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Structured content

CCMS Change management Content management DITA Podcasts Replatforming Structured content

Tips for moving from unstructured to structured content with Dipo Ajose-Coker

In episode 159 of The Content Strategy Experts Podcast, Bill Swallow and special guest Dipo Ajose-Coker share tips for moving from unstructured to structured content.

“I mentioned it before: invest in training. It’s very important that your team knows first of all not just the tool, but also the concepts behind the tool. The concept of structured content creation, leaving ownership behind, and all of those things that we’ve referred to earlier on. You’ve got to invest in that kind of training. It’s not just a one-off, you want to keep it going. Let them attend conferences or webinars, and things like that, because those are all instructive, and those are all things that will give good practice.”

— Dipo Ajose-Coker

Bill Swallow
January 8, 2024
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CCMS Change management Content management Podcasts Structured content Training

Challenges of moving from unstructured to structured content with Dipo Ajose-Coker

In episode 158 of The Content Strategy Experts Podcast, Bill Swallow and special guest Dipo Ajose-Coker discuss the challenges of moving from unstructured to structured content.

“I think we could make broad categories of challenges as tools, technology, people, and methodologies, and I think we’ll just dive into these because they’re not necessarily independent—some of them flow one into the other. One of the most complex and challenging parts is implementation. Changing over to a new tool also involves changing processes and training the staff. Basically, some documentation teams struggle with that initial learning curve.”

— Dipo Ajose-Coker

Bill Swallow
December 18, 2023
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Change management Industry insights Podcasts

Design thinking & equity in design with guest Dee Lanier (podcast)

In episode 157 of The Content Strategy Experts Podcast, Sarah O’Keefe and special guest Dee Lanier discuss design thinking: what it is, what it isn’t, and obstacles and ideas for equity in design.

“Design thinking is not a model first. It is a mindset that incorporates a strong inquisitiveness. What’s happening here? Who are the people that are being affected by whatever problems that are happening here? And what don’t I know that I need to learn before proposing any solutions? That’s design thinking in a larger understanding.”

— Dee Lanier

Sarah O'Keefe
December 4, 2023
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Change management Content pitfalls Podcasts Structured content

Ask Alan Anything: Resolving pain in content operations (podcast, part 2)

In episode 156 of The Content Strategy Experts Podcast, Alan Pringle and Christine Cuellar are back discussing more pain points that Scriptorium has resolved. Discover the impact of office politics on content operations, what to do when your non-technical team is moving to structured content, and more.

“Here’s the thing. Skepticism is healthy. If people are trying to poke holes in this new process, sometimes they can actually uncover things that are not being addressed. That is real, that is useful. So don’t confuse that with people who were being a-holes and just being contrary for the sake of being contrary. Those are two different things, and you’ve got to be sure you understand those two things.”

— Alan Pringle

Christine Cuellar
November 27, 2023
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DITA Industry insights Podcasts Structured content

ContentOps edited collection: Content operations from start to scale (podcast)

In episode 153 of The Content Strategy Experts Podcast, Sarah O’Keefe and special guest Dr. Carlos Evia of Virginia Tech discuss the upcoming book ContentOps Edited Collection: Content operations from start to scale. This is a free collection of insights from leading industry experts that will be available in October of 2023.

“This is going to be a free book. We are not going to become rich and famous with this book because we decided that we wanted to make the content in the book accessible for everybody who is interested in learning about content operations. It’s going to be published as an open-access book by Virginia Tech Publishing.”

— Dr. Carlos Evia

Sarah O'Keefe
October 9, 2023
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DITA DITA XML—authors Industry insights Podcasts Structured content

Adapt to evolving content careers with guest Jack Molisani (podcast)

In episode 151 of The Content Strategy Experts Podcast, Bill Swallow and podcast guest, Jack Molisani discuss how content careers have changed through the pandemic, layoffs, quiet quitting, and AI, and what you should do to stay ahead of the curve.

“Rather than applying for a job […] you want companies to come to you and say, ‘Hey, will you come work for us?’ The only way they’re going to do that is if you write articles, if you’re speaking at conferences, and if you position yourself as an expert in your field.”

— Jack Molisani

Bill Swallow
September 11, 2023
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Content management Information architecture Podcasts Structured content

How to choose a content model with guest Patrick Bosek (podcast)

In episode 150 of The Content Strategy Experts Podcast, Alan Pringle and special guest, Patrick Bosek of Heretto talk about choosing a content model, factors to consider, and when you should think about customization.

