Reconnecting in 2021
2020 was an unpredictable year. We learned (or at least attempted) to be flexible during difficult times. With flexibility in mind, we are making some cautious industry and pandemic related predictions for 2021.
Opinion
2019 trend: Smarter content in unexpected places
It’s always dangerous to make predictions, but for 2019, we are defining “smarter content in unexpected places” as our trend in content strategy.
The catalyst is recognition of content value. Once you decide that delivering certain information is valuable, you then start to think about the best ways to create, manage, and deliver that information. How can you maximize its value?
Content strategy requirements: real or fake?
Content strategy is no stranger to change. A strategy must be ever-evolving to meet new business requirements. But how do you determine whether a requirement is real or fake?
Training new hires in technical communication
After an arduous job search process that took place during my senior year in the Professional and Technical Writing program at Virginia Tech, I was recently hired here at Scriptorium. One thing I have learned is that matching candidates, especially new college graduates, and jobs in the world of technical communication can be difficult.
DITA adoption beyond product content
We usually think of DITA as a solution for product-focused content development. More specifically, it’s used for developing customer-facing technical documentation and training content. And, as marketing and technical content have converged to deliver a more unified product content experience, DITA has served that need as well.
But what about content needs beyond products?
Content strategy versus human nature
Implementing a content strategy is tricky. Technical issues bubble up to the surface as challenges, but those issues usually have direct solutions. The real elephant in the room isn’t technology; it’s human nature.
Insomnia, content strategy edition
I usually sleep quite well, but every once in a while, sleep eludes me for no apparent reason. So there I am at 2 a.m., awake. Here are some of the things that keep my mind spinning:
The rise and fall of #contentstrategy
Content strategy—or should I say, #contentstrategy—has been picking up steam over the years on social media. Twitter is especially saturated with the #contentstrategy tag. But what exactly is being positioned as content strategy?
Does Markdown fit into your content strategy?
Markdown is a text-based markup language designed for content authoring. Using a limited set of formatting marks, you can create content and render it to HTML or another format.
There’s a growing buzz about Markdown in the technical communication community. While great for quick content development, there are some limitations to its usefulness.
Is Google Translate good enough?
Machine translation continues to evolve. With artificial intelligence in the mix, machine translations seem almost human. Google Translate is one of the top players in this market, supplying everything from basic text translation to browser-embedded (Chrome) translation to a robust translation API. But even with all of these options, is Google Translate good enough?
A hierarchy of localization needs
Do you need to supply translated content? Use this hierarchy of localization needs to shape your localization strategy.
LavaCon Portland 2017: find your tribe
Last week’s LavaCon conference in Portland, OR was the highest attended ever. And with good reason; the program was very compelling. Regardless of session focuses (web copy, chatbots, virtual reality, and more), nearly every session echoed the same themes: change is constant, collaboration is critical, find your tribe.
Getting the most out of conferences–the hallway track
I’ve lost count of the number of conferences I’ve attended. I average five or so per year, so over 20 years, that’s at least 100 events. Here are some things I’ve learned about successful conference attendance.
Content strategy, a food analogy
If content is like food, then content strategy is the delivery system, whether a restaurant or a home cook feeding a family. Scriptorium is full of people who like to eat and cook, so food analogies are always popular around here.
Back to school: measuring content strategy ROI
Here in the United States, the summer is now officially over and students are back to school. For many, this means a change in routine and a fresh outlook on the remainder of the year. This is an excellent time to direct that fresh outlook to your content by measuring your content strategy ROI.
Change management during mergers
Last year we wrote about content strategy after mergers and acquisitions. While many infrastructure decisions and changes need to be made, change management on the personnel side is critical for success.
Things have changed since we wrote this! Check out new insights from our team in this post.
Return of the technical editor?
I’ve seen quite a few comebacks in my time, from bellbottoms to grungy flannel. But most of these trends are short-lived. A once long-standing staple among technical writing and content authoring groups has nearly gone extinct: the technical editor. Is it time for this role to make a comeback?
Content: Is it really a business asset?
Assets have long life, and their value depreciates over time. Does content meet that definition?
LavaCon Dublin 2017: spanning silos, building bridges
Two weeks ago, The LavaCon Conference made its return to Dublin, Ireland. Before I dive in, thanks to Jack Molisani for yet another fun and insightful LavaCon conference!
Top 10 signs that your documentation is craptacular, 2017 edition
This post is part of Scriptorium’s 20th anniversary celebration.
Way back in 2011, I published the first edition of this list. It’s interesting to see how much has changed since then.
Do you know a content strategy concrete head?
In lean management, a concrete head is someone resistant to change. In my years working on content strategy projects, I have noticed many people are resistant to changing how they develop and distribute content—sometimes without even knowing it.
Content should not be an obvious tourist
When you travel, do people ask you for directions and address you as if you live in the area? I’ve had that happen a few times, and friends and colleagues have shared similar experiences.
You may not stand out as an obvious tourist on your travels. But does the content you distribute fit in as well across different environs?
The commodity trap
In a recent post on lean content strategy, I wrote about a focus on waste reduction:
After creating a nice automated XML-based process, waste in formatting is eliminated, and we declare victory and go home. Unfortunately, the organization is now producing irrelevant content faster, and the content organization is now positioned as only a cost center.
Is your content perceived as a commodity?
