Content strategy and DITA and localization, oh my! Our best of 2014
Yes, you need another “best of 2014” list to round out the year. Without further ado, here are Scriptorium’s top 2014 blog posts on content strategy, DITA, and localization.
Opinion
Celebrating the good stuff (Blog Secret Santa)
Or: A stranger takes over the Scriptorium blog and gets all enthusiastic about tone of voice
Merry Christmas, Scriptorium readers. And, Sarah O’Keefe, an especially Merry Christmas to you. I’m your writer, Santa, and this is your Blog Secret Santa gift. (Everyone else: yep, hi. I’m a random stranger writing for Sarah’s blog. Because Christmas is fun.)
And here’s your present: Four websites that perform the rare magic trick of taking things that are normally really boring and making them entertaining.
Adapting content for the U.S. market (presentation summary)
In this presentation delivered at tcworld 2014 in Stuttgart, Alan Pringle and Sarah O’Keefe discuss several factors that are required to adapt content for the US market. This presentation is especially relevant for European companies that want to enter the US market.
Risky business: The challenge of content silos
At Information Development World, I delivered a keynote on the challenges of content silos. The silo problem emerged as a major theme of the conference.
XML product literature
Your industrial products become part of well-oiled machines. Unfortunately, your workflow for developing product literature may not be as well-oiled.
Webcast: Understanding the need for XML and structured content
In this webcast, Sarah O’Keefe provides a basic introduction to XML and explains how it could affect your content creation efforts. This presentation emphasizes the overall concept and has minimal technical content.
Content strategy and engineers
When developing a content strategy, you consider marcom, techcomm, and other groups whose primary role is creating content.
But don’t forget about engineering. Just ask the NASA Mohawk Guy.
Content strategy burdens: cost-shifting
In assessing an organization’s requirements, it’s important to identify content strategy burdens. That is, what practices or processes impose burdens on the organization? A content strategy burden might be an external cost, such as additional translation expense, or it might be an internal cost, such as a practice in one department that imposes additional work on a different department. A key to successful content strategy is to understand how these burdens are distributed in the organization.
Content without a face: anonymity, egos, and corporate content
The novels of Italian author Elena Ferrante are getting a lot of attention, but “Elena Ferrante” doesn’t actually exist. The writer behind the pen name prefers anonymity and shies away from publicity. Creators of corporate content should take a few pointers from the author when seeking recognition for their work.
XML workflow costs (premium)
Everyone wants to know how much an XML workflow is going to cost. For some reason, our prospective clients are rarely satisfied with the standard consultant answer of “It depends.”
This post outlines typical XML projects at four different budget levels: less than $50,000, $150K, $500K, and more than $500K.
The companies described are fictional composites. You should not make any major budgetary (or life) decisions based on these rough estimates. Your mileage may vary. Insert any other disclaimers I have forgotten.
Fall 2014 Scriptorium conference round-up
We have a full schedule of stellar conferences coming up this fall. We hope to see you at one or more of these events.
Engage before change: your content strategy mantra
If you’re about to revamp your content strategy, repeat after me:
Engage before change.
Content strategy failure in ten easy steps (premium)
Here’s how to ensure content strategy failure in ten easy steps. Follow these steps to guarantee that your project disintegrates in spectacular fashion. The top three are:
- Pick your tools first.
- Don’t talk to stakeholders.
- Make bad assumptions.
Content strategy mistake: replicating old formatting with new tools
When remodeling your kitchen, would you replace 1980s almond melamine cabinets with the same thing? Probably not. (I certainly wouldn’t!) Then why make the content strategy mistake of using new tools to re-create the old formatting in your content?
DITA content strategy
How can you implement DITA content strategy? Is DITA itself a content strategy?
Planning your content strategy pilot project
Your content strategy is approved. Your tools are in place. Now it’s time to crank up—your pilot project, that is.
Consider these tips when mapping out your content strategy pilot project.
From soccer balls to content strategy: the kick of change resistance
Your content strategy can learn a lot from soccer ball manufacturing plants in Sialkot, Pakistan.
Keys to content strategy: Discovery
In the legal world, discovery refers to the compulsory disclosure of relevant documents. In the consulting world, disclosure also important, but it is usually spotty and not in writing. Instead of disclosure, we have discovery.
XML publishing: It is right for you?
Wondering about a transition from desktop publishing to XML publishing for your content? Check out our new business case calculator.
Ten mistakes for content strategists to avoid
As content strategy spreads far and wide, we are making old mistakes in new ways. Here are ten mistakes that content strategists need to avoid.
Content strategy—cold as ice
Technical writing and marketing writing attracts people who love words and books. (This definitely includes me.) In the emerging discipline of content strategy, content is an asset. Its value is determined by what it can do for the business, not by artistic or literary merit.
Beware the monster of change management: THE MAGNIFIER
For his 1959 horror movie The Tingler, director/producer William Castle had movie theater seats rigged with buzzers to scare moviegoers during a scene when the Tingler creature is loose in a theater. Patrons in those seats probably didn’t enjoy the jolt—or making a spectacle of themselves because of the Tingler’s “attack.”
Making the most of your conversion to XML, part 2
You’ve made the transition to an XML workflow for publishing your technical content, converted all of your legacy content, and started authoring in the new system, as discussed in part 1 of this post. Although you now have a much better outlook on sustainability, you’re still facing a problem: your content creators are having trouble with the idea of separating content from formatting.
Tools, the content strategy killers
Quick! What’s the first thing you think about when you want to change your content strategy (the way you produce and distribute content)? If your answer is “tools,” you’re in good company.
