I saw many things that surprised, delighted, and disappointed me as I engaged with the digital content strategy instructional materials for Module 4.
Continued Focus on Accessibility
The Web Accessibility Initiative article “Writing for Web Accessibility” and the section of Dr. Kim’s Module 4 video lecture covering content accessibility simultaneously delighted and disappointed me. The amount of advice about how to audit and improve accessibility for web content delighted me. In contrast, the materials’ focus on web content disappointed. Web content is very prevalent, but my current project does not involve web content. I was relieved to see a link to a Government Services Administration article about how to create accessible digital content that covers formats other than web pages in the “Sources to Learn More” section .
Assessing and improving accessibility are valuable skills as a technical writer for both ensuring legal compliance and improving content quality. These skills are important to my career goals because of both the universal ethical obligation to create accessible content and, in some jobs, a legal obligation to meet accessibility standards.
Document Quality Checklists
The shared similarities between the document quality checklists that Ellis Pratt discussed in their Podcast 123 episode “Document Quality Checklists” surprised and delighted me. Initially, the variety and number of criteria in this podcast overwhelmed me. However, as I went through them, I realized that most are essentially the same across the different checklists, making it more manageable.
Despite the different wording, all the systems Pratt discusses assess completeness, findability, accuracy, and usability. It delighted me to see that, although different organizations may ask different questions to assess their content, the basic priorities remain the same.
I expect understanding and navigating the precise nuances of an individual organization’s document quality checklist to be very meaningful in my career. To create high-quality content, it is crucial that I understand the checklist of each organization I am employed by and adapt to their similarities and differences.
Types of Systems for Managing Company Content
Dr. Kim’s explanation of the different types of systems for managing company content in the Module 4 video lecture surprised and delighted me. It was difficult for me to distinguish between Enterprise Content Management Systems, Content Management Systems, and Component Content Management Systems because they all share the phrase Content Management System in their names. When I read in the assignment for this blog that WordPress is a Content Management System, it surprised me because I primarily associated the term with CCMSs like IXIASOFT and Flare. I appreciate learning about the categories of CMS because the ability to communicate credibly about this topic will be important for my career.
Conclusions
The explanation of the different types of systems for managing company content and the section of Dr. Kim’s Module 4 video lecture covering content accessibility delighted me. The Module 4 video lecture by Dr. Kim surprised me with its explanation of the different types of systems for managing company content. I didn’t realize how unfamiliar I was with this terminology until Dr. Kim’s video lecture clarified it.
I felt disappointed initially when Dr. Kim’s Module 4 video lecture focused solely on web content accessibility. However, I was relieved to hear about a link in the “Sources to Learn More” section that covered creating accessible digital content in various formats, not just web pages.
The similarities that emerged between the document quality checklists that Ellis Pratt discussed in their Podcast 123 episode “Document Quality Checklists” also delighted me.