More Content in Less Time: Smarter Ways to Create Content and Attract Visitors
Content modelling: Making content smarter
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Transcript of Content modelling: Making content smarter
Content modellingMaking content smarter
Angus GordonWeave (weaveweb.com.au)
What is content modelling, and why should I care?
Why am I the right person to do content modelling?
Where do I start?
What is content modelling, and why should I care?
If this was how Facebook collected information, they couldn’t...
● Deliver content related to user interests● Connect users to other users● Adapt user profile pages to different devices● Promote users’ birthdays to their friends● Sell targeted advertising
What makes Facebook smart is structured content.
Structured content is chunked
Structured content is constrained
● Formats● Allowed values● Sizes / character counts
Structured content is machine readable (where relevant)
2009-03-23
Most website content is unstructured or minimally structured.
Content modelling is identifying opportunities to turn unstructured into structured content...
...and documenting those opportunities as a coherent system, the content model.
● Content types● Fields (attributes,
properties)● Relationships
Why should I care?
● Stop your content breaking on mobile● Build relationships between content items● Help authors keep content consistent● Single source of truth means easier maintenance● Make your content future ready
The content model ultimately needs to be built into the CMS.
So why don’t we just leave it to the developers?
Why am I the right person to do content modelling?
Typical workflow
Wireframes
Developer
Content model
Results
● Assumptions● Ambiguous or unclear labels● Under- or over-engineered solutions● Hacks and workarounds● Poor usability for authors
Collaborative workflow
Wireframes
Content strategist + developer
Content model
A content model communicates intention and shared language. It doesn’t have to be a rigorous spec.
What makes someone good at content modelling?
Analytical
Context
Empathy
How do I start?
Three questions
● What are my content types?● What fields do they need?● What are their relationships?
Three questions
● What are my content types? → High level audit● What fields do they need? → Deep selective audit● What are their relationships? → Diagram
Three things to remember:
1. A content model is not an ontology.
In other words, model what’s useful, don’t try to model all the things.
2. Be presentation agnostic.
3. Test with real content early and often.
Thank you!
@angusgmelb@WeAreWeave
http://www.meetup.com/We-Are-Content-Strategy/