November 2012: Our "On Topic" link blog has been retired. Below is an archive of published On Topic posts. To keep up on news, resources, and ideas about content in higher ed, check us out on Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook.
On Topic
Why Should We Care About Your Twitter Account?
One of the things we've learned about managing social media is that the sooner you begin planning your social media content strategy by asking "why?" the better off your plan will be in the long run. But while we may have done a good job of answering the "why?" question internally, have we done a good job of answering our audience's "why?" question: Why should I follow you? … [Read more...] about Why Should We Care About Your Twitter Account?
Prioritize User Goals, Again
Measurement plans often focus on the website, including content and design. Seems logical at first, except your website is only part of the measurement equation. The other parts consist of your business goals and users’ needs. As those elements change, so does the effectiveness of your web content and design. Louis Rosenfeld, coauthor of Information Architecture for the … [Read more...] about Prioritize User Goals, Again
What Does Your Legacy Content Say About You?
Remember that timeline you created for the sesquicentennial? Or that page with thumbnail profiles of students engaged in public service? How about the photo gallery of new campus buildings... that happens to be missing the two dorms built last year? Sometimes, content that we create -- whether because a higher-up suggested it, because the idea struck us on a slow summer … [Read more...] about What Does Your Legacy Content Say About You?
Stakeholder Support Is Key for Content Strategy Success
Content strategy depends on strong stakeholder relationships. You need stakeholders not only to help inform your content strategy but also to help implement and maintain it. Without involving stakeholders in the planning process and prioritizing their needs, competing objectives will compromise success. Meghan Casey of Brain Traffic offers great tips for gaining stakeholder … [Read more...] about Stakeholder Support Is Key for Content Strategy Success
What’s the Right Content for the Job?
"We should do a video." "We need more photos with this article." "The site is sparse; we should add a few more pages." How many times have we heard such suggestions? Well-meaning, surely, but not necessarily in the best interest of our goals or our users' needs. If you think about it, it's kind of like saying, "We need more hamburgers" without considering whether our audience … [Read more...] about What’s the Right Content for the Job?