The Changing Face

of Publishing& What this Means for

Content Producers

Joe Gollner

Gnostyx Research Inc.

jag@gnostyx.com

www.gollner.ca

@joegollner

Trust The New YorkerThe New Yorker

April 19, 2010

www.newyorker.com

Topics

A Brief History

of Content

Technologies

Core Concepts

Intelligent Content

& its Lifecycle

Case Studies

Lessons Learned

A Brief History of Content Technologies

In the Beginning

Content was really static

And then there were

… table(t)s…

…and

books…

Paperwork: The Empire of Documents

Memex & a New way to Look at Documents

Adapting to the Exponential Growth in

Knowledge Resources

Seeking a new

medium in which

documents would

become more

manageable &

more dynamic

1940 1960 1980 2000

Leveraging Knowledge through Automation

Technology as a form of Publishing

The modern organization cannot survive

without automation as a means to

encapsulate & leverage knowledge

1940 1960 1980 2000

Augmenting Human Intelligence

Leveraging Automation to Assist Personal and Team Productivity

Douglas Engelbart

Workstation - 1966

Workstation - 1968

An integrated working environment

in which “paperwork” was

performed electronically

& with great efficiency

1940 1960 1980 2000

The Internet & the Flow of Information

Connecting Organizations

to form Knowledge Enterprises

Combining the capabilities

of research facilities to undertake

more challenging projects

1940 1960 1980 2000

A Vision of Hypertext Documents

Theodor (Ted) Holm Nelson

1940 1960 1980 2000

Exploring the Anatomy of Document Content

Standards for Digital Document Exchange

GOAL

Supplier and Client

STDS

INTERIM SOLUTION

Supplier ClientSupplier

PROBLEM

Client

1940 1960 1980 2000

Continuous Acquisition & Lifecycle Support (CALS)

SGML: A Grammar for Document Content

1940 1960 1980 2000

Charles Goldfarb

The Father

of SGML

Standard

Generalized

Markup

Language

The Web as the Triumph of Simplicity

Sir Tim Berners-Lee

The Father

of the Web

1940 1960 1980 2000

“to allow

information

sharing within

internationally

dispersed teams”

Hypertext Markup

Language (HTML):

a simple application of SGML

Elevating the Intelligence of Web Content

Yuri Rubinsky

Spiritual Father

of XML

1940 1960 1980 2000

The Extensible

Markup Language

is a simplified profile

of SGML designed to

support Web applications

XML in the Wilderness

The driving force behind XMLimmediately became facilitating new ways to integrate, adapt & deploytechnology applications

Represented the accumulating pressure to build truly open & extensible applications

This focus explains a great deal about the character of XML

The Rapid Rise of Social Media

1940 1960 1980 2000 2010

Technically

enabled by

the integration

capabilities

provided by XML

The Semantic Web

Introducing a formal, interchangeable

expression of meaning suitable to

automated processing.

Essential for making content &

services discoverable online.

1940 1960 1980 2000 2010

The Mobile Revolution & Adaptive Content

The mobile revolution has been enabled in part by the widespread

deployment of standards for adaptive content (XHTML/ePub/HTML5)

and integrated services leveraging interface standards & semantic technologies

1940 1960 1980 2000 2010

Concepts

Content

Information

Publishing

Documents

Intelligent Content

Adaptive Content

Intelligent Content

Lifecycle Model

Intelligent Content Strategy

Core Concepts: Some Definitions

Content

Core Concepts: Content & Information

Content is potential information (an asset)

Is what we

plan, design, create, reuse & manage

so that we can deliver effective

information products

Is the meaningful organization of data

communicated in a specific context

with the purpose of influencing others

Information is a transaction (an action)

Information transactions contain content

Information

Publishing

The process of transforming

content resources into information products

that can be effectively transacted

Documents

Documents are the persistent form of

information transactions that have been

exchanged as part of a business process.

Documents are a fact of life & can take

many forms.

