Chapter 1
Everything you know about publishing is wrong

Know your reader
Think of your website as a publication and it all begins to make a lot of sense. Think of the person who visits your website as a reader and your objectives become clearer. Because the Web is not all that different from all those other communication tools: print, phone, fax.

Yes, there are differences. Yes, web publishing has different dynamics and rules than, say, print publishing. But the core objective is still the same: to communicate with other people.

The language that is used today to describe the Internet is dry, technical and non-descriptive. As someone pointed out, the only two groups of people who are called ‘users’ are drug users and computer users. (‘Traffic’ is another word that both have in common.) ‘User’ is such an all-embracing word that it is essentially meaningless. ‘Usability’ is a clunky, awkward word that lacks style and elegance. In this sense, it describes the opposite of what it’s supposed to describe.

For centuries humans have described their tools and the people who use them by their primary function. We don’t call people horse users, car users or pen users. We call them riders, drivers and writers. We call a person who uses a bicycle a cyclist because cycling is the primary thing they do when using a bicycle. That doesn’t stop them also being a saddle-sitter and handlebar-holder. We still call a computer a ‘computer’ even though it does a lot more than compute.

The fact that we have not described the Web and the people who use it by their primary function has led to great confusion. Content Critical is about clearing up that confusion. It’s about giving you a clear picture in language you can understand and relate to. Content Critical talks about a website as a publication, because that is the primary function of a website. Yes, it’s a different kind of publication. It’s more interactive and transaction-driven than traditional publications, but it’s still a publication. Like all publications it’s a place where people come to be informed about stuff.

Content Critical looks on the person who visits your website as a reader. (If the primary activity of your website is audio or video, then you have listeners and viewers.) Here we should understand the larger meaning of ‘to read’. To read is not simply to “interpret written symbols”. The core root of ‘to read’ is to “discern the meaning of something”. That’s what information workers do. The web reader is highly educated, task-oriented and time-starved. They come to your website with the objective of finding stuff that will make them more knowledgeable; that will allow them to act. How you meet that objective is how they will judge you.


Previous: Part 7: The organization as university

Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3 - Part 4

Part 5 - Part 6 - Part 7 - Part 8

Content Critical Homepage
Content Critical table of contents
Book Reviews
Buy Content Critical

Get the free Adobe Acrobat Reader


Content Critical is recommended reading at the following universities

• Augustana College, United States
• Drury University, United States
• Dublin Institute of Technology, Ireland
• Indiana University, United States
• Monash University, Australia
• University of Applied Sciences, Germany
• University of Regina, Canada
• University of Teesside, UK

"The term "bible" is now highly over-used in reference to tech books – but if it weren't, that's how I would categorize Content Critical."
Rowan Wilson, Knowledge Management Review

"Content Critical is the best non-technical book on the subject of web content that I have come across to date … For those interested in the ‘change management’ dimension of content and knowledge management, Content Critical may well become the standard text."
Andy Harrison, Content Management Focus magazine

"Content Critical is highly recommended. It belongs in every design library. It should be on the reading list of every course in Web design. Any Web designer who plans to be in business five years from now should read this book."
Ken Friedman, Design Research News

"Content Critical is amply provided with reality checks, examples, and practical ideas and suggestions … The authors have succeeded in writing a book that will appeal to both beginners and experts."
Geert Jan Kraan, Net Professional magazine, Holland

"Content Critical offers a multitude of useful tips, tactics and strategies for creating and managing your website … makes the subject as easily understandable as it is disorganized in reality."
Robin Sherman, American Society of Business Publication Editors

"Content Critical is an excellent book for academics and practitioners alike … It should be read by anyone involved in Website content management, of course, but it should also be required reading for those with responsibilities including internal or external communication (and what academic or executive does not?)"
Colin Jevons, Journal of Consumer Marketing, Australia