For the past month, it's felt like Summer here in Sacramento, California. I've been walking to my local library branch and spending afternoons reading on the patio while the bulldogs soak up the sunshine. It's nice to change things up and enjoy the slower pace Summer brings. Last night, after seeing the wonderfully funny and smile-inducing film, The Phoenician Scheme, I had a brain wave. Why not put our weekly #ContentChat livestream into Summer Camp mode for the next couple months? I've...
16 days ago • 3 min read
Back when #ContentChat was still a Twitter chat, every 6 months we did a community check-in where I asked everyone to share their wins, their biggest challenges, and what they wanted to learn about in the months to come. It was a great way to bring the community together and help me identify great guests and topics for the upcoming months' chats. As much as I love the livestreams we do now, I miss those check-ins! So, in that spirit, I give you a poll: What is the one thing you want to learn...
about 1 month ago • 3 min read
Over the weekend, we helped our 16-year-old cat cross the Rainbow Bridge, putting an end to his fight against kidney disease. I wanted to honor his memory and let the friends he'd met and loved know about his passing. But I was not at all up for writing anything. Luckily, I had a blog post I'd written about him and his brother when we'd adopted them. I'd remembered the adorable photos I'd included in the post. But I was surprised to rediscover so many little details about their kitten...
about 2 months ago • 4 min read
Hey there! I'm taking this week off for a much-needed staycation. That means we're also taking a break from our usual newsletter format, so I can actually take a breather! Sp, while I'm hooking up my new printer, reorganizing my closets, making headway with my reading pile, and having some truly epic lunches around town, I hope that you will take a moment to commit to always be learning—the ABL in our subject line. This may seem like a tough time to invest in yourself and your career. With so...
2 months ago • 2 min read
It's been fun looking at everyone's most recent round of AI-generated portraits and action figures. You can tell that people realllly needed a bit of a distraction by how much some of them look like the human they're imitating. Sure, they say they just typed in "Create a picture of me based on what you know about me" and out popped that spitting image of themselves with their dog and a bunch of on point, seasonally appropriate accessories. But I have to call shenanigans on that for most of...
3 months ago • 3 min read
In a Mastermind meeting last week, I was asked by a participant what my brand stands for. It was easy to answer—it's all about no more random acts of content, just like it says at the top of this email. That's why my services all help others develop a strong content framework, from their content strategy through all the foundational governance elements that bring it to life. It's not just a tagline it's truly my work commitment and focus. Yes, I do create content, too. But it's always in...
3 months ago • 3 min read
Why do you create content? What do you want content to do for your brand? For its fans? And for the community it serves? I've been thinking about this a lot since my #ContentChat conversation last week with Alexandre Gravel. You see, as part of my usual business development, I am always looking at content marketing job listings, looking for companies with remote, part-time roles that I could be a good fit for in a fractional leadership capacity. These job listings include all sorts of details...
4 months ago • 3 min read
While watching the Oscars last night. I quickly spotted Isabella Rossellini in a prime aisle seat. The best supporting actress nominee for her role in Conclave was all smiles, seated with Laura Dern. My first thought was, "OMG! Are they doing a David Lynch tribute?" But almost as quickly, I dismissed that thought. And I got it. They weren't presenting a David Lynch tribute; they WERE the tribute to David. It starts with Isabella's dress. She wore blue velvet, as all mentions of her would...
4 months ago • 4 min read
It's been two weeks since I launched my content foundations assessment in this newsletter. While I'm not yet at my goal of 300 completed quizzes, we're off to a great start! Most importantly, I'm learning a ton about what's working for content pros and which parts of the foundation need some extra attention. What's interesting is how you start to see trends forming early on. Specifically, I'm already seeing which foundational elements most mature content programs have in place, and which...
4 months ago • 5 min read