Boxes and Arrows: Comments by Scott Abel

Scott Abel — Fri, 26 Jan 2007 14:53:01 GMT

As always, James, excellent content. I agree with the often overlooked oganizational issues you mention. It’s about time we acknowledge these factors and be aware of them so they don’t prevent us from accomplishing our goals.

Now, back to those books on leadership and change I go. :)

Scott Abel — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 20:08:25 GMT

Wow, this thread is an excellent one filled with all sorts of useful information—just like the article about which the comments were based. I think it’s important to understand that a content strategy is, to borrow from Ann Rockley et al, “a repeatable method of identifying all content requirements up front, creating consistently structured content for reuse, managing that content in a definitive source, and assembling content on demand to meet your customers’ needs.” (Managing Enterprise Content: A Unified Content Strategy” – New Riders) I think it’s important to acknowledge that a formal, repeatable method is a good idea for many projects, but does not mean that every content challenge warrants the same level of attention. Sometimes, you may play various roles on a project (content strategist, IA, stylesheet developer) and be asked to “divine” the best approach based on your gut feeling and limited information. I find this one of the most interesting parts of the information architecture field – the diversity of skills and experiences among its practitioners.

Scott Abel — Wed, 18 Apr 2007 06:17:06 GMT

Special T:

Right on target, as usual. Thanks for sharing…and for providing valuable information to those interested in growing their careers.

I can’t wait to hear your presentation, “Transitioning Your Career from Technical Writer to Technical Communicator,” at Documentation and Training: The User Experience in Vancouver, April 19.

I look forward to your sharing your experiences with us all.

Again, thanks for a great article.

Scott Abel
TheContentWrangler.com