“There’s a valid use case for almost every approach that’s out there. There’s no way around that. I think what it really starts to come down to is making sure that you’re matching the 18+ months [ahead] to the decision you’re making now.”

— Patrick Bosek

Alan Pringle
August 14, 2023
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Change management Podcasts Structured content

“Why do I have to work differently?” (podcast, part 2)

In episode 147 of The Content Strategy Experts Podcast, Alan Pringle and Christine Cuellar continue talking about how teams adjust when content processes change, and tools you can use to navigate the question, “Why do I have to work differently?”

This is part two of a two-part podcast.

“We had a client a few years ago refer to us as content therapists, and that’s not far off. […] We provide a sounding board. We’re a sympathetic ear. We help give you the opportunity to bounce off concerns, problems, issues, and offer feedback. It’s a relationship where we are going to listen and give guidance, because again, we’ve been through this before with other people. Let’s apply that knowledge and make your life as easy as possible during, frankly, what can be a very tumultuous time.”

— Alan Pringle

Christine Cuellar
July 5, 2023
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Change management Podcasts Structured content

“Why do I have to work differently?” (podcast, part 1)

In episode 146 of The Content Strategy Experts Podcast, Alan Pringle and Christine Cuellar talk about how teams adjust when content processes change, and how you can address the question, “Why do I have to work differently?”

This is part one of a two-part podcast. 

“One of these kinds of business drivers can be a merger or an acquisition. When you end up combining two companies, you can have two separate workflows. Both of them are not going to win — they’re just not. […] But again, I mean, I have a lot of sympathy for these people. A lot of times they are asking this for legitimate reasons. ‘Why is this happening?’ ‘Why am I having to do this?’ That’s when you’ve got to help them step back and look at the bigger business situation.”

— Alan Pringle

Christine Cuellar
June 19, 2023
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Structured content

2022 podcast roundup

We had an amazing lineup of guests and topics on our podcast in 2022. Here are some short highlights to help you figure out which episodes you might want to catch up on (the links take you to the individual episodes, where you will find the transcript and a link to the audio file).

Sarah O'Keefe
December 19, 2022
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Structured content

The best of 2022

How on earth is it already December?

My brain is unable to process how fast this year has gone by—yet we have a whole year’s worth of content on our blog for 2022. Here’s a roundup of posts and podcasts on content strategy and content operations.

Alan Pringle
December 12, 2022
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Localization Replatforming Structured content

Replatforming with localization in mind

A wise woman recently said, “replatforming structured content is annoying and expensive.” This is doubly so when it comes to localization.

Replatforming nearly always involves content change—the new system may store content differently or require a different format or structure. Although the changes may affect your existing localization process, some of these changes may be for the better.

Bill Swallow
October 3, 2022
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Content management Structured content

Even a digital content factory is not built in a day

Setting up an efficient factory requires planning. Where do you put the building? How will you bring in raw materials? How does work flow along the assembly line and how can you optimize the work? Given that my expertise in actual factory operations is limited to Factorio, it’s probably best to set that analogy aside and refocus on a digital equivalent—the systems that make up your content operations.

Sarah O'Keefe
September 19, 2022
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DITA DITA XML—authors Replatforming Structured content

Replatforming structured content

Scriptorium is doing a lot of replatforming projects. We have customers with existing structured content—custom XML, DocBook, and DITA—who need to move their content operations from their existing CCMS to a new system.

These transitions, even DITA to DITA, require a solid business justification. Replatforming structured content is annoying and expensive. Most often, the organization’s needs have changed, and the current platform is no longer a good fit.

Note: This post focuses on transitions into DITA. There are surely DITA to not-DITA projects out there, but they are not in our current portfolio.

Sarah O'Keefe
August 22, 2022
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CCMS Content delivery portal Content management Industry insights Scalability Structured content

Omnichannel publishing

In episode 124 of The Content Strategy Experts podcast, Sarah O’Keefe and Kevin Nichols of AvenueCX discuss omnichannel publishing.

“Omnichannel involves looking at whatever channels are necessary within the context of your customer’s experience, how your customers engage with your brand, and then figuring out how to deliver a seamless interaction.”

– Kevin Nichols

Sarah O'Keefe
August 1, 2022
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