Related Definitions

A Definition of Intelligent Content

IntelligenceThe capacity to acquire

& apply knowledge

Intelligent ContentContent can be considered intelligent

when it expresses, in an open way,

the intended meaning underlying

a communication such that the

data, information and knowledge

being expressed can be accessed

and effectively leveraged

by both people and

software applications

Root Definitions

Knowledge

Information

Data

Data

The meaningful representation of

experience

Information

The meaningful organization of

data

Knowledge

The meaningful organization of

information expressing an evolving

understanding that enables

effective action

Intelligent Content in Practice

A Practical Definition

Intelligent Content is designed, created, managed and processed

using open standards so that the resulting information products

can be dynamically tailored to meet the needs of the user and

can be efficiently maintained & leveraged by the content owner

Intelligent Content

Portable

Reusable

Findable

Manageable

Processable

SustainableIntelligent Content leverages XML to expose its meaning

in ways that both people & machines can use

Building Blocks of Intelligent Content

Content Components

Text Modules

Media Assets

Data Sources

Relationship Links

Metadata Properties

Concept Taxonomies

Assembly Maps

Governing Models

Processing Rules

Formatting Instructions

Distribution Rights

Technology Considerations

Management Systems

Authoring Environments

Publishing Processes

Discovery Frameworks

Social Media Venues

Mobile Devices

Adaptive Content as Staged Intelligence

Management Repositoryof Intelligent Content

Optimizedfor Dynamic

Delivery

Dynamic Delivery Store

Smart Phones

Tablets

Other Devices

Feedback harvested

as XMLkeyed tosources

AdaptiveContent

Publishing content

so it can adapt to

different devices

Intelligent Content is essential if automation

is to be deployed successfully

To bring down costs

Shorten publishing cycles

Streamline work processes

Optimize information products

• For different users

• For different markets

• For different locations

• For different devices

• For different situations

• For different needs

In a way that can be measured & improved

The Name of the Game is Automation

A Global Economy calls for

Continuous

process improvement

Maximized automation

Dynamically tailored products

Localized delivery & support

Reconfigurable supply chains

This Demands

Standardized parts

Flexible & dynamic assembly

for products, services & content

The Intelligent Content Imperative

Only Intelligent Content

has a future in this world

Peter F. Drucker

The Practice of Management (1954)

Coming to Terms with Intelligent Content

See Mystery to

Mathematics fly!

Alexander Pope

Intelligent Content Lifecycle Model: Foundation

ContentAcquisition

ContentDelivery

ContentManagement

ContentEngagement

Content Acquisition

Creating or converting content to

establish the potential to deliver

effective information

Content Delivery

Publishing information products

Adapting products to

each user’s unique needs

Intelligent Content Lifecycle Components

ContentAcquisition

ContentDelivery

Intelligent Content Lifecycle Components

Content Management

Formalizing content process activities

Facilitating user tasks

Content Engagement

Incorporating user content contributions

Tapping into Social Media

to build engagement

ContentManagement

ContentEngagement

Evaluating Content Productivity

ContentAcquisition

ContentDelivery

ContentManagement

ContentEngagement

Intelligent Content Strategy Map

1

10

1

1 1

10

1010

Measuring Content Productivity

EvaluationBenefits

CostsCompetitiveness

AccountabilitySustainability

ResponsivenessAdaptabilityTraceability

ReliabilityUsability

CriteriaReturns realizedInvestments madeBenchmark comparisonsCompliance & transparencyMaintainability & supportabilitySpeed of reaction to changesSpeed of changesMeasurabilityConsistency of serviceSupporting user success

