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Content Critical
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Gaining competitive advantage through high-quality web content

 
Content Critical

"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 … It may well become the standard text."
Andy Harrison, Content Management Focus magazine



Content Critical:
Table of contents

Chapter 1: Everything you know about publishing is wrong
Chapter 2: The benefits and costs of content
Chapter 3: The reader is king
Chapter 4: The need for content standards
Chapter 5: Creating content
Chapter 6: Editing content
Chapter 7: The four pillars of information architecture
Chapter 8: Navigation critical
Chapter 9: Content layout and design
Chapter 10: Special topics in web publishing
Chapter 11: The publishing team
Chapter 12: Five stage publishing strategy approach

 

Chapter 1: Everything you know about publishing is wrong

  • The secret of web success
  • It’s an information overloaded world
  • Traditional publishing sucks
  • The alternative sucks 30,000 times more
  • Organizations are awful at publishing content
  • Everything you know about the Web is wrong
  • Just what is publishing?
  • Time to publish
  • The organization as university
  • Know your reader

 

Chapter 2: The benefits and costs of content

  • The rise and rise of content
  • The benefits of content
    Content benefits commerce
    Content benefits decision making
    Content benefits staff loyalty and organizational cohesion
    Content benefits innovation and learning
  • The cost of content
    Content is costly to create, edit and publish
    Content is difficult to create, edit and publish
    Content processes are difficult to automate
    Content is difficult to organize
    Content is difficult to measure
  • Toward a content cost-benefit model
    Modeling content benefits
    Modeling content costs
    Search cost
    Time-to-publish cost
    Promotion cost
    Readership cost
  • Conclusion

 

Chapter 3: The reader is king

  • If the customer is king …
  • Age of the information literate
  • Skills of the information literate
  • Seven things readers want from your website
    1. Readers want to be able to find things
    2. Readers want your advice
    3. Readers want up-to-date, quality content
    4. Readers want relevant and straightforward content
    5. Readers want to do things
    6. Readers want to interact
    7. Readers want privacy
  • Conclusion

 

Chapter 4: The need for content standards

  • The Internet: a triumph for standards
  • The Internet today is a mess
  • The third phase of the Internet
  • Standards empower
  • Classification is key
  • Standards allow more people to publish
  • One website, or many?
  • Conclusion

 

Chapter 5: Creating content

  • Identifying your readers
    How many types of reader?
    Don’t try to cater to all
    Get everyone on board
    Checklist: identify the reader 56
  • Identifying your content
    What have you got?
    What language?
    Scoping your website
    Pick a publication schedule
    Content forms and types
    Cost-benefit analysis
    Checklist: identifying content
  • Creating content: critical factors
    Style and readability guidelines
    Word and phrase glossary
    Content layout
    Creating content collaboratively
    Motivation and reward
    Copyright and legal issues
    Checklist: creating and adapting content
  • Commissioning content
    Calendar of events
    Acquiring content
    Checklist: linking to third-party websites
  • Reader-created content
    The importance of the moderator
    Email mailing lists
    Checklist: recommendations for email mailing lists
    Discussion boards/newsgroups
    Online chat
  • Conclusion

 

Chapter 6: Editing content

  • Why quality editing is essential
  • Contributing content
  • How the contribution process works
  • Editing content
  • The three key editing functions
    Managing editor function
    Editor function
    Copyeditor function
  • Reviewing content
  • Correcting content
  • Conclusion

 

Chapter 7: The four pillars of information architecture

  • The evolution of information architecture
  • Metadata and classification: a website’s foundation
  • Metadata: the content about content
    General guidelines for metadata
    Document templates
  • Classification: expressing strategy in words
    Guidelines for better classification
    Seven steps in creating a classification system
  • Search: what most people do
    How web search works
    Basic search
    Advanced search
    Displaying search results
  • Conclusion

 

Chapter 8: Navigation critical

  • Ten principles of navigation design
    1) Design for the reader
    2) Provide a variety of navigation options
    3) Let readers know where they are
    4) Let readers know where they’ve been
    5) Let readers know where they are going
    6) Provide context
    7) Be consistent
    8) Follow web convention
    9) Don’t surprise or mislead the reader
    10) Provide the reader support and feedback
  • Navigation design checklist
  • 13 navigation options
    1. Classification path navigation
    2. Core navigation
    3. Document navigation
    4. Drop-down navigation
    5. Ecommerce/shopping cart navigation
    6. Feature navigation
    7. Global navigation
    8. Homepage navigation
    9. Language and geographic navigation
    10. Personalized navigation
    11. Progress chart navigation
    12. Related navigation
    13. URL navigation
  • Conclusion

 

Chapter 9: Content layout and design

  • General content layout conventions
  • Heading and summaries
  • Laying out documents
  • Laying out forms
  • Laying out email publications
  • Graphic web design
  • General design conventions
  • Mastheads: the importance of slim design
  • Footers: don’t forget essential information
  • Accessibility
  • Conclusion

 

Chapter 10: Special topics in web publishing

  • Subscription-based publishing
    Managing passwords
  • Reader interaction and feedback
  • Promoting content
    Use your homepage
    Get links
    Get registered (at your friendly search engine)
    Other promotion devices
  • Measuring publication performance
  • Conclusion

 

Chapter 11: The publishing team

  • Publishing team: roles and organization
  • Team members
    Publisher
    Managing editor
    Editor
    Copyeditor
    Author/writer
    Contributor
    Moderator
    Information architect
    HTML coder
    Systems administrator/junior programmer
    Graphic designer
    Usability expert
    Marketing executive
  • Comprehensive publisher organization chart
  • Training
  • Conclusion

 

Chapter 12: The five-stage publishing strategy approach

  • People are the key asset
  • Publishing strategy pitfalls
  • The five-stage publishing strategy approach
  • Stage 1. Situation analysis
  • Stage 2. Publication scope definition
    Define the reader and content
    Design the create processes
    Design the editing processes
    Design the publication approach
    The publication scope is the publishing strategy
  • Stage 3. Design the information architecture
    Design metadata, navigation and search
    Design general architecture elements
    Develop layout and design approach
  • Stage 4. Build the publishing team
    Define publishing workflows
    Build the publishing team
  • Stage 5. Publishing technology design
  • Conclusion

     

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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


 

     

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