Adventures in Content Strategy
"Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing." Benjamin Franklin
When I saw the title “10 Terrible Ways to Start a Presentation” I was hooked. It’s a good headline. And when I read the article, it delivered. Those are, indeed, bad ways to start a presentation. But there were no suggestions of what to do. I realized what I really wanted: 10 great ways to…
2019 was a year of “should reads”. As you might expect, most of the books a person is told to read end up disappointing. Eat and Run, though a “must read” for runners, did not inspire me. A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius and Ragtime (both read with my book club) may be great books,…
The end of the calendar year is a good time for reflection. This year I’ve taken on a few initiatives (and furthered some ongoing goals). Here’s how I’m feeling about my professional and personal 2019 accomplishments. Professional Work: Expanding Content Communications I love content strategy because I love communication. Written or verbal, through gestures or…
Hilary Marsh recently interviewed four CEOs to understand how they evaluate content strategy success. One of her final takeaways was this: Content is something all CEOs should care about. Hilary Marsh, How Does Your CEO Know Your Content Strategy Is Successful? While I agree with Hilary, I’m not optimistic about CEOs caring about content. CEOs…
When I first read Mary Cain’s story of disordered eating, encouraged by her coach, I was sad. But I wasn’t horrified, because I wasn’t surprised. In fact, I was a little relieved to find that an amazing runner like Mary struggled with some of the same challenges I did. The more I follow Mary’s story,…
When we talk about creating a good user experience people like to throw around the term “delight.” And delight is a great idea. I’m all for delighting people. But, as with so many things, it is easier said than done. It’s impossible to delight without first being reliable. Instacart‘s poor UX is a great example….
One of the scariest phrases I hear on a regular basis is “oh, yeah, we told [Client] we’d help them with governance.” Governance is a terribly vague phrase in UX. It’s as terrifying as politics. And it can mean many things. A small governance model might be simple. It might be a list of typical…
In a recent Twitter argument someone posed the question: how does Elizabeth Holmes, founder of Theranos, a company that claimed to change the world of blood tests, differ from any other startup founder? Startup founders are asked to… bend the truth. Shareholders want to know that the biggest, brightest, most exciting new idea is coming,…
I love to travel. Over the years I’ve visited more than 40 countries across 5 continents. I love trying new foods, hearing and learning new languages, and learning about local history. But until last year I had seen very little of the United States. I also love to run. That’s how my sister and I…
Financial wellness? Sounds boring. Worse, the finance industry is embroiled in scandals, corruption, and poor user experiences. Why would someone who cares about people want to enter the world of banks, wealth management, and financial institutions? Because people need us. Financial wellness is at stake. Banking is Not Human In spite of the commercials telling…
