Objects of Interest

One of the books I am reading this summer is Content Strategy for the Web by Kristina Halvorson. Halvorson presents an introduction to content strategy; the practice of planning for the creation, delivery, and governance of useful, usable content. Content strategy plans for:

• Creation. What content will be created and why? How will that content be structured and found? Where will the content come from? Who will be in charge of creating it?
• Delivery. How will content get online? Who will review it, edit it, approve it, and load it? What are the different phases of content delivery? Which tools and data will ensure your users will find it?
• Governance. Who cares for the content after it goes live? What’s the plan for adding, updating, and archiving content? What are the policies, standards, and guidelines by which content will be evaluated?

Three Steps to Content Strategy

Step 1: Audit – A content audit at the beginning of any content project will help you understand the scope of your content needs.

Step 2: Analysis – Define the objectives, assumptions, risks, and success factors for the project content and get all the project stakeholders to agree on them.

Step 3: Strategy – Make actionable recommendations for content creation, delivery, and governance as informed by the project goals.

Who is often responsible for getting all this done? The content strategist; the person responsible for overseeing the successful identification and fulfillment of all web-related content requirements throughout the project life cycle.