Infographics: The Eye Candy of Content Strategy

Posted on November 18, 2011 by C.C. Holland

I’m a word nerd from way back, but I will be the first to admit that there are plenty of times that a great image kicks the stuffing out of a great hunk of well-crafted prose.

Why? In my estimation, there are three reasons.

Simplicity.

Case in point: Much as people like to hate on Ikea’s directions, you have to admit, they’re easy to follow. Why? They’re just pictures. (And pictures that even my 7-year-old can ably follow.) Compare that to the lengthy, multi-language user manuals that often accompany other DIY projects, and it’s a clear win. Who the heck really knows what a “flat-top flange” is, anyway?

Engagement.

We all know the Web rule that people don’t read, they skim. And skip. And glance. That makes it hard for prose — even elegant, spit-shined prose — to grab people and hold their interest if it’s longer than a few lines. Compare that to a compelling infographic. A clever, well-presented image can hold your attention in a way that no block of text can.

Data wrangling.

Sure, there are charts. And bullet points. And lots of other textual ways to present information. But when you’re trying to convey a boatload of ideas in a simple way, nothing beats an infographic. Here’s one that has always sucked me in:

Image

It’s by Richard Ingram, an innovative, UK-based content strategist who here has very adeptly summarized the various skills, talents, and experience sets that combine to make up the field of “content strategy.” I love this infographic so much that I have it in poster form on my wall.

Want to know more about great infographics? Check out these resources:

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Secret Punctuation Marks You Never Knew Existed (Unless You’re a Smarty-pants)

Posted on November 4, 2011 by C.C. Holland
an image of the interrobang punctuation mark

An Interrobang - who knew?

Who knew? I, the arbiter of all things punctuation in my house and admitted serial-comma-lover, just learned that I’m not at smart as I think I am.

My days of proudly trotting out “It’s called an ampersand!” to my grade-schooler — or, better yet, “It’s not really called the ‘at’ sign, you know; it’s an ampersat” — are apparently numbered, as I’ve been humbled by a recent post by Jack Shepherd at Buzzfeed.

If you’ve never heard of the Interrobang, the Solidus, or the Pilcrow, you’ll love his piece detailing a dozen-plus under-the-radar punctuation gems.  Aside from the obvious geek appeal, it’s a marvelous reminder that our language is complicated, arcane, richer than we often realize, and sometimes just plain silly.

Did you know there’s a mark called a Snark? Seriously! There is. And it may soon replace the serial comma as my favorite.

Read more: 14 Punctuation Marks You Never Knew Existed

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The Cobbler’s Children Have No Shoes

Posted on October 30, 2011 by C.C. Holland

No shoes for you!

Sigh. Don’t you hate it when people say, “Do as I say, not as I do”?

Well.

That is the advice I’ve been forced to give my clients lately, due to the disastrous state of my blog (or lack thereof). There’s a sad irony to a content strategist making money for others by creating killer content and content plans — yet keeping the cupboard oh-so-bare on her own site.

The cobbler’s children have no shoes, the pot calling the kettle black, fill in your own cliche here.

And not a day goes by when I don’t feel guilty about not blogging. But the thing is, I think I often do in my professional life what I do in my personal: put others first. Which is awesome for my clients — when I stay up until midnight fine-tuning their brand voice, they’re thrilled.

But it used to be that I would stay up until midnight thinking, writing, noodling, and maybe even creating a blog post. That’s one downside to success, I guess; when a lot of people are asking for (and paying for) your time, it seems hard to carve out a few minutes for yourself. (Cue sad violin playing and crocodile tears here. I know.)

And then an acquaintance mentioned that she’d found my blog and I instantly began cringing at the cobweb-ridden state of same. Which is when it occurred to me that I could just take the same advice I give my clients:

  • Don’t wait to blog until you’ve got something earth-shattering to say (which, frankly, could be never)
  • Think of your blog as a place to share and comment, not necessary teach or educate. As a former journalist, I feel an almost Catholic guilt about writing anything that doesn’t serve a greater good. But once in a while, posting about a tiny breakthrough that made my life easier (hello, Lower function in Excel!) is just fine.
  • Blog in bits. Start an idea in the morning, sketch it out a little at lunch, add a few lines after dinner, and voila! The cake is baked. Doesn’t have to be a 5-course, sit-down dinner every time.

So I’m resolving, starting now, to get back on that blogging horse. Just do it. A thousand-mile journey begins with the first step. And so on.

And now that they’re all out of my system (whew, pent up pressure!), I’m also resolving to keep future cliches to a minimum.

See you soon!

I mean it this time.

(image courtesy natalia & gabriel via Flickr)

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