Model Thinking
Whether you’re an executive who wants a content management system that enables business growth or a content professional looking to improve your content strategy and content modeling skills and grow your career, Model Thinking will help you learn, connect some dots, think differently, and get actionable tips.
The four primary roles in content
Issue 13 I realized that some of you may not be familiar with the framework I often use to explain content roles. It has resonated with many, so it’s worth sharing again. I first wrote an article in June 2021 in response to a debate about content job titles. The article got a lot of engagement, led to several podcast appearances, was cited in a founder keynote at a CMS vendor conference, was syndicated in Japanese, and is cited in a book (and another book coming soon). Read more about the...
Why content modeling matters in the age of AI ... plus, fluid v. crystallized intelligence
Issue 12 Structure Quick thoughts about how content lives in systems In past issues, I’ve talked about different ways to think about content models (such as blobs versus chunks, the fidelities of content models, the power of content relationships, or granularity). However, I haven’t talked much about why content modeling matters. Let’s fix that. Here’s a few reasons why content models are important: All content has structure—some content more than others. Content models make it possible to...
The edge of chaos in content
Issue 11 Structure Quick thoughts about how content lives in systems I was recently doing some content modeling, and I wanted to attach a location to some entities. Two were event types in two different content management systems (CMSes) and the third entity was an organization in a third CMS. In the first CMS, I used a text field and just planned to use the syntax of “City, State, Country” (for a personal project). But the other two CMSes had “location” field types available, with either...
Content teams should not be working 100% on content creation
Issue 10 In issue 9 of Model Thinking, I introduced the topic of content debt, and I tackled it from the angles of content structure and content strategy. Turns out, it’s a topic that resonated with a lot of people. When I posted about it on my LinkedIn profile, the post got above-average engagement, my subscriber count shot up, and the newsletter issue became my most-visited issue so far. So, let’s spend some more time talking about content debt. In lieu of most of my typical newsletter...
Content debt is real, and getting real-er in the age of AI
Issue 9 Note: Some months ago, Deane Barker shared some principles of content management, and beginning with Issue 6, I started sharing pieces of what Barker wrote along with a few thoughts of my own. Today, we’ll look at the structural and strategic implications of a single principle. Content can accumulate debt over time Content can accumulate deferred work which will be required to re-use the content in other contexts. Experience, skill, and planning can limit or slow this debt...
A quick “top of mind” issue
Issue 8 Top of mind Things that are bouncing around in my head as I synthesize a range of ideas I’m dispensing with most of my regular sections in this issue of Model Thinking, in favor of a quick update on my first two weeks after my big announcement. I’ll get more substance in my next issue! Truth is, I’ve been on the road much of the last two weeks. I made a 17-hour drive to be part of the funeral of an uncle, taking a couple days and nights for sightseeing on the trip back. It was a...
Big news! Plus, is governance a scary word?
Issue 7 Structure Quick thoughts about how content lives in systems Note: A couple of months ago, Deane Barker shared some principles of content management, and I can’t get it out of my head. Beginning with the last issue (Issue 6), I am sharing pieces of what Barker wrote along with a few thoughts of my own. Content almost always exists in relation to other content Very rarely does a content object exist in isolation. It’s almost always part of an aggregation of other content, and its...
The cost and reality of change; and content or data?
Issue 6 A couple of months ago, Deane Barker shared some principles of content management, and I can’t get it out of my head. Beginning with this issue, I’m going to share pieces of what Barker wrote along with a few thoughts of my own. Structure Quick thoughts about how content lives in systems Content models are foundational We build the rest of our content process on top of our content models. Mistakes here can reverberate throughout the life of your content. Changing a model after it’s...
Stop saying please
Issue 5 Structure Quick thoughts about how content lives in systems I’m quick to admit that I can be a purist at times, especially when it comes to designing systems that handle content at scale. However, I’m on a years-long quest to be more pragmatic, and several years ago, I had a realization about content during a migration. But first, some context. Blobs v. chunks Those who work as content strategists or as content architects sometimes talk about blobs versus chunks (props to Karen...
The fidelities of content models, and farewell to STC
Issue 4 Structure Quick thoughts about how content lives in systems In the user experience (UX) world, designers work in different fidelities. Often, it’s helpful to start really low fidelity with designs made on whiteboard sketches or simple grayscale shapes called wireframes. This helps to focus feedback on big-picture concepts behind the designs and avoids bogging down details like which shade of blue should be used. Then, at other times UX designers may use higher-fidelity mockups that...
Whether you’re an executive who wants a content management system that enables business growth or a content professional looking to improve your content strategy and content modeling skills and grow your career, Model Thinking will help you learn, connect some dots, think differently, and get actionable tips.