Is Your Content Conversational?

“Content is a conversation mediated by technology that supports it.”
(Ginny Redish, Confab 2011)

Dating back to the Cluetrain Manifesto days, we’ve been told to think of the web as a conversation. For writers, conversation is a common theme in web writing courses, books and other resources. And conversation is certainly a centerpiece of most social media plans.

But organizations often prefer more formal language. We become occupied with product features. Key messaging. Search engine optimization. Brand standards. Analytics and conversions.

Slowly, the conversation becomes one-sided – and users are left out.

Confab 2011 (which I attended earlier this month) was all about content strategy: why it matters and how to make it happen. Yet several presenters reminded us that conversation still matters – and the best content strategy has little value without it.

In her Confab keynote, Ann Handley presented content rules from the excellent book she co-authored with C.C. Chapman. Several rules emphasize the importance of conversation:

• Make sure your content shares or solves. Don’t shill.
• Speak human. (Put differently: Lose the Frankenspeak.)
• Stoke the campfire. Gather your audiences and chat.
• Have fun.

Ultimately, conversation still matters. And, as Ginny Redish pointed out in her session, a user’s goal or need begins the conversation. Your organization must create content that supports and guides the conversation – without dominating it. As Redish asked Confab attendees: How well does your site converse?