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What I learnt from Confab London - day 2

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Rachel Caldwell
Rachel Caldwell

Matt Thompson's engaging session on quests made Rachel want to be friends with him. GOV.UK is setting a benchmark for simple, clearer, faster content. Less content is not necessarily bad, as GOV.UK has fewer pages but more engaged users. User personas can focus development by representing user needs. An empowered "content tsar" would assist any content strategy greatly in the long term.

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Confab London 10 things I learnt from day 2 Rachel Caldwell – Content Officer 1
1 Think of content as a conversation (thanks to Ginny Redish) • Content is what people come to our sites for so it should be written in a way that answers their questions. • Place key information at the top, not hidden at the bottom. (A great example was given using Vanish stain remover.) • Every piece of content needs a purpose and should be answering a question that someone might have. • Page plans can really help focus the content being created. Side note: Ginny was kind enough to give me some of her time during a coffee break. Such a nice person. 2
2 I want to be friends with Matt Thompson! Matt’s session on the art of the quest was one of the most engaging of the two days. He tells a great story and I was hanging on every word. Matt also mentioned the term “brand castle” which really struck a cord with me. I’m sure it will catch on. 3
3 GOV.UK are setting the benchmark (thanks to Sarah Richards) I was already aware of the great work being done by the Government Digital Service before attending Confab. Hearing Sarah speak however just made me admire what they are doing even more. Simple, clearer, faster. Words for anyone working with content to remember. 4
4 Less content is NOT a bad thing (thanks again to Sarah Richards) • Do less, but do it better. • GOV.UK has fewer pages but users are MORE engaged. • User needs should always be front and centre of any strategy. 5
5 User personas can really focus a development (thanks to Chris Atherton) They help keep the focus on the needs of users. Give the personas faces and a whole personality. 6
6 Someone needs to be empowered to make decisions about the content (thanks to Sally Bagshaw) A content Tsar This will be invaluable in the long term and assist any strategy greatly. 7
7 Editorial thinking is not a red pen (thanks to Erin Kissane) A lot of people mistakenly think that editing content just involves getting a big red pen (or using tracked changes) and tearing copy apart. Erin highlighted that there is much more involved and it covers a huge range of things. Editing is a negotiation between the reader, writer and organisation. 8
8 Be more confident! (thanks again to Erin Kissane) Erin was really inspiring and called on us all to be more confident promoting what we do and standing up for what we believe in. Great advice and something I am going to keep with me. 9
9 Create content worth sharing (thanks to Ann Handley) • Good content tells a true story well. It’s user, not corporate centric. • Publishing is a privilege and this should not be forgotten. • Ask the question – would people than you for your content? 10
10 Confab is something I will never forget (thanks to all involved) 11

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What I learnt from Confab London - day 2

  • 1. Confab London 10 things I learnt from day 2 Rachel Caldwell – Content Officer 1
  • 2. 1 Think of content as a conversation (thanks to Ginny Redish) • Content is what people come to our sites for so it should be written in a way that answers their questions. • Place key information at the top, not hidden at the bottom. (A great example was given using Vanish stain remover.) • Every piece of content needs a purpose and should be answering a question that someone might have. • Page plans can really help focus the content being created. Side note: Ginny was kind enough to give me some of her time during a coffee break. Such a nice person. 2
  • 3. 2 I want to be friends with Matt Thompson! Matt’s session on the art of the quest was one of the most engaging of the two days. He tells a great story and I was hanging on every word. Matt also mentioned the term “brand castle” which really struck a cord with me. I’m sure it will catch on. 3
  • 4. 3 GOV.UK are setting the benchmark (thanks to Sarah Richards) I was already aware of the great work being done by the Government Digital Service before attending Confab. Hearing Sarah speak however just made me admire what they are doing even more. Simple, clearer, faster. Words for anyone working with content to remember. 4
  • 5. 4 Less content is NOT a bad thing (thanks again to Sarah Richards) • Do less, but do it better. • GOV.UK has fewer pages but users are MORE engaged. • User needs should always be front and centre of any strategy. 5
  • 6. 5 User personas can really focus a development (thanks to Chris Atherton) They help keep the focus on the needs of users. Give the personas faces and a whole personality. 6
  • 7. 6 Someone needs to be empowered to make decisions about the content (thanks to Sally Bagshaw) A content Tsar This will be invaluable in the long term and assist any strategy greatly. 7
  • 8. 7 Editorial thinking is not a red pen (thanks to Erin Kissane) A lot of people mistakenly think that editing content just involves getting a big red pen (or using tracked changes) and tearing copy apart. Erin highlighted that there is much more involved and it covers a huge range of things. Editing is a negotiation between the reader, writer and organisation. 8
  • 9. 8 Be more confident! (thanks again to Erin Kissane) Erin was really inspiring and called on us all to be more confident promoting what we do and standing up for what we believe in. Great advice and something I am going to keep with me. 9
  • 10. 9 Create content worth sharing (thanks to Ann Handley) • Good content tells a true story well. It’s user, not corporate centric. • Publishing is a privilege and this should not be forgotten. • Ask the question – would people than you for your content? 10
  • 11. 10 Confab is something I will never forget (thanks to all involved) 11