and various other aspects of developing a solid content strategy. Recent research from the Content Marketing Institute found the average business-to-business (B2B) company uses 13 content marketing tactics or /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/09/21/the-content-corner-harness-the-power-of-user-generated-content/ Mon, 21 Sep 2015 13:00:36 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/09/21/the-content-corner-harness-the-power-of-user-generated-content/ As of 2015, Millennials spent 30% of their time consuming user-generated content (UGC), and 54% of that group find UGC more trustworthy than content generated by a specific brand. This covers everything from user-generated reviews on Yelp! to short-form videos. Another benefit of UGC is that it helps crowdsource the burden of feeding the content /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/09/14/the-content-corner-should-you-stop-writing-and-start-podcasting/ Mon, 14 Sep 2015 10:00:35 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/09/14/the-content-corner-should-you-stop-writing-and-start-podcasting/ Several months or so ago, I raised the question of whether you and your agency should be podcasting. Incidentally, my post coincided with the launch of DigitalGov’s new podcast series. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/08/31/the-content-corner-optimize-your-content/ Mon, 31 Aug 2015 10:00:08 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/08/31/the-content-corner-optimize-your-content/ For the past several weeks, I have been writing about fairly cerebral and more technical aspects of content generation and language in general. This week, I felt it was time to get back to a more basic content concept: content optimization. Frequently when content optimization is discussed it is heavily focused on search engine optimization /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/08/24/the-content-corner-modular-design-and-structured-content/ Mon, 24 Aug 2015 14:07:31 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/08/24/the-content-corner-modular-design-and-structured-content/ Several months ago I discussed the concept of a world without Web pages and the importance of structured content and thinking about content, not pages. This week, I’m taking that discussion further by discussing the importance of modularity in Web design and how that complements our efforts to create more structured and reusable data. Break /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/08/17/the-content-corner-using-natural-language-processing-to-improve-rulemaking/ Mon, 17 Aug 2015 13:10:53 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/08/17/the-content-corner-using-natural-language-processing-to-improve-rulemaking/ For the past several weeks, I have been inflicting you with my recent dive down the rabbit hole of natural language generation and the larger discipline of natural language algorithms. Most of the focus has been on the power of natural language generation and how it can help you rapidly produce content on a wide /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/08/10/the-content-corner-can-automated-content-creation-help-your-agency/ Mon, 10 Aug 2015 11:00:23 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/08/10/the-content-corner-can-automated-content-creation-help-your-agency/ Nearly half of companies recently surveyed said that automating content creation would save their content marketing teams the most time. We’ve already covered Natural Language Generation (NLG) algorithms and how they have made some forms of automated content generation a reality already, such as for sports recaps or financial data reporting. Let’s take a deeper /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/08/03/the-content-corner-rise-of-the-machines/ Mon, 03 Aug 2015 11:10:42 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/08/03/the-content-corner-rise-of-the-machines/ In the span of two days, I received as many emails from respectable content marketing blogs worrying about the dangers of machines taking the jobs of bloggers and other content creators. The man vs. machine dynamic has existed since the dawn of the industrial age, but is it finally reaching the point where a technology /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/07/27/the-content-corner-supporting-your-content/ Mon, 27 Jul 2015 10:18:44 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/07/27/the-content-corner-supporting-your-content/ This column revolves mostly around content creation and strategy, but an overlooked part of the content lifecycle is helping people find your content. Your content is made to be seen and without planning for promotion, it may never be found. The methods available to you may vary (wildly) at your agency, so remember your mileage may /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/07/20/the-content-corner-determining-your-users-needs/ Mon, 20 Jul 2015 10:20:36 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/07/20/the-content-corner-determining-your-users-needs/ I recently wrapped up a series of user interviews as part of a review of our judiciary-wide intranet in order to provide better digital services to our customers (and yes, our internal users are our customers, not just the general public). /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/07/13/the-content-corner-create-better-mobile-content/ Mon, 13 Jul 2015 