Onward & Upward.

Next Stop, Arc90.

It’s official. I am joining Arc90, the stand-out product, design, and development house in New York.

Effectively immediately, I am a Lead Strategist and will be responsible for forming the content strategy and information architecture practice there.

Why Arc90? Why Now?

Given our shared values, the opportunity to join forces was simply irresistible. I cannot imagine a smarter fit given the work I do. Arc90 is dripping with talent and promise—and this shop genuinely groks the fundamentals of product as they bear upon content strategy.

My clients, whom I’ve been exceptionally lucky to serve these past 3 years, will benefit from Arc90′s deep roster. It’s with pleasure that I draw down the Predicate practice and thicken the ranks of such an exceedingly talented roster of user experience professionals.

The Point of Predicate

The point of establishing Predicate was simple: I wanted to synthesize the content strategy best practices I had learned through 10 years (and as many agency and client side roles), 5 of them as a named content strategist.

I specifically sought to emphasize the value of postlaunch editorial expertise.

It’s been daunting and exciting and tremendous fun. As best I can tell, I hit my mark.

  • I put this nameplate on ice knowing its playbook—an end-to-end, fixed-deliverable, four-phase methodology—is a portable accomplishment that, like my clients, travels with me to Arc90.
  • I’ve been beyond fortunate in calling clients of some exceptionally smart, engaged, and progressive organizations.
  • I’ve worked with some of my favorite UX eggheads.
  • And I’ve been lucky to take up the trip with intrepid associates who assisted me in documenting the broader industry conversation around content today through the 1,000+ posts and three year run of the “Notes on Content” linkblog.*

* (The resource will remain and, interest willing, I will revisit the project.)

Step Out With Us

Let’s talk. I’m continuing to field requests for content strategy services. And referrals to top content specialists in my network are always available.

To all those who have supported the efforts of this practice, especially all my friendly and smart colleagues, my unreserved thanks and buckets of gratitude.

Here’s to what’s next.

—Very best regards,

Jeff MacIntyre

“There are very few people I have found who possess Jeff's unique combination of content strategy experience with all around smarts. If you'd like to work with a true professional, Jeff is the man for the job.”

Why Predicate?

Learn more about Predicate's methodology

Knows its stuff.

We have a time-tested playbook. Learn more about our evolving methodology.

People say the nicest things.

Dig the testimonials that dot this site. And reach out at your convenience.

  • Our Capabilities

    An introduction to what Predicate does—and to the emerging field of content strategy.

  • Web Content Chicago 2010

    A detailed excursion through the Predicate methodology and our full range of content strategy project deliverables.

  • A List Apart

    Content-tious Strategy

    The rationale for the rise of content strategy, and a field guide to its practitioners—from the landmark A List Apart issue that put content strategy on the map.

    Read more »

  • Content Strategy Forum 2010

    Your website is not a magazine. But it should be. A lightning tour of editorial strategy.

  • Atlanta Content Strategy 2009

    The case for editorial strategy thinking and execution in user experience design.

  • What Clients & Colleagues Say

    “He listened and learned as well as he spoke and advised and was really the archetype of what an effective consultant should be.”

    “There are very few people I have found who possess Jeff's unique combination of content strategy experience with all around smarts. If you'd like to work with a true professional, Jeff is the man for the job.”

    “Jeff works as effectively alone as he does with teams. He inspires creative thinking and impresses clients. He's also fun to work with, and is guaranteed to expand your lexicon.”

    “I believe that his recent article in A List Apart exploring types of content strategists will be consulted and referred to for years[.]”

    “He was the ideal bridge between print-oriented newspaper people, like myself, and the new (and sometimes scary) world of the web.”

    “He developed the strategy [...] and then implemented it not just efficiently but also to a very, very high standard[.]”

    “[H]e handled the project's complex challenges with panache, good cheer, and most importantly, great skill. I hope to work with him again very soon.”

  • Community
    Referrals Available

    Referral request »

    We’re plugged into a rapidly growing network of content specialists. We might know just the expert you need.

    Predicate would be pleased to refer you to one of our community partners.

    Wikipedia on Content Strategy

    Wikipedia.org »

    See how the Wikipedia community is now defining content strategy.

    The Knol

    knol.google.com »

    An ongoing joint effort to define the area of practice and its practitioners.

    Twitter Community

    #contentstrategy »

    Follow the content strategy community on Twitter with #contentstrategy.

    LinkedIn Group

    Content Strategy »

    The original content strategy community group on LinkedIn.

    Google Group

    Content Strategy Google Group »

    A hotbed of conversation.

