the

MYTHof  the

perfectMETHODOLOGY

hashtag:#methmyth

hiI’m corey

@mrvilhauer

Blend InteractiveSioux Falls, SD

METHODOLOGY?

“Formal  documentationof  a  set  of  processes.”

SCIENTIFIC METHOD

Form a HypothesisResearch a problem

ASK A QUESTION

Test the HypothesisCommunicate/Change

METHODOLOGIESALLOW FOR

REPLICATION

hooray web!

The LIst

A List of tasksMETHODOLOGY ≠

In the beginning...

define the damn thing

THESE ARE GUIDESNOT METHODOLOGIES

“Content  strategy  is  suf8iciently  diverse  that  nearly  all  content  workers  must  specialize  to  some  extent,  and  our  methodologies  tend  to  re8lect  on  that  specialization.”

-­‐Erin  Kissane              

It’s morecomplicated

than that

We Thinkwe’re this

But really,we’re this

Each project

is different

Eachdeliverableis different

Eachclient

is different

Eachone of us

is different

WE’RE ALL SNOWFLAKES

So.

Why bother?

CommunicatioN

MAKE IT OFFICIALguidance

Consistency

integrity

The Methodologyfor creating a methodology

find a trail guide

Content Strategy Deliverables*What Are You Trying to Achieve?

Summary of company goals

What Do You Own?Content inventory or auditContent assessment (quality and quantity)

Whatʼs Missing?Content gap analysisComparative content analysisCompetitive analysis

How Do You Present the Words?User personasUser scenarios (think believable stories)Editorial strategyCore messaging strategyContent templatesSample contentSearch Engine Optimization (SEO) strategyMetadata strategyBrand strategyStyle guideGlossary

Where Does It Go?Copy deckContent conversion/migration strategyContent flow schematicChannel strategyCommunity and social strategyVisual presentation recommendationsWireframes

How Do We Make It Happen?Content approval workflowCommunication plansCommunity moderation policiesContent production workshops and trainingContent sourcing review and plans (people, tools, budget, time)

CREATE A MASTER LIST

breakand

recreate

You are never finished

“With  iteration,  instead  of  driving  an  idea  blindly  into  the  world,  hoping  to  get  lucky,  you  tip-­‐toe,  feeling  as  you  go.  And  you  are  guided  by  the  feedback  you  get.  ...  There  are  no  beginnings  or  endings  -­‐  just  small  steps  forward.”

-­‐Robin  Sloan

steal like an artist

“...A  result  of  4-­‐5  years  of  pilfering  the  Internet.”

-­‐Jeffrey  MacIntyre,  Arc90  

“This  one’s  mine.Let’s  take  another.”

-­‐Fugazi  (kind  of)

give a little dap, yo

With specialthanks to...

MAKE IT personal

“Experience  is  a  brutal  teacher,  but  you  learn.  My  

God,  do  you  learn.”-­‐C.S.  Lewis

An Example:Audiences and Outcomes

tl;dr

YOU CAN’T BREAK theRULES IF YOU DON’TMAKE the RULES.

THE SOAPBOX

OUR WORK IS PERSONAL

OUR WORK ISfluid

“Strategy  is  a  frontier  sport.”

-­‐Melissa  Rach,  CS  Forum  2011

OUR WORK isworth sharing

"We  have  to  be  okay  with  sharing  what  we  know.  Everyone  gets  credit  for  showing  their  work.  There’s  no  reason  to  protect  how  we  do  things.  Every  client  is  different;  every  project  presents  new  information  to  learn  from."

-­‐Nicole  Jones

So.

Go forth andMETHODOLOGIZE

( thank you )

eatingelephant.com/2012/05/confab2012For  notes  and  resources,  visit:

COREY VILHAUER@mrvilhauer

www.eatingelephant.comwww.blendinteractive.comwww.blackmarks.net