Creek Content

End content chaos. Communicate clearly.

Laura Creekmore on Distributed Teams and Content Strategy

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I spoke at the Intelligent Content Conference earlier this year on two topics: Working with distributed teams, and creating a flexible governance structure for your content. They didn’t catch my sessions on video, but they did interview me, and they’ve recently posted those interviews online.

Here are 3 minutes of me on how to work effectively with distributed teams, and understanding what content strategy really is:

PodCamp Nashville: Join Us for SpeakerUp March 19

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PodCamp Nashville 2013PodCamp Nashville is scheduled for Saturday, May 4, but first we’ve got to get some speakers lined up. Who should we hear from? I’m thinking you might be good.

If you’ve never spoken at an event like PodCamp before, then you’ll definitely want to make the SpeakerUp panel this Tuesday, March 19. I’m one of several experienced speakers serving on the panel. We’ll do our best to de-mystify the process and make you feel at ease about speaking.

Why speak at PodCamp?

  • It’s a great way to get your name out there. Whether you work for yourself or someone else, building your professional reputation is important. This is one of the best ways to do it.
  • When you know something well enough to talk about it, you REALLY know it. Every time I’ve planned a talk, I’ve realized almost immediately I don’t know the subject well enough. But guess what? Once I’m committed to the talk, I HAVE to learn the stuff. Even if you think you’re already an expert, you’ll learn your stuff much deeper when you have to figure out how to explain it to others.
  • Related: There are things you know better than anyone else. The rest of us would appreciate learning about them.
  • Finally, the PodCamp audience is a safe one. We WANT you to succeed. And it’s OK if you don’t. But I’m willing to bet you’ve got something great to say — so plan to join us at SpeakerUp and then submit your session for PodCamp Nashville 2013!

The details

SpeakerUp
The 5 Spot
1001 Forrest Ave.
Nashville, 37206 [1 block away from 5 Points in East Nashville, right behind the library]
6-8p

PodCamp Nashville submissions
March 20-April 3, 2013
http://podcampnashville.org

PodCamp Nashville
May 4, 2013
Hotel Preston

Register Now for World IA Day in Nashville, Feb. 9, 2013

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We are thrilled to be part of the team bringing World Information Architecture Day to Nashville on Saturday, Feb. 9, 2013.

The signature event of the Information Architecture Institute, World IA Day is a simultaneous event held this year in 15 cities worldwide. It celebrates the practice and the discipline of information architecture — the way you organize and design your information for better communication.

Do you have to be an information architect to attend? No! We welcome all who manage or share information, online, in real life, wherever.

How much? This event is free! It’s an educational and community-building initiative of the IA Institute.

What’s the IA Institute again? It’s a worldwide organization of members who want to better design their information for communication with others. Membership is cheap compared to many comparable organizations — just $40 a year. That usually gets you more than twice that value in conference discounts alone — but I’ve found the real value of the organization in networking, mentoring and education opportunities. Learn more about IA Institute membership.

Register today for Nashville’s World IA Day!

Saturday, Feb. 9, 2013
Vanderbilt University Library
419 21st Ave. South
Nashville, 37203

World IA Day Coming to Nashville in 2013

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Y’all — we can hardly stand it, we’re so excited!

On Feb. 9, 2013, Nashville joins 14 other cities worldwide in celebrating World Information Architecture Day. This second annual event of the IA Institute promises to be a great day for Nashville and for IA as well.

A committee’s being formed now to make this event a great day for Nashville and our tech community. Please contact us if you’re interested in helping.

And we’ll have updates soon on how you can speak, participate and attend the fun on February 9!

Barcamp 2012: The Fruitiest Fruit

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Have you ever had this kind of conversation with a customer?

Customer: I have this huge problem. I’m looking for a widgeterator to solve the problem and I’m having a lot of trouble finding one!
You: A widgeterator? OMG! We sell those! You have been our customer for years — I can’t believe you didn’t know that.
Customer: Wow — I can’t believe it. I even looked on your website, too! I can’t believe I didn’t see it!
You: Hold on, let me show you. See, right here: The Supertasticator 5400.
Customer: [Head explodes in frustration.]

The fact is, many of us figure out somewhere along the way that we’re not speaking the same language as our customers. We talk inside baseball. We have our own terminology. Someone from marketing decides that products will be more valuable if we re-brand them with different names.

Similar issues also crop up when you are categorizing content for your website. Often, there are many ways to organize things. It’s tempting to simply create the most logical structure and be done with it.

It’s just that what seems logical to you may seem pretty stupid to your customer.

If you’ve ever had this happen — or if you just want to prevent future customer head explosions — join me on Oct. 20, 2012, at Nashville’s Barcamp, when I explore issues related to naming and categorization. My session is titled The Fruitiest Fruit: Creating Categories Your Customers Understand. My librarian friends probably already know why — but it will be fun to share the meaning behind the title with the rest of you.