Category: Governance

Tools, Dependence, and My War with the Road

It was dark when I stood up. There was a flash and a lot of movement, and then it was dark. Except for one streetlight, and then another. The road was a black canyon, kept awake by the steady blinking of my back taillight. Instinctively, I moved every limb and concentrated on the pain. Where […]

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“Small CS: A Shoestring Approach to Content Strategy” – Now What? Conference 2015

The discussion around content strategy is framed by large examples, but it’s also the work of regional organizations, small universities, and mom and pop stores. How do we adapt the big concepts of content strategy to work within the constraints of a small organization? This transcript of my talk from Now What? Conference 2015 in Sioux Falls (April 30, 2015) explains more.

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Building Confidence: The Hidden Content Deliverable

When we sign a contract for content work – whether it’s working with a client as a consultant or accepting a position within a large company – we do so with the expectation of deliverables. They are the things we make. They are often a symbol of milestone completion, or quarterly goal. They are CONCRETE. […]

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Spoiler alert: collateral editing

Spoiler alert, you guys. So New York Magazine’s Vulture blog posted a little ditty about whether or not Don Draper chose the right woman on Mad Men’s season finale, complete with an episode spoiler right in the headline: “Is Megan Really Right for Don?” Spoilers in the headline? One comment summed it all up: “It’d […]

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Familiarity testing: planning for pet peeves and the possibility of follow-up

When we become familiar with our surroundings, two seemingly contrary things begin to happen: we start ignoring certain annoyances – and we uncover new ones. It happens in our everyday lives – we ignore the creaky floorboards of our house, but suddenly find fault in the loose cupboard doors; we become accustomed to one co-worker’s […]

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On post-launch content schedules: or, who’s taking care of the house?

Over two decades, my grandfather built two houses. They weren’t just houses. They were homes, for he and my grandmother, built out of an unwillingness to trust contractors and the lure of a low-cost solution. And because these homes were built from scratch, an intense pride of ownership developed. My grandparents took meticulous care of […]

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