    Meetup Groups

    Meetup groups worldwide »

    Over a dozen groups internationally. Membership in the thousands. And growing.

    Content Strategy NYC »

    The local area meetup group for content specialists in New York.

Published Commentary

We write widely in the mainstream press on digital content and culture.

  • Boston Globe

    U. Tube

    A brief overview of the burgeoning world of online video lectures—and a new model for video publishers. Each one is a study for its content strategy.

  • PaidContent.org

    The Next Big Headache for Digital Publishers

    Topic pages are the banks of the link economy. Will Google rob them? Learn more about the potential emerging threat to publishers who are evolving beyond traditional section taxonomies online.

  • Slate.com

    The Tao of Screen

    Interaction and software design has taken a turn to interface-calming to remedy our oversaturated online environment.

  • GigaOm.com

    The Best Thing for Documentaries Since Netflix?

    What a small startup called SnagFilms can teach us about innovating a slice of the Netflix market.

Notes on Content

A running report on must-read news, analysis and resources from the content landscape. Updated frequently. »

I say again, let us pay. Make the process as easy as possible. Make it invisible and transparent. Make us register once and once only. Walls are not the way forward, but walls are not the same thing as payment, and without some form of payment, the press will not be here in five years’ time. (more…)

09.02.11 | Advertising & Marketing, Business Strategy, Industry Shift, Products & Services, Theory & Practice

SMM Tour from salty snack studios on Vimeo, via Submishmash: Submission Manager.

09.01.11 | Editorial & Programming, Organizational Dynamics, Products & Services, Technologies

via Flowing Data, Format and clean your data with Google Refine.

08.31.11 | Analytics & Search, Content Management, Launch/Relaunch, Products & Services

[M]ake a distinction between “formats” and “forms.” A hardback, a paperback, an audiobook, and many an ebook simply represent different forms of the same work. New formats, on the other hand, represent deeper changes in how authors develop content and readers consume it. (more…)

08.30.11 | Emerging Media, Products & Services

 

Scarcity is not a viable business model on the Internet.

Fred Wilson, via Mathew Ingram, If an App Is Your Content Strategy, You Are Doomed: Tech News and Analysis «.

08.29.11 | Business Strategy, Content Strategy, Platforms & Channels, Social Media

The real loser here is the middle take. This is what the weeklies like Time and Newsweek have historically offered: reportage and essays produced a few days after major events, with a bit of analysis sprinkled on top. They’re neither fast enough to be conversational nor slow enough to be truly deep. The Internet has essentially demonstrated how unsatisfying that sort of thinking can be.

(more…)

08.26.11 | Editorial & Programming, Industry Shift, Social Media

via Suzanne, iPhone & iPad UX Reviews » Blog Archive » iPad UX Review: Flipboard vs. Pulse.

User Experience: Flipboard V Pulse

08.25.11 | Interaction Design & UX, Platforms & Channels, Products & Services

Some of this metadata is shared between both the collections management system and the DAM, but not all of it is in both. Each system has their own specific types of metadata. This sharing can even include the collections management system linking to the images in the DAM and not just data and vice versa (data to the images).

(more…)

08.24.11 | Content Management, Technical Architecture, Technologies

Podcasting is an often overlooked corner of the media world [....] The iTunes store from Apple, where about 75 percent of the audience for podcasts looks for fresh material, contains about 150,000 regular shows featuring has-been and up-and-coming comics and sex talk, as well as mainstream fare like NPR and CNN broadcasts. (more…)

08.23.11 | Content Specialists, Enterprise, Organizational Dynamics, Platforms & Channels

 

I would say that three elements of content strategy are essential: analysis, editorial, and architecture.

via Andrew Maier, Questioning Authority: Our interview with Colleen Jones, author of Clout | UX Booth.

08.22.11 | Content Specialists, Content Strategy

We have the ability to predict the performance of an article on the front page into the future—and empowered with that information we generate real-time recommendations on what articles to place where on the front page,” [Visual Revenue] CEO Dennis Mortensen wrote in a blog post.

(more…)

08.19.11 | Analytics & Search, Editorial & Programming, Products & Services, Technologies

I think the thing that attracts me most to Vanilla is its simplicity and elegance. Sure, it is incredibly powerful however this is not at the expense of usability. The admin interface is beautifully designed and intuitive to use. You can add categories, manage users, send out announcements and indeed do everything else you would expect without any documentation or training. It’s just obvious.

(more…)

08.18.11 | Interaction Design & UX, Products & Services, Resources

This content has been aggregated from external sources. Learn more about linkblogging and my use of it here. Authors, publishers and tipsters are welcome to contact me.