Intelligent Content Strategy Map: As Is

ContentAcquisition

ContentDelivery

ContentManagement

ContentEngagement

2.5

4

5.7

2.8

As Is

Intelligent Content Strategy Map

“As Is” Current Score: 53

1

10

1

1 1

10

1010

Intelligent Content Strategy Map: To Be

ContentAcquisition

ContentDelivery

ContentManagement

ContentEngagement

9.39

7.98.1

“To Be” Target Score: 295 “As Is” Current Score: 53

As Is

Intelligent Content Strategy Map

To BeContent Strategy

2.5

4

5.7

2.8

1

10

1

1 1

10

1010

Each Content Strategy will be Unique

ContentAcquisition

ContentDelivery

ContentManagement

ContentEngagement

Intelligent Content Strategy Map

ContentStrategy

A Definition of Intelligent Content Strategy

A strategy is a plan of action

directed towards achieving

a long-term goal through the

coordination, integration

and application of the

resources & capabilities

available to an enterprise

An Intelligent Content Strategy seeks to make content

a strategic asset that can be leveraged by state-of-

the-art technology to achieve concrete business goals

The Full Intelligent Content Lifecycle

ContentAcquisition

ContentDelivery

ContentManagement

ContentEngagement

ContentStrategy

What Matters is our Plan…& its Execution

A Good

Content

Strategybecomes

Effective

Action

Stories in Publishing: Case Studies

The Dancing Elephant: A Large Publisher Adapts

Diverse Publishing Operations

Legal publishing had been an

early adopter of digital publishing

Became a master practitioner

A New Broom Appears

External specialists chart a new

course towards e-Publishing

Declare past efforts obsolete

Experience Pushes Back

Knowledge base re-asserted itself

Realized new publishing platform

Tweetable

Lesson Learned:

Past experience can be a powerful resource when

adopting new technologies.

@joegollner

Liquid Knowledge: Digitizing Encyclopedias

Russian Academy of Sciences

Massive publisher of scientific data

Supported wide range of cultural

institutions in publishing content

Modernization Initiative

Make assets digitally reusable

Revamp editorial process

• Capitalize on past strengths

Diversify print products

Launch advanced discovery portal

Initiate translation process

• Capitalize on emergent markets

Tweetable

Lesson Learned:

Intelligent content, that has been modularized for reuse, can

spawn new products & new opportunities.

@joegollner

ePub to Go: Grafting ePubs into the Process

Publishing Process Evolution

Introduce ePub as delivery channel

• Support a range of target devices

Utilize existing resources

• Systems

• Suppliers

• Skills

Maintain print product quality

XML-in-the-Middle

Leverage existing editing tool

Tighten up editorial guidelines

Automate XML creation / validation & ePub publishing

Tweetable

Lesson Learned:

XML support is now ubiquitous and this gives publishers many

options when retooling for the current Publishing Revolution.

@joegollner

Publishing World Music

An Online Music

Retailer

Acquired by a major

player in the mobile

space

Facing an uphill battle

to gain a foothold

against iTunes

Strategy: Radical Localization

Competing for local business by reflecting local mores

Demanded highly sophisticated use of XML &

Semantic Technologies to support absolute personalization

Tweetable

Lesson Learned:

Global markets will be won by publishers who can adapt to

what is unique about each and every market

@joegollner

The School of Hard Knocks: Lessons Learned

Past experience is valuable

Almost always provides a useful starting point

Can be leveraged to make modernization steps effective

XML is important

Maximizes the role of automation

Makes resources reusable

Supports radical localization

& personalization

Investments in change

are essential but must

be balanced

The School of Hard Knocks: Lessons Coming

Where are Most Publishers today?

Apparently oblivious to the changes

occurring around them in publishing

technology, Social Media & global markets…

Common Problems seen among Publishers

Publishers

Acquire content in

single-use formats

Seek low cost

services to re-format

publications for new

uses such as eBooks

Deliver poor quality

Incur excessive costs

Often ill-prepared or ill-disposed to leveraging

Social Media to engage audiences and creators

Unaware that 30 years of ePublishing experience is available

Considerations on the Future of eBooks

The lessons from Book History are germane.

The persistence & portability of hardcopy books is something we need to

replicate with eBooks. This includes the persistence & portability of references.

Essential if the process of knowledge advancement is to continue…

Otherwise

Thy hand, great Anarch!

lets the curtain fall,

And universal darkness

buries all.

Alexander Pope

The Dunciad

Closing Thought

Successful

Publisher{ }

Questions

Making Connections

Joe Gollner

Gnostyx Research Inc.

www.gnostyx.com

jag@gnostyx.com

Twitter: @joegollner

Blog: The Content Philosopher

www.gollner.ca