Finding the right job in the content strategy field has always been a challenge, and it’s getting harder as computers take over more of the applicant screening process. Changes in the industry – especially the convergence of technical and marketing communication duties – also mean that you you have to be proactive about managing your […]
John Collins: Content Engineering – Episode 106
John Collins is a content engineer at Atlassian, where they are well along in their transition from old-fashioned bespoke content models to modern connected content. Creating and managing content for intelligent content ecosystems requires a fresh approach and a new set of skills. This new content engineering discipline helps enterprises address the biggest challenges of […]
Preston So: Omnichannel Strategy and Voice Usability – Episode 105
Preston So is an expert in both omnichannel strategy and voice design, as well as a number of other digital business and design practices. As communications channels proliferate and the variety of digital devices grows, we need strategies to give our customers and users a consistent experience, no matter where they are or how they […]
Aaron Bradley: Knowledge Graph Strategy for Content – Episode 104
Aaron Bradley uses knowledge graphs to create intelligent content experiences at Electronic Arts. Knowledge graphs are a relatively new technology that lets content engineers create more meaningful and versatile content experiences. We talked about: his work as a knowledge graph expert and content modeler at Electronic Arts (EA) his definition of a knowledge graph: “machine-readable […]
Margot Bloomstein: Trustworthy – Episode 103
After showing up in the content strategy world and generously sharing her expertise for more than 20 years, Margot Bloomstein has earned the trust of this community. Margot’s new book, Trustworthy, shows you how to earn the trust of your customers and users. As reliance on experts fades and is replaced with crowd-sourced trust, the […]
Lisa Welchman: Digital Governance – Episode 102
Lisa Welchman recognized early in her career that companies would need help managing the business challenges that come with new technologies. In the ensuing 22 years, she has become the leading expert in the new field of digital governance. Today, Lisa helps large enterprises, NGOs, and other companies develop frameworks, policies, and standards that let […]
Kristina Halvorson: Content Strategy Community Leadership – Episode 101
Kristina Halvorson is to many the face and the voice of the content strategy profession. She came to prominence a dozen years ago with the publication of her book Content Strategy for the Web, and she had been practicing content strategy for a dozen years before that. Since 2011 she has organized Confab, the leading […]
Jeff Eaton: Content Modeling – Episode 100
Jeff Eaton looks at content modeling two ways, both the traditional boxes-and-arrows way and the title-case Content Modeling way. Thinking about how you’ll structure and organize your content will always be important. But the real power of content modeling emerges when it rises to a higher level and accounts for the shared understanding the people […]
Beth Dunn: Cultivating Content Design – Episode 99
Beth Dunn is the author of Cultivating Content Design, a book that shows content leaders how to create the kind of successful content design program she has built at HubSpot. The secret to Beth’s approach is communication. First, she listens intently to her colleagues and stakeholders. Then she invites them to workshops and other activities […]
Patrick Bosek: Structured Authoring for Future-Proof Content – Episode 98
Patrick Bosek helps businesses author and manage content that is structured so that it can be used for many purposes, not just one-off publications. Structuring documentation this way creates intelligent content that both addresses current customer needs and anticipates future demands. The DITA standard underlies this approach to creating and managing the smart, adaptable content […]
Patricia Gomez and Mario Ferrer: Content Design “Glue” – Episode 97
Patricia Gomez and Mario Ferrer lead the content design team at King Games, the makers of Candy Crush and other popular mobile games. They operate at a scale that might intimidate some people, designing experiences for nearly a quarter of a billion users. Serving that many customers forces them to be thoughtful about the tools […]
Cheryl Platz: Design Beyond Devices – Episode 96
Modern digital experiences meet humans where they are. Talking to a voice assistant. Typing on a keyboard. Reacting to a vibration delivered by your smart watch. Operating a VR game character with a gesture controller. Wherever you want to be, there is now a device and an interaction modality to take you there. Cheryl Platz […]
Marcelo Lewin: Content Modeling for Headless CMS – Episode 95
Marcelo Lewin focuses on content modeling, a long-standing practice that is growing in importance as the need for intelligent content emerges. Content modeling helps you manage your content separately from its presentation in any one medium. This skill is crucial in the new world of omnichannel content delivery, where your content is as likely to […]
Patrick Stafford: UX Writing and Content Design Education – Episode 94
Patrick Stafford has a unique view of the state of content work in the fields of UX design and product management. As the CEO of the UX Writers Collective, his livelihood depends on understanding where the profession is going, which skills are in demand, and how writers and designers can best prepare themselves for UX […]
Rachel McConnell: Content Operations Leadership – Episode 93
In Rachel McConnell’s world, if content strategy is the engine, then content operations is the oil that keeps it running smoothly. Rachel leads one of the biggest content operations in the world, a team of 100 content designers and editors at BT, a large communications services company in the UK. Her team is a mix […]
Nicole Buckenwolf: Making Sense of Complex Product Graphs with Taxonomies and Ontologies – Episode 92
Nicole Buckenwolf organizes the product information that you see at businesses like Amazon and Etsy. Big retailers use product graphs, ontologies, and taxonomies to classify and categorize the millions of products they carry. Building these massive catalogs involves a variety of users and collaborators. Both the vendors who provide the products and the shoppers who buy […]
Scott Berkun: How Design Makes the World – Episode 91
Scott Berkun can help you understand design. His new book, How Design Makes the World, helps both practitioners of the discipline and consumers of the products that they create understand how design shapes our world. We talked about: his journey from computer programming to UX design his early switch at Microsoft from UX research to […]
Sabine Ocker: Taxonomies, Ontologies, and Content Metadata – Episode 90
Sabine Ocker helps enterprises organize their content. She uses taxonomies and other content metadata to make sure that customers get the information they need, when they need it. Sabine’s superpower is her ability to talk about her work in a way that resonates with business decision makers. This ensures that she always has the budget […]
Noah Iliinsky: Data Visualization and Information Design – Episode 89
When you’re drowning in data, it’s good to have an information designer like Noah Iliinsky looking out for you. Noah takes a human-centered approach to a data visualization, connecting people with information tucked away in massive datasets. His purpose-driven process is designed to help users quickly extract the insights they need from a flood of […]
Tom Johnson: Documenting APIs – Episode 88
Documenting APIs is one of the newer jobs in the technical writing domain. Tom Johnson enjoys the unique challenges of collaborating with and writing for the developers who create and use these Application Programming Interfaces. He also enjoys reflecting on his work and sharing his insights with his fellow technical communicators. We talked about: his […]