http://www.webcontentconferences.com/chicago/news/ News about what's coming at Web Content en scottabel@mac.com Copyright 2009 2009-06-18T16:23:42+00:00 webcontentduohttp://feedburner.google.com http://www.webcontentconferences.com/chicago/chicago/news/presentation_slide_decks_being_added_to_site/ http://www.webcontentconferences.com/chicago/chicago/news/presentation_slide_decks_being_added_to_site/#When:16:23:42Z If you would like to see the slide decks from the conference, we’re in the process of adding them to the site. To see if a slide deck is present, navigate to the event program page and click on the links for each of the presentations that interest you. Once the page opens, scroll down past the session title and description. If there’s a slide deck available, it will appear in your web browser just below the description. These slide decks are hosted on SlideShare (think: YouTube for slide decks) and allow you to view the deck in your browser, forward it to others, comment on it, embed it your website, social network or blog, and print and download the files. Should you desire to see a slide deck that is not currently on the site, email me at scottabel@mac.com and I’ll see if I can get a copy of the slide deck to you. Chicago 2009 2009-06-18T16:23:42+00:00 http://www.webcontentconferences.com/chicago/chicago/news/puzzle-solving_is_problem-solving_figuring_out_content_conundrums/ http://www.webcontentconferences.com/chicago/chicago/news/puzzle-solving_is_problem-solving_figuring_out_content_conundrums/#When:01:07:43Z Joe Gollner likes solving puzzles. In fact, he often draws on his passion for history and philosophy to help him with the paradigms for modern-day conundrums. “That’s probably why I work so much,” admits Joe, “though it doesn’t feel like work to me. I love to figure out things that initially baffle me.” The push for increasing complex ways of process content is nothing new to Gollner. He has worked on projects with millions of pages of content that have to be manipulated in quite granular and exacting ways. His quest is to help systems process content in “intelligent” ways. This means using content to its full potential, combining contexts to allow users to extract its inherent knowledge. His paper on The Emergence of Intelligent Content is a look inside the nature and history of content technologies that has led us to where we are today. His pleasure at solving this dilemma is apparent; he isn’t satisfied because of the technological solution, but because it solves a user experience problem and a business problem. “Content is so important that we can no longer afford to treat it like a cottage industry,” says Joe. “Corporations are starting to realize that we need to apply the same care and discipline to them as we do with the rest of our corporate assets.” Gollner presents Beyond Publishing: Exploring What We Are Really Doing With Web Content and a workshop on Engineering Web Content: A Workshop in Two Parts at Web Content Chicago 2009. Chicago 2009 2009-05-29T01:07:43+00:00 http://www.webcontentconferences.com/chicago/chicago/news/catching_up_to_the_speed_of_social_media/ http://www.webcontentconferences.com/chicago/chicago/news/catching_up_to_the_speed_of_social_media/#When:13:02:30Z Toni Morrison once said that “People will not remember what you say, but they will always remember how you made them feel.” Jeremy Epstein adds, “…and now they can tell all their friends how you made them feel - very, very quickly.” Certainly, the rise of social media has made our world seem more immediate. Waiting for someone to tell us something through email is so, well, last year. The sharing of information happens in real time now, through sites like Twitter, Facebook or MySpace, through RSS blog feeds and community. We get information via the Web and on our phones, through posts, text messages, and text-to-voice technologies. The speed that we employ to take in information also contributes to the speed with which we make up our minds about people, events, and ideas. Skim a blog and decide if their philosophy fits yours. Visit a social networking page and determine whether the person should be your “friend”. Visit a Twitter page and decide if you should click Follow. How do you manage your personal brand in this time of instant decisions? We may not know how all the pieces fit together, but Jeremy Epstein does. In fact, he addresses the issue head on, in his Igniting the Revolution blog, in a post called What you can expect from my twitterfeed. Epstein talks more about this topic in his presentation, Marketing Survival Strategies for the Attention(less) Economy, at Web Content 2009. Chicago 2009 2009-05-14T13:02:30+00:00 http://www.webcontentconferences.com/chicago/chicago/news/where_wikis_meet_content_is_where_the_magic_happens/ http://www.webcontentconferences.com/chicago/chicago/news/where_wikis_meet_content_is_where_the_magic_happens/#When:13:12:00Z