You Don’t Need a “Mobile Content Strategy”

2 Mar, 2012

This morning there was some buzz on Twitter about a new book by Karen McGrane, Content Strategy for Mobile.

I have the utmost respect for the people excitedly tweeting about the book, and I’m a huge fan of Karen and her work preaching the content strategy gospel. But I have to say that I’m confused about the premise of the book (keeping in mind that I obviously haven’t read it).

I’ve recently blogged about the idea of “Responsive Content” and why it’s a bad idea. I’ve also pointed out that we’ve entered an era where all web design is mobile design.

The web community needs to help organizations understand that there is no mobile web. As Stephen Hay once aptly put it:

There is no Mobile Web. There is only The Web, which we view in different ways. There is also no Desktop Web. Or Tablet Web. Thank you.

I’m a huge proponent of content strategy—especially as it relates to design, but the web is the web. Content is content. The idea of “mobile content” will only serve to fragment the user experience, especially as more people use their smartphones and tablets as their primary window to the web.

Posted in Mobile | 4 Comments »

http://about.me/karenmcgrane Karen McGrane

And that is why the first sentence of my book is “There is no such thing as content strategy for mobile.”

I’ve been speaking and writing quite a bit lately about how organizations need to think differently about their overall publishing processes to support getting their content onto a range of different devices, platforms, and screen sizes. But that doesn’t mean creating content uniquely for mobile—it means creating more flexible content that’s written for reuse. It means overhauling outdated WCMS technology that binds content to display. It means cutting the fat out of bloated desktop sites. It means that mobile is a catalyst to make better content for ALL users.

More here: http://karenmcgrane.com/2011/12/14/mobile-content-strategy/
http://www.adjustafresh.com/ Scott Kiekbusch

Karen – thank you so much for your reply. I appreciate your point of view, and mean it when I say that I admire your work. I’ve been a fan since I saw you speak in Philly at the 2010 IDEA conference. I also think your comment is spot on. Enough gushing…

That being said, I have to respectfully take issue with a book called Content Strategy for Mobile, especially considering your comment re. the first sentence of the book.

That’s kind of like calling a book, How to Capture & Train Unicorns, and then the first sentence states, “There is no such thing as unicorns.” It feels misleading (even a bit pandering). Given the nature of society and our insatiable addiction to soundbites & headlines, I’d hate for people to start talking about the necessity of mobile content strategies. Sure, the may sell a few more books, but lots more people may be missing the forest for the trees. Just my 2 cents.
http://about.me/karenmcgrane Karen McGrane

Book titles rejected by the publisher:

Content strategy for our crazy multi-device future, including desktops, phones, tablets, refrigerators, stadium scoreboards, digital watches, and probably some things they haven’t invented yet

Content strategy for The One Web, including but not limited to: responsive websites, native apps, and by god even print if you fools could just get your act together

Content strategy for desknots and desktops and print, oh my!

A book title is a terrible place to make an argument. But it’s a great place to put some commonly-used words that map to a problem that readers think they have. In offices and boardrooms around the world, people are calling that problem “mobile.” And so will I.

Also. The book IS about content strategy for mobile. Not in the sense of creating content uniquely for mobile, not in fragmenting the user experience. It’s about WHY it’s important to get content on mobile devices, and how to think about adapting editorial processes, style guides, CMS workflow, and governance practices to support a multi-device future.

Yes, I am playing off two different conceptions of what “content strategy for mobile” means, but my goal is to entice people to buy the book, and then to set up a little bit cognitive dissonance to keep them reading so I can advance my broader argument,
http://www.adjustafresh.com/ Scott Kiekbusch

I hope you’re going to include your list of “rejected book titles” in the book :)