Content Archives
Blogging vs. Writing
September 14, 2005 | 
12 Comments
In the beginning, blogging made me a writer. Now blogging makes it harder for me to write.
When I started blogging a few years ago, I’d had very little experience writing. I knew I had a bit of a knack for it, and I’d had a few things published, but I didn’t know much beyond the basics. It could be argued that I’m still not a great writer. However, I’m much improved and I feel that I’m still getting better as time goes on.
Much of this is due to my experience with blogging. I’m learning, slowly, how to phrase things correctly and how to make language work for me. I’m learning how to use words as they’re intended and what to look for when editing my work. But blogging—hell, publishing on the Web in general—is forgiving and because of that I make mistakes with little consequence. I’m hasty at times, and even though I write with a generally conversational tone, there are times when I’m too casual. There are many times when my writing is weak, both in its use of language and in message.
In this way blogging has been a hinderance.
Filed under: Content | 
Permanent Link
Usable Content Manifesto
July 13, 2005 | 21 Comments
Much of my recent work has been spent right in the center of where strategy and tactics meet. I’m smack dab in the middle of a grey area surrounded by branding, content development, information organization, usability and design.
One of the things I’ve spent much of my time working with is content, mainly the written variety. How it’s structured, how it’s delivered, and how it’s designed. As I’ve talked about recently, content is the hardest part of the projects I work on. It’s also the most important. Without it your left with a hallow shell that is ultimately meaningless. For some reason, when it comes to the Web anyway, there is a whole lot of time and effort spent on branding and marketing and design and very little spent on those things that, in my mind anyway, are much more important — content, accessibility, customer relationship.
The Web allows people much more access to intellectual property online. Now more than ever companies need to worry about what they are saying online. But it seems they still don’t get it.
I see a sore need for what I’ll call “usable content.” I thought I’d take a moment and let y’all know what I think usable content is, and what I think it isn’t. Of course, this is pretty general and content needs to be tailored to your goals and audience. Take this with a grain of salt.
Filed under: Content | Permanent Link
How RSS Affects Content Monetization
July 11, 2005 | 17 Comments
Feed readers are changing the way people read and access content. It’s a fact. I’m even noticing a change in my own reading habits and I was one of those people who always used RSS as a notification mechanism.
Now I find myself reading who articles via my feed reader. This is a marked change in my own reading habits, I think brought on by convenience and the ever growing number of content channels I’m interested in keeping track of.
I’ve also noticed a similar trend in my own sites and it’s really making me think about how I create and distribute content. One of the things that’s been on my mind is monetization of content and how the game is rapidly changing.
Filed under: Content | Permanent Link
Multiple Site Integration
May 18, 2005 | 10 Comments
So, as many of you know, I’ve been launching new content channels left and right. I’ve got various reasons why I’m doing this and not just keeping everything here at Asterisk, most of which I’m not going to get into right this second.
What I did want to talk a bit about is how I’m trying to keep them all “together” in some ways. It’s not an ideal solution, but I do want some “cross-pollination” going on between my sites. One of my goals is to broaden my writing horizons and speak to new audiences.
(Not that I don’t love my readers here — not at all!)
I’ve got a few ways I’ve been handling this. Mainly Movable Type plugins (MTOtherBlog is what I’ll be using to pull Sweetdex in) and Del.icio.us.
Filed under: Web Development | Permanent Link
Content Brief
May 16, 2005 | 8 Comments
I’ve written about, and we’ve talked about, the difficulties in dealing with content for the Web. I think many of you agree with me that content is probably the hardest part of getting any kind of Web site up and running and that it’s made especially so when it comes to working with content outside of your own control.
I know that over the years this has been the single largest source of headaches for me when dealing with clients and internal stakeholders. Even at Boeing, where I had dedicated writer and editors, the content issue would present itself as an almost daily problem.
At my current gig it seems that getting the content we need is the single biggest barrier to making sure our sites are as good as can be. I’ve been trying very hard, to varying degrees of success, to find ways to make our experience with clients and content easier.
One that shows great promise is the use of a content brief.
Filed under: Content | Permanent Link
Podcasting at iPodarmy.com
May 07, 2005 | 8 Comments
As you may have guessed I’ve been working away at a few different side projects over the last few months. I’ve got one big one, which is quite a-ways away, and a whole slew of smaller “mini” or “for fun” projects going right now.
One of these is my first ever podcast. It’s a music show, at least for now, where I showcase mostly Creative Commons licensed music and other tracks that won’t get me sued.
Along with that is the launch of iPodarmy.com, a site where I’ll host these podcasts as well as do some blogging on podcasting and related topics. I’ve decided that I don’t want to clutter Asterisk up with too much side business, so this is one of my “channels” to talk about something different.
Filed under: Music | Permanent Link
Content vs. Design
May 05, 2005 | 29 Comments
Ok, I’ve got to admit, the title of this post was designed to make you want to read it. If you’re reading this, it worked. The original and more appropriate title I had for this post was “Content by Design.” But I figured that maybe I could help make a point right off with something a bit more intriguing.
As you may know I’m a Web designer who loves to write, I’m still learning how, but I do love it. As I’ve grown in my career I’ve spent much more time producing (writing, editing, gathering, etc.) content than I have designing. The fact of the matter is, as much as I’ve got a passion for design, there is much more opportunity for me as a publisher, and as an IA/Producer to produce content than there is for me to design.
As well, I feel that the kind of sites I usually work on need much more help with their content they they do visual or interaction design. It could be argued that content is much more important than design in most cases, which is ironic considering the difference in effort that I usually see on projects.
Content is king and a queen bitch at the same time. Design, in my experience, is usually much easier. Well, unless you’ve got no content to work with.
Filed under: Content | Permanent Link