Wiki evangelist Stewart Mader may love the technology, but what he really loves is the productivity that the technology can bring about when properly implemented. The idea that wikis help organizations share information may be the primary reason that they want to adopt a wiki, but the side benefits - reduction in email and meetings, development of planned and spontaneous communities, and idea hatcheries - can be teased out when the implementation is done with due thought and care. In addition to Mader’s wiki consulting blog, where he provides a wealth of information on the topic of enterprise wikis, he has provided the following resources: 21 Days of Wiki Adoption Stewart Mader’s blog at WikiConsulting.com Stewart Mader presents Six Degrees of Collaboration at Web Content 2009. Chicago 2009 2009-05-07T13:12:00+00:00 http://www.webcontentconferences.com/chicago/chicago/news/when_serving_clients_also_serves_the_brand/ http://www.webcontentconferences.com/chicago/chicago/news/when_serving_clients_also_serves_the_brand/#When:13:10:20Z Any career coach will tell you that only twenty percent of jobs ever get listed on job boards. An executive career coach will tell you that the higher you are on the corporate ladder, the fewer the positions that get posted. The network kicks in, as corporations look to fill their vacancies with someone they know and trust. In a flat world, the network is no longer the old boys’ network or even a local network. Networks are global, and the concept of six degrees of separation is more like three degrees now. Young professionals entering the workforce have known no other system but the professional network. However, executives coming back on the job market after an extended period of time may have a harder time adjusting to the new reality. For those who are acclimatizing to job-hunting in a flat world, they can count on career professionals to help guide them. The Career Hub site, with articles such as the one from Liz Harvey, What’s Next in Resumes, is one of the many resources on the Web that provide a perspective from the point of view of potential employers. Liz Harvey presents Adding Light to a Successful Brand: A Brightfuse Case Study at Web Content 2009, enlightening her audience about the site that helps professionals expand their networks. Chicago 2009 2009-05-07T13:10:20+00:00 http://www.webcontentconferences.com/chicago/chicago/news/putting_the_cool_factor_into_user_experience/ http://www.webcontentconferences.com/chicago/chicago/news/putting_the_cool_factor_into_user_experience/#When:19:20:10Z David S. Platt, author of Why Software Sucks…And What You Can Do About It, begins with a few principles, the first one being: Know Thy User, For He Is Not Thee. While this seems like a no-brainer to us when we build interfaces for specialty purposes - we know that a website created to primary appeal to, say software developers - or real estate agents, or rocket scientists, or any one of the many audiences we could choose, there often comes a point when assumptions creep in about how “everyone” will use a site. It’s a humbling experience, then, watching users of a generation or two younger put a website through its paces. The expectations for the Millenial generation are quite different than the generations that precede them. Generation M grew up with technology, and they expect it to “just work”. The patience, or lack of it, when something goes wrong, sends them immediately to find satisfaction on another site. And they are confident that there is another site, one that works better. Aside from having good usability, they expect the site to be engaging and entertaining. Reading is a “blah blah” exercise, and they expect that whatever is being offered will fit into the way they interact with technology. Joern Bodemann presents the results of usability research showing how user expectation is matched to software design and content delivery, in his presentation, Usability Matters ... Or, Why On Earth Did They Design It That Way?, at Web Content 2009 Chicago. Chicago 2009 2009-04-13T19:20:10+00:00 http://www.webcontentconferences.com/chicago/chicago/news/let_me_get_to_know_you_delivering_personalized_relevant_content/ http://www.webcontentconferences.com/chicago/chicago/news/let_me_get_to_know_you_delivering_personalized_relevant_content/#When:02:50:57Z When organizations think of content management, there are a lot of business benefits associated with it. Content re-use, ease of managing translations, improving content accuracy, delivering to multiple sites, or sharing between multiple sites are some of the most common reasons cited. The mention of the marketing benefits - boosting user confidence and customer loyalty by delivering more personalized content, more reliably, rarely gets identified. Yet it’s the benefits of delivering highly-relevant