Liz Pohland
What a fabulous issue Guest Editor Alan Porter has put together. I thank him for his efforts on behalf of Intercom and all the authors for their stellar contributions to such an important topic in our field—content strategy.
Just before going to press, I received two unsolicited articles on content strategy that I decided needed to be published in this issue as well, offering additional insights into content strategy and information and knowledge management. One article is by Geoff Hart on implicit information, and the other is by IBMers Alyson Riley, Andrea Ames, and Eileen Jones on storytelling and how it can be used to prove the business value of content.
Riley, Ames, and Jones explain six essential truths about content that echo themes found throughout this issue: that 1) content is a challenge; 2) content is an opportunity; 3) the client experience is not limited to the design of the user interface; 4) content is a catalyst; 5) content does not stand alone; and 6) successful products depend upon content. I hope all technical communicators reading this issue, no matter what your specific expertise, will find useful advice and thoughtful discussion from these experts into how to tell better stories about content.
This issue also marks Rich Maggiani’s final column for Social Media Insights. The topic of social media has been a challenge in the four year’s he’s been a columnist, with all the advancement and change we’ve experienced. Rich, I appreciate your tenacity and valuable contributions to such a moving target. It has been a pleasure working with you.
