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Gerry McGovern
Content Critical
Gaining competitive advantage through high-quality web content
The Web
Content
Style Guide
The essential guide
for online writers, editors and managers
New Thinking: Subject Classification
Publishing team
Why web managers need to get out on the road
May 02, 2005: The better the web manager the more time they will spend out of the office; the more time they will spend in front of the reader. More
Number one skill for managing a website
April 25, 2005: Having a deep understanding of the gut instinct of your customer is the number one skill of managing a website. That involves getting face to face with them. More
Web editors have a great future
April 18, 2005: Web editors are critical to website success. They have a combination of communications, marketing and technology skills. Most of all, they know their readers inside out. More
Is communications up to job of running intranet?
February 28, 2005: The natural home of the intranet is in communications. However, intranet management requires particular skills that many traditional communications departments don’t have. More
IT is from Mars; web content is from Venus
February 21, 2005: The information technology (IT) industry fundamentally doesn’t understand the true value of web content. This lack of understanding is just one more reason why IT will continue to decline in influence over the next five years. More
Web content management comes of age in 2004
December 20, 2004: 2004 was a year when web content came of age, as more and more organizations recognized it as an asset, not some commodity. More and more organizations have begun to put content first, technology second. More
Websites: easy to start, hard to manage
August 30, 2004: One of the biggest problems websites face is that they lack proper planning in the design and development phase. Generally, the design of the website tends to overreach, in that what is built requires more staff to professionally manage than are available. More
Getting senior management engaged in the Web
July 19, 2004: The extent of senior management involvement in the Web is a clear indication of the value of the Web to your organization. If your senior management currently don’t recognize the importance of the Web, then it is vital that they are educated as to its value. More
How to get great content from people
June 14, 2004: There is a need to connect the person who creates the content with the person who reads it. Content creation must be seen as an important and valuable task within the organization. When a piece of content delivers value, the person who created it should be praised and rewarded. More
If you're on the Web, you're in sales
June 07, 2004: Everybody on the Web is in the business of sales. It doesn’t matter whether you’re managing an intranet, a government or university website. You’re still selling something; still trying to get someone to do something. What do you want people to do? How are you going to convince them to do it? More
Be a web editor, not administrator
May 31, 2004: There are two roles in web content management that matter: editors and writers. Editors decide what should get published. Writers create the content. Most websites started off with administrators—webmasters—who had lots of responsibility and little authority. Today, we see the emergence of the web editor, a position that will become increasingly important. More
Website content management: a lot of great progress
May 03, 2004: Every day there is tremendous work being done on the Web. Talented, dedicated people are working with limited resources and support to achieve brilliant results. If you’re one of those people struggling to achieve the recognition you need, take a moment to take a bow. More
How much human support does your website need?
April 26, 2004: A website should be measured based on the value it creates. What results do you want to get from your website? A 100 percent self-service website may simply not deliver the results you need. The right mix of self service and human support may in fact deliver the best value. More
Content management: web publishing needs real discipline
November 03, 2003: Too many organizations take an unprofessional approach to the content they publish on the Web. Many web managers still seem to believe that if they get the technology right the publishing will look after itself. Quality publishing requires skill and discipline. Unfortunately, discipline is something many web teams are lacking. More
Should you centralize or decentralize your publishing?
October 27, 2003: Large websites often struggle to develop an efficient and cost-effective publishing model. Centralizing publishing ensures a consistent quality of what is published, but is often slow and frustrating. Decentralized publishing is faster and often more cost-effective, but can result in inconsistent quality, unless rigorous publishing standards are adhered to. More
Web offers new opportunities for communications manager
September 01, 2003: The Web is having a major impact on business communications. In many organizations, communications has been seen as a backwater. The communications department was a cost center. With the Web, communications can increase productivity. It can help deliver new value. This has a significant impact on the role of the communications manager. More
Web team roles and responsibilities are changing
June 23, 2003: A major shift is occurring in relation to who is in charge of the Web. Previously, responsibility tended to be with IT. Occasionally, marketing was in charge. Today, the website, particularly the intranet, is the responsibility of the communications department. This is as it should be. More
The skills you need to manage your website
May 27, 2002: The specific skills required to manage a website will change depending on the type of website. For example, an intranet will have different demands than an ecommerce website. However, there are some fundamental skills that are required regardless of the website. These skills revolve around an understanding of content. More
Time for communications to take charge of your website
May 20, 2002: The natural home for your website is within the communications section of your organization. This is because the Web is first and foremost a communications medium. To fully own the website, communications managers need to stop being scared of technology. They also need to get to grips with information architecture design. More
Why someone should be in charge of your website
May 13, 2002: If your website is important to your business it needs to be managed professionally. Unfortunately, websites are often designed and managed by committees. Everyone is in charge which means that nobody has control. This results in content that is of uneven style, tone and quality, and an information architecture that is muddled and inconsistent. More
Knowledge management: money and ego
February 18, 2002: The knowledge management organization claims that knowledge is its most valuable asset. If that is the case, then knowledge needs to be valued. Those within the organization who deliver the most knowledge value should get the most reward; those who deliver the least should get the least reward. More
The need for editors on the Web
October 8, 2001: Two fundamental mistakes are made again and again with regard to content on the Web. The first is that volume is what it’s about, that the more content you have the better. The second is that technology will automatically organize and publish content in a professional manner. More
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Client feedback
"Gerry's insight into quality web content has become a standard by which we are building our next generation web presence and developing our content style guide. The initial class he conducted for us was very well received, so much so that we brought him back to address a second group. Gerry's ideas are a reference point that we use to judge how effectively we communicate to our clients via the web."
Tom Beddingfield - Manager, Global Web Presence, Schlumberger
"In our business, online communication strategy is going through a revolutionary paradigm shift. The McGovern Scorecard enabled us to define, understand and focus on the needs of our customers - content quality, content credibility, and content value."
Dr. J. David Galipeau, Head, Global Internet Strategy and Content Management, Novartis
"The McGovern Scorecard is a useful benchmark which we can use to measure the implementation of 'best practice' in our intranet."
Graham Wallace, senior manager, Lloyds TSB
"The McGovern Scorecard was a tremendous help in our efforts to optimize content, navigation and classification in a clear commercial context."
Stewart Stephens, Managing Director, Gulliver (GoIreland.com)
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