11:00:23 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/07/13/the-content-corner-create-better-mobile-content/ All content needs to be developed with a mobile-first strategy, from headline choice to paragraph length. Although we are all now living in a post-mobilegeddon world, many of us are still implementing a mobile strategy. This strategy should consider several factors, including viewport size, cellular versus WiFi considerations, and load times. It should also include a /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/07/06/the-content-corner-creating-good-content-is-hard/ Mon, 06 Jul 2015 10:00:55 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/07/06/the-content-corner-creating-good-content-is-hard/ Throughout my five-plus months so far on this blog, I have focused a great deal on creating content, the various methods to improve your content, and what exactly content is. One thing that I may not have emphasized enough is the quality of the actual writing itself and how no content strategy on the planet /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/06/29/the-content-corner-telling-your-story/ Mon, 29 Jun 2015 10:00:19 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/06/29/the-content-corner-telling-your-story/ Storytelling plays an important role in helping to establish the human connection that is often lost in today’s digital deluge of information, shares and tweets. A large amount of the content we consume today is derivative, second-hand, and generally passes through us like a breeze. But by using a method of sharing content that is as /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/06/22/the-content-corner-writing-better-headlines/ Mon, 22 Jun 2015 10:00:49 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/06/22/the-content-corner-writing-better-headlines/ The clarity of a headline or title plays a critical role in whether your content is ever seen and read by your customers. As the battle for eyeballs continues to escalate, digital media providers seem to be resorting more and more to “clickbait” titles and headlines. However, as with all forms of overused marketing, consumers /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/06/15/the-content-corner-creating-engaging-content-with-data/ Mon, 15 Jun 2015 11:10:42 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/06/15/the-content-corner-creating-engaging-content-with-data/ Over the last several years, continuing advances in computer processing power and storage have brought about the growth of what some call big data. Mobile and wearable devices now also generate large amounts of data via our /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/06/08/the-content-corner-creating-a-content-style-guide/ Mon, 08 Jun 2015 10:00:02 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/06/08/the-content-corner-creating-a-content-style-guide/ One of the more commonly overlooked pieces of any effective content strategy is a content style guide. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/06/01/the-content-corner-humanizing-structured-content/ Mon, 01 Jun 2015 10:00:43 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/06/01/the-content-corner-humanizing-structured-content/ Over the past several years, DigitalGov has been extremely focused on structured content, content models, and their role in future-ready content (and rightly so). /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/05/18/the-content-corner-connecting-with-customers-at-labor/ Mon, 18 May 2015 10:00:35 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/05/18/the-content-corner-connecting-with-customers-at-labor/ Here at DigitalGov, customer service is a focal theme during the month of May, and by some type of cosmic chance, I was invited to share my insights on content strategy and content creation at a Customer Service Community of Practice event at the Department of Labor. The event focused on topics I commonly discuss here /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/05/11/the-content-corner-ranking-six-common-content-types/ Mon, 11 May 2015 10:00:27 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/05/11/the-content-corner-ranking-six-common-content-types/ In last week’s column, I went back to a frequent theme of mine and discussed another method for helping to feed the content beast, which was learning when to say no to a new and potentially resource devouring digital channel or platform. However, we also need to take a look at six of the most /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/05/04/the-content-corner-learning-to-say-no/ Mon, 04 May 2015 11:30:37 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/05/04/the-content-corner-learning-to-say-no/ There is a quote that goes something like, “Just because we can do a thing, it does not follow that we must do a thing.” I attribute it to the President of the United Federation of Planets in Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, partially because I am a geek, and secondly, the internet provided /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/04/27/the-content-corner-the-content-wars/ Mon, 27 Apr 2015 10:56:28 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/04/27/the-content-corner-the-content-wars/ One of the most interesting trends forming at the start of 2015 is the rise of new digital publishers. Online entities from Facebook to GE are continuing their strong forays into the world of content production. This shift, especially among social media platforms such as Facebook, Linked In and Snapchat, could significantly alter the digital /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/04/20/the-content-corner-finding-your-voice/ Mon, 20 Apr 2015 10:00:55 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/04/20/the-content-corner-finding-your-voice/ No, this is not another post about podcasting but about a different voice entirely. It is the words you use, the conversation that you are having with your users. