Content Insights Blog

Trust, in this modern world of ours, is in flux. Edelman just released the 2013 Trust Barometer, a global study that gauges people’s trust in government, business, media, and NGOs. The worldwide mood? Skepticism. 

The Bad News

Unfortunately, distrust is still rampant for government, business and NGOs, with the lowest dip in 2012 and some  improvement for 2013. The least trusted segment continues to be  financial services—not surprising in the global financial climate.  Read More >

Today, in the Colony Square building only a few feet away from our office, the leadership at WebMD is letting up to half of the 250 Atlanta staff go. Shocked doesn't begin to describe my reaction to this health media giant being cut, quite literally, down to size.

WebMD IS health content online to many people. In our study of content and credibility earlier this year, participants rated WebMD as one of the most credible sources of any content, much less health content. I've had the privilege, over the course of many years, to work or consult for a wide range of health companies and government agencies. Time and again, WebMD set the standard by which everyone else's health content was judged. Even last week, I observed some market research where several participants said when they have a health question, they often turn to WebMD for an answer. And, in its most recent annual report, WebMD noted that the audience for its core offering, WebMD.com, continues to grow.  Read More >

"What are the best practices?" is a question I'm asked often by folks interested in getting more strategic with content. Whether we're talking about making content work for mobile, reusing content across multiple channels, advising customers or guiding users, accommodating emerging international markets, or something else, the question comes up. It's a good question. But, it's not the first question to ask when planning your content strategy.

Why? Because best practices, or proven principles, don't equal a strategy.  Read More >

In my last essay, I explained why valid, sound arguments are so important to helping people make decisions. In this post, let's delve more into what arguments mean for planning all sides of your content—communicaton (or editorial), architecture, and design.

Communication: Articulate + Reiterate the Case

An argument is more than a key message and less than a flood of information. The brand method does a nice job of articulating a pithy case for being clean with the its tagline "people against dirty" and in this "humanifesto."   Read More >

I'm delighted to share this excerpt from "Will Content Credibility Problems Flatline Health Innovation?" The full article is available from ACM Interactions. It's free for ACM SIGCHI members and a small cost for nonmembers. 

"Digital content—the text, images, audio, and video that make up digital experiences—is in demand. In few industries is it more in demand than for health. Eight in 10 American internet users have looked online for health information.  Read More >