Content Strategy SIG

Content strategy gains traction on technical communications side

Rahel Bailie — Sat, 20 Aug 2011 21:30:22 +0000

The idea that content strategy applies to “our” kind of content – product content, back-end content, technical content, user assistance content – is taking hold. From the list of conferences here, you can see that there are conferences that are aimed squarely at our practice areas, as well as those that cross over between multiple practice areas, and specialize on certain topics.

This is all good news for technical communicators. It provides a career path for those who think strategically about content but were never recognized for that contribution. It provides a way to frame our work to empower us to make the changes we’ve known about for ages. It gives us a seat at the table, further upstream in the design process and further up in the corporate hierarchy.

Your contribution to this SIG is an important part of creating the stories that inspire us, help us move ahead, and demonstrate the ways that we can move forward. Looking forward to hearing from you!

Content Strategy Institute for 2011 STC Summit

Rahel Bailie — Sun, 03 Apr 2011 15:05:07 +0000

The 2011 STC Summit has put together a Content Strategy Institute – a 4-session series that, together, give participants a rounded and deeper understanding of a field that is deeper than attending a random selection of sessions. This year’s selections:

Smart content: IBM’s next generation information experience – Michael Priestley talks about how to leverage content to create a superior user experience.
Refining the Content Lifecycle - Rahel Anne Bailie looks at the various stages of the content lifecycle, and the deliverables associated with each stage.
Tech Docs Reinvented: The Power of Enhanced Books - Ann Rockley presents a vision for presentation of technical content in various electronic formats such as ebooks, e-readers, and the iPad.
We Are All Content Strategists Now - Karen McGrane demonstrates how technical communicators can put content strategy to work on their projects.

The 2011 STC Summit runs from May 15-18, 2011 in Sacramento, CA.

Content strategy progression accepted for STC 2010 Summit

Rahel Bailie — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 20:34:09 +0000

The 2010 STC Summit will have a number of content strategy components, including a progression with some of the top names in content strategy. A progression is STC vocabulary for a 75-minute session that holds multiple topic tables, where presenters repeat a 20-minute presentation 3 times. During that time, participants choose 3 topics from the overall complement of topics, and move from table to table during the 75 minutes.

The progression line-up includes:

Andrea Ames (IBM) – Putting the Strategy into Content: Skills for content strategists
Alyson Riley (IBM) – Connecting Business Requirements and Content Strategy
Mollye Barrett (ClearPath) – Content Lifecycle Strategy
Rachel Lovinger (Razorfish) – The Role of Metadata in Content Strategy
Colleen Jones (threebrick) – Testing Content: Tips, Tricks, and Takeaways
Rahel Anne Bailie (Intentional Design) – Developing a Content Strategy for an Enterprise Application: A case study
Brenda Heuttner (P-N Designs) – Metrics: Practical approaches to measuring the value of content
Anne Gentle (JustWriteClick) – Shareable, Searchable, Sociable, and Don’t Forget Syndicated
C C Holland (independent) – Cutting Through the Clutter: Approaching content strategy like a journalist
Gina Fevrier (Numara) – Detours Along the Strategic Road: Learning from our mistakes
Janet Swisher and Lisa Dyer (Lombardi) – Getting Stakeholders to Yes

I know what you’re thinking: I have to pick 3 topics? Only 3? Some of the presenters will also have individual presentations, so be sure to cross-reference your program to get the most of your content strategy experience at the conference. See you there?

Content Strategy SIG Charter Approved

Rahel Bailie — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 21:13:51 +0000

As of September 2009, Society for Technical Communication has approved our charter for a Special Interest Group about content strategy. We welcome the participation of any STC members who are engaged in content strategy, want to develop the skills to become a content strategist, or simply want to know more about content strategy.

I am your SIG manager, and will be posting links to resources and communities on the Web. I don’t claim to know it all or have all the answers, so your contributions are appreciated. Want to join in the discussion on content strategy? We’re starting a Google group, as it’s easy to keep track of threads and maintain an archive of knowledge. Join now at http://groups.google.com/group/stc-cs/.

Many thanks to Will Sansbury for his kind, speedy, and beautiful implementation of this Web site. I couldn’t have gotten it together without him.

What is content strategy?

willsansbury — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 01:27:12 +0000

Content strategy is an emerging field of practice dealing with the planning aspects of managing content throughout its lifecycle. Strategy includes alignment to business goals, analysis, and modeling, and influences the development, production, presentation, evaluation, measurement, and sunsetting of content, including governance.
About Content Strategy >

This site is the home of the Content Strategy SIG (Special Interest Group) of the Society for Technical Communication.
About the SIG >