Thoughts, tools and resources
Ideas and provocations on digital, content and changing the world. Plus some useful lists and tools.Dear purpose-driven organisation
Thanks for getting in touch. I’m sorry to hear that you feel overworked. I’m sorry that pumping out so much content can feel relentless and not very sustainable. I think I can help.
Content transformation, not digital transformation
The words and the pictures, rather than the technical systems, are the front line between organisations and people, the manifestation of that relationship, of the attitudes embedded in that relationship.
Ten website pitfalls to avoid
Making an organisation website is tricky. Remaking one seems as if it should be easier but often isn’t. In fact it’s usually harder. These are ten holes we often find people have fallen into.
Taking a thematic approach
There are many ways to organise your bookshelves: alphabetical by author, by size, by the colour of the spine, by whether you want it to appear behind your head on a video call…
The speeding up of slowing down
There’s a widespread assumption that speed is always important. But there’s a whole world of content where efficient information transfer isn’t the end goal.
Pretty Darn Frustrating: why PDFs are rubbish
The PDF is a Persistent Displeasing Feature of the web. It’s time to challenge print-think in digital spaces and champion a more accessible and easier-to-maintain internet for people everywhere.
Atomic content
Atomic design is widely accepted as good practice. But when it comes to content, mostly the page still rules.
Useful tools for creating amazing content
Content management systems, despite the name, are not great for content planning, content creation or content editing. These are our favourite tools for content creators and editors.
The best content strategy resources
Our pick of the best content strategy resources: books, blogs, podcasts and communities. For content strategists present and future, these are the shoulders of giants.
Homage to Patagonia
Patagonia approach their content the way they approach their products. They care about quality. And sustainability. And usefulness. And beauty. Here are some reasons why I love it.
Tools for building a style guide
We did some thinking and research about the best tools and technical setup for an online content style guide.
The SEO triangle
SEO is too often thought of as being about the relationship between search engines and websites. But it works best for everyone when it considers content and users as well as search engines.
Ten reasons your new website needs strategic content foundations
Building a website without a content strategy is like building a house without an architect.
Content: who does what?
In order to maximise its potential, you need the right mix of content skills on your team. The evolution of digital content into a complex, many-headed beast means that to do it well you almost certainly need more than a single editor. But who does what exactly?
Zine-learning in the digital age
Before social media and blogging made it easier for young feminists to connect from thousands of miles away, there were riot grrrl zines – homemade, self-published magazines.
The content manifesto
Ten principles that can bring about better, more strategic content. And change the world.
Content cost calculator
Having a clear idea of how much content costs to produce and maintain can help with planning and can help make the case that content should be properly resourced and looked after.
Gifts for content strategists
Presents to inspire, entertain and equip the content strategist in your life. And show them what a sophisticated friend you are.
The depleted bookshop
A good bookshop is full of books that inform but also books that entertain, move, or frighten. They make you laugh, they make you cry, they make you see the world in a new light. This isn’t the way most would describe the web.
Lovability: how Slack used content to change the way we work
To build amazing digital products we need to stop thinking of content as filler and understand its interwoven role in the user experience.
Activists not parrots
By giving people the right content they can move from clicking a button or signing a petition to taking on a more active role.
Long-form: why it’s great; why we should stop talking about it
Long-form content is this season’s must-have digital accessory.
Making good
You can’t achieve much if you don’t have compelling, high-quality content. But what makes content good? These 10 aspects are crucial.
Create less crud
The flotsam and jetsam of abandoned microsites and neglected, out-of-date pages float in a flood of content that threatens users and organisations.
Commas, colons and capitalisation: the best style guides
Consistency and clarity of language are as important in a world of 280 characters as they were in the time of Gutenberg.
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We combine dazzling examples of content brilliance and invaluable content tools with innovative ideas for a better content future. And occasionally we throw in content frustrations, just to get things off our chests.
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