Web professionals often talk about the challenges of repurposing content, creating Web-friendly content, and adapting content for the Web. This chart outlines some of the differences in a succinct way.
Do you have any other points you’d add to this chart? Let me know and I’ll credit your ideas on this blog if you want.
Download PDF (72 Kb): Usability Differences [...]

Why we can, and should, preserve content on the Internet
An ocean is never the same body of water because it’s always moving changing, evaporating and being replenished by new rainwater and runoff. Likewise, Internet content is an ocean of information that with content that is evaporating almost as quickly as new content flows into it.
We’ve [...]

When developing content, all design elements must be considered: editorial, interactive, visual and accessible. This chart graphically illustrates and elaborates on each of four elements:

With apologies to Jakob Nielsen’s Top Ten, here are the Top 10 Mistakes in Web Design, from someone who has worked as a Web Manager and Web Strategist for many years:
1. The Web Strategy doesn’t follow the Business Strategy.
Whether you’re designing for a Fortune 1000 corporation, a SOHO business, a government agency or a non-profit, [...]

 A Manifesto of Contentology, vs 1.1
    
   What does “Contentology” mean?

In this Manifesto, Contentology is a coined word that, in its strictest etymology, could mean “the science of content” or “the study of content”. The word “Contentology” is supposed to make people stop and think for a moment, and if it sounds absurd, then we have [...]

(click on thumbnail image above to view full size diagram)

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1. The content strategy determines the function of the etext (how it will be used, read, etc).
2. The function of the text determines how the etext should be designed.
3. The eText design impacts the how the etext can be experienced. (along with other factors such as physical environment, type of screen, etc)
4. The [...]

In determining site navigation options for Web sites, many Web administrators/developers are satisfied to offer several navigation options to people (e.g. site search + menus + static links) as well as redundant navigation methods (allowing users to choose several ways to arrive at the same content).
However, most people use more than one navigation choice during [...]

1. Print content is structurally and functionally different from online content.  Understand the differences when you write for Web sites. Print is formally written and passively read. It’s linear, narrative, dated and presents a continuous view. Online content is informally written, chunked out, non-linear, interactive, dynamic and current. One involves reading paper, the other involves [...]

Most Web sites would receive a failing grade when it comes to providing transparent, comprehensive and responsive “contact” content.
When Web customers click on a link, that’s an interaction, but when they submit a contact request, that’s a transaction of information – they’re send you their personal “content” and expecting the site to respond accordingly. They’re [...]

No more excuses.
If professional communicators want I.T. professionals to give them a little more respect, and quit calling their work “fluff”, they need to start adhering to some clear standards and technical rigor. Yes, communications is also a “technical” craft, even though it’s more often included under the heading of “arts” rather than “science”, and as someone [...]

In January, 2004, I was asked to speak at IQPC’s Content Week conference in Las Vegas, Nevada. The following column is based on my presentation from that event.
You take your car into the shop every couple of years to get its front end aligned every couple of years, so why not do the same for [...]

When I was updating my information on LinkedIn.com, a business networking site that allows professionals to create and expand their own private networks of colleagues, clients and consultants, it occurred to me that in an open Internet environment where it’s hard to know who you can trust (e.g. what used to be called “cold calling” [...]

Gerry McGovern has spoken, written and consulted extensively on Web content management issues since 1994. He has written three highly respected books, including Content Critical and The Web Content Style Guide, and is currently working on a fourth.
You’ve said that Web designers should think of the Web as a publication and think of themselves as [...]

Ann, can you tell us briefly about your professional background, and what led you to co-writing Managing Enterprise Content: A Unified Content Strategy?
I have been developing unified content strategies for about 15 years and working with content management systems for about the same period of time. The unified content strategy came about as I realized [...]