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/04/13/the-content-corner-structured-content-challenges-and-lessons-learned/ Mon, 13 Apr 2015 10:00:17 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/04/13/the-content-corner-structured-content-challenges-and-lessons-learned/ In May 2014, Sarah Crane discussed the importance of structured content, APIs and the development of a “Create Once, Publish Everywhere” (COPE) strategy at USA.gov via a three part video series. After my recent post about a world without Web pages, Sarah and I connected and we discussed the challenges she has experienced during the /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/04/06/the-content-corner-should-you-be-podcasting/ Mon, 06 Apr 2015 10:00:34 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/04/06/the-content-corner-should-you-be-podcasting/ Along a somewhat personal journey (that you have chosen to join) to better define the term content, I’ve stumbled upon the puzzle of podcasts. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/03/30/the-content-corner-making-those-connections/ Mon, 30 Mar 2015 10:00:27 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/03/30/the-content-corner-making-those-connections/ A (possibly infamous) blog post from last Friday and the discussion or debate that followed reminded me of several important points that we all may lose sight of during our hectic schedules. /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/03/23/the-content-corner-building-a-content-strategy/ Mon, 23 Mar 2015 09:45:24 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/03/23/the-content-corner-building-a-content-strategy/ I recently read a disheartening statistic which stated that only 32% of B2B organizations and 27% of B2C organizations had a documented content strategy. When you combine these results with the general assumption that the federal government lags behind in areas such as this (especially since content strategies have a marketing basis), then the number /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/03/16/the-content-corner-a-world-without-web-pages/ Mon, 16 Mar 2015 11:10:48 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/03/16/the-content-corner-a-world-without-web-pages/ Imagine a world without Web pages, only intelligent, self-assembling chunks of content waiting to respond to your needs. The page is irrelevant, there may be no context beyond what is included in your content. The content has to survive on its own, perform its goals on its own. Originally when creating content, you would take /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/03/09/the-content-corner-performing-a-content-audit/ Mon, 09 Mar 2015 10:00:21 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/03/09/the-content-corner-performing-a-content-audit/ Audit. It’s a word that generally has no positive connotations whatsoever. We hear the word audit and we think of tax audits or timesheet audits, etc. The word normally strikes fear or dread in the hearts of most mortals. But it is also a task that all websites will need to perform from time to /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/03/02/the-content-corner-catching-a-wave/ Mon, 02 Mar 2015 14:01:48 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/03/02/the-content-corner-catching-a-wave/ As we all continue to wrestle with the “content beast”, one effective method for generating ideas for content and fleshing out an editorial calendar is to look for trending events or even upcoming holidays. In the spirit of full disclosure, the idea behind this particular post was inspired by the back-to-back Valentine’s Day and Presidents’ /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/02/23/the-content-corner-treating-the-citizen-as-a-customer/ Mon, 23 Feb 2015 11:10:26 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/02/23/the-content-corner-treating-the-citizen-as-a-customer/ There is a tendency in government to discount a range of strategies closely connected to marketing. A good example, and a recent buzzword, is content marketing. Content marketing’s main goal is to drive a user to click or sign-up; to turn them into a lead or a buying customer. We’re the federal government, we aren’t /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/02/09/the-content-corner-content-pillars-the-foundation-of-any-effective-content-strategy/ Mon, 09 Feb 2015 01:33:53 -0400 /preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/02/09/the-content-corner-content-pillars-the-foundation-of-any-effective-content-strategy/ If you and your organization don’t already have a content strategy, then you are most likely working too hard to create content that is less effective in communicating your desired message and less relevant to your end-user. The lack of a content strategy can leave you at the mercy of the content “beast” where you