content to site visitors where the greatest marketing benefit is derived. Bård Farstad understands the benefits of bringing content management to the table as a personalization engine. He brings his expertise to Web Content 2009 Chicago with his presentation on Building Social Media, Personalization and Relevancy into Open-Source Websites using eZ Publish. Chicago 2009 2009-04-13T02:50:57+00:00 http://www.webcontentconferences.com/chicago/chicago/news/when_spreading_a_virus_is_a_good_thing/ http://www.webcontentconferences.com/chicago/chicago/news/when_spreading_a_virus_is_a_good_thing/#When:02:43:57Z It’s not such a radical idea to treat your content like the common cold. Your content has lots of viral potential, and your job is to make sure that it is virulent enough to take hold and spread throughout the communities where you want it to known. Whether it’s a clever video that sells the MP3, a catchy ad campaign that keeps your brand in mind, or a helpful article that drives content to your site, viral content is the first step toward promoting your product or service to users in a way that makes people want to share it with others. However, just as a cold manifests itself differently in different people, so will different content resonate with multiple user groups. You need to be able to create content that is relevant to individuals. That could mean delivering product content of a particular size or color, or articles specific to an individual’s profile, or multiple permutations and combinations of content to engage and delight your audience. Derek Olson, VP of Foraker Design, has discussed this emerging delivery of viral content, and explains why the ability to engage in viral marketing via intelligent content is a hallmark of a successful campaign. Olson presents The Anatomy of a Personalization System: Three Case Studies at Web Content 2009 Chicago. Chicago 2009 2009-04-13T02:43:57+00:00 http://www.webcontentconferences.com/chicago/chicago/news/lights_camera_action_the_world_of_corporate_videos/ http://www.webcontentconferences.com/chicago/chicago/news/lights_camera_action_the_world_of_corporate_videos/#When:18:15:40Z Back in the 1970s and 1980s, the corporate video was a sign of success, and being included was a sign of prestige. These videos were completely scripted and highly staged, and the company representatives were stiff and smiling. The videos were sent out to re-assure customers of the company’s viability, to show off the company’s facility, or perhaps to strengthen brand.  By the late 1980s, the big decision was whether to follow the tried-and-true respectable formulas, or whether to try an edgy, playful format being tried by a company called Apple. Now, the corporate video is coming back with a vengeance, but the ground rules have changed. The creation of the videos can start with as little as a hand-held video camera. Distribution has been simplified, and YouTube is a definite consideration. But that’s just the technology. When it comes to scripting, branding, and other messaging-related aspects, sound communication principles are still important to make sure that the video is effective. Todd O’Neill knows all too well the good, the bad, and the ugly sides of corporate video production. He understands how video, whether it be for instruction, persuasion, or entertainment, can be of benefit to organizations and particularly to their users. He shares his insights and outrages on his DoingMedia blog, meant for the “intentional, accidental, occasional and future media producer.” O’Neill also presents Who Put the Video in My Content? ...Or How to Become a Video and Rich Media Superhero at Web Content 2009 Chicago. Chicago 2009 2009-04-02T18:15:40+00:00 http://www.webcontentconferences.com/chicago/chicago/news/serving_up_content_to_an_audience_used_to_personalization/ http://www.webcontentconferences.com/chicago/chicago/news/serving_up_content_to_an_audience_used_to_personalization/#When:15:13:37Z A restaurant wouldn’t serve a single dish to its entire clientele; that wouldn’t be considered a very smart move. Similarly, not every customer (or potential customer) should receive a single message from your organization. To be effective, the message needs to be tailored. The way to do this on a large scale is through content that is “intelligent”: it has the smarts to automate the messaging process so that the right message reaches each customer type. The idea of intelligent content is possible with the help of structure, and the queen of structured content is Ann Rockley. On the Rockley Group blog, the possibilities created by structured content and its automation is explored, as well as the frustrations for users when it goes wrong. Ann’s presentation, Personalization: A Multi-Dimensional Approach, at Web Content 2009 Chicago is not a session to be missed. Chicago 2009 2009-04-02T15:13:37+00:00