The document discusses how the ubiquity of the internet and connectivity has changed how people interact with technology. It notes that over 70% of U.S. adults keep their smartphone within 5 feet at all times, showing our constant connection. It then discusses how technologies like the telegraph, phones, and television rearranged communication and society. The presentation recommends embracing a more participatory and proactive approach to content by making it personal, integrated across channels, and focused on simplifying users' lives through brief, visual content.

1. The Internet is
Everywhere—So What’s
Changed?

2. Noz Urbina @nozurbina
~ Consultant/Trainer for Mekon Ltd.
– Content strategy, Technical
Communications
– 12+ years in structure & mark-up
– Chairperson for Congility Events
~ Jun 18-20, UK
~ Call for speakers / pre-reg open now!
– Author / retrospective futurist
congility.com/2014

3. This is relevant to you
Social media
Gesture control
Augmented reality
Widespread tablet use
All started/starting commercialisation in
B2C and moved/moving into B2B
~ Curmudgeon at your peril
~
~
~
~
~

4. In the next 45 minutes…
~ The Internet as a technology
~ How we struggle with technologies
~ The impact of communication
technologies
~ Recommended approach to coping:
–Become participatory and proactive

5. The world’s technology
THE INTERNET

6. Why are we here?
Over 70 percent of U.S. adults keep their
smartphone within five feet of themselves at all
times.
— Jumio Consumer Habbits Report
Image: Moyan Brenn report here

7. Why are we here?
Our pockets have become connections to
hardware and software all over the world. Our
(technology) control-panel for our lives. The
Net is everywhere.
Image: Moyan Brenn report here

8. The Challenge

9. Internet of Things
http://cnnmon.ie/PE6CC1

10. Who is on YouTube

11. “Media are not just means of communication [they]
mediate human relationships”
— Michael Wesch, assoc. Prof, cultural anthropology, Kansas State
HOW WE STRUGGLE

12. Socrates was a writing sceptic
We need to be able to reflect before we could
write. Socrates thought writing would make us
mentally lazy and stop our use of memory.

13. The telegraph changed prose
Within a few years of mass adoption, writers
were noting how pay-by-the-word comms
were eroding politeness, depth and discourse.

14. The telegraph changed prose
The telegraph was instrumental in the growth
of USA money markets vs. Europe (who took
up slower).

15. Phones were first sold in pairs
We used to think point-to-point was a
good enough. It solved a problem and
created new ones
Image: Jan-Hendrik Caspers

16. Phones were first sold in pairs
The company who invited the phone isn’t
the company who invented the
switchboard (years later).
Image: Jan-Hendrik Caspers

17. Phones were first sold in pairs
Manhattan skyscrapers were enabled by
the telephone. This enabled the
apartment buildings, changing our cities.
Image: Jan-Hendrik Caspers

18. TV rearranged our furniture
Image: Jan-Hendrik Caspers

19. How the internet changes our relationship with technology
THE IMPACT

20. Technology is…
~ Losing its fear factor
~ Creating a participatory, collaborative
multichannel culture
~ Reworking a generation’s understanding of
content
~ Going from pull to push

21. NOT SCARY

22. Fear factor

23. Jawbone “UP”

24. PARTICIPATORY

25. Participatory culture
~ Michael Wesch’s class studied “Context
collapse”
– Speaking to everyone and no one at once
– Highly self-reflexive, and time is collapsed
~ You are your viewers
~ “The most public space in the world, from
the privacy of our own homes”

28. NEW SENSE OF CONTENT

29. Today’s content
The public now touches metadata
every day

30. "Not looking at
content...
sifting through
metadata“
– Barak Obama
"Aggregated
metadata can
be more
revealing than
content.“
– J. Kirk Wiebe
& Bill Binney

31. The net is measurable

32. PULL TO PUSH

33. Google Cards

34. Kindle

35. Kindle

38. Change format, go proactive and personal
SO NOW WHAT?

39. Tony Self, Hyperwrite
Author of the DITA styleguide
~ “PDF [as a primary delivery format] is
a failed technology. The fax machine
of the content word”

40. Some disappointing thoughts
~ Most dita projects lack an understanding of DITA's
reuse features beyond topics and conref
~ Less still are doing anything besides making cheaper
pdfs
~ Even less are taking advantage of cross departmental
reuse
But it's starting…
~ We must learn to be empathetic to users who are
unfamiliar and or unlike us and design content for
them

41. Simplify My Life
~ Only show me what I need when I need it

42. Embedded help

43. Embedded Proactive assistance
~ Timed appropriately for my skills and
context
– UI item descriptions
– Field validation guidance (number or date formats;
where the user can find the data; banned characters)
– Concept short descriptions
~ Can be stats-driven, profile-based, personal
~ Many can be replace/reused to/from the
traditional help/manuals.

45. Enchant Me
~ Let me make it mine / Get to know me

46. Statistical, collaborative content
Let users build and
share their own
deliverables, for any
format

47. Simplify My Life
~ Keep it brief

48. Simplify My Life
~ Pictures are faster than words

49. Ifixit.com

50. Content strategy
BRINGING IT ALL
TOGETHER

51. Different Perspectives
Customer Needs

52. Content Strategy
More than words, more than tech
Development
efficiency &
significant cost
avoidance
Brand
Equity, regional
markets &
revenue channels
Org & User
Goals
Enabling,
Product data
& Technical
Content
Persuasive,
Sales &
Marketing
Content
Unified Framework for Content
Delivery, Measurement and Improvement

54. In summary
~
~
~
~
Social media
Gesture control
Augmented reality
Tablets
~
~
~
~
Personal
Proactive/measured
Integrated
“Friendlier”
~ DITA is an ideal platform, if we
used it for more than cost cutting
our old outputs

55. Noz, don’t forget to give them some stuff…
THANK YOU!
(FEEDBACK FORMS  )

56. Free stuff!
Congility 2014
Jun 18-20, UK
Call for speakers & preregistration open now
@thecsbook
thecontentstrategybook.com
congility.com/2014