Reviews for Content Critical: Gaining Competitive Advantage Through High-Quality Web Content

1. A brave attempt, but fundamentally unsuccessful

   Rated 2 out of 5 stars, December 12th, 2003

   I was intrigued to find a book focussing on the importance of getting web content right, and I was ready to be impressed. Unfortunately, this book falls short through a combination of being non-specific, repetitive, and unfocussed.

   The early chapters are quite promising, if a bit over-blown, and the general theme of the book - that content is a valuable commodity and needs careful planning and a multidisciplinary team - is introduced quite clearly.

   But the authors don't expand on this, preferring to repeat themselves with job descriptions of the links in the publishing chain, and branching out into territory covered much more effectively by other books such as usability and navigation design.

   What's really lacking are more juicy examples, tips on how web writing is different from other forms in practical terms, or examples of how to present numbers, images or diagrams. They also assume a large organisation with the resources for a multidisplinary team - where's the shoestring option for small businesses or public sector organisations on a budget? As the book descends in its later chapters into a plethora of general checklists, it's harder and harder to keep interested and focussed, since it seems so far removed from practical applications.

   Beyond the initial chapters which argue strongly that poor content is a real business problem, the book doesn't present much that's new - which seems ironic given the title.

2. Great ideas, somewhat wordy and repetitive presentation

   Rated 4 out of 5 stars, October 12th, 2003

   This book is primarily about web site design, although that may not be very obvious from the title.

   The overall premise is that the job of producing and running a web site has a lot in common with traditional paper publishing. Central to this idea, and the inspiration for the title, is that whatever the site, people actually visit it to read words. Not to look at pictures. Not to admire layout or coo at dynamic navigation menus. To find and read content. Everything else is at best irrelevant, at worst a distracting nuisance or even a reason to leave the site completely.

   I wholeheartedly agree with this, and generally follow with the recommendations that the author makes about how to encourage and profit from this understanding: keep things simple, short, and fresh; understand your readers; make it easy to find stuff; treat editing and publishing as key business functions and so on.

   What I find slightly disappointing is that the book itself doesn't entirely embody these values. The style is repetitive and often long-winded. As a well-edited web site or a conference presentation this would pack a much more powerful punch. I finished reading it mostly out of duty.

3. 'Content Critical' helps you get the basics right

   Rated 5 out of 5 stars, April 12st, 2002

   If you have to manage a website with a lot of content, say more than 20 or 30 pages, this book will help you a lot.

   'Content Critical' brings a publisher's and an editor's view to content for the web. It explains it in a way that makes it simple for people with a managerial or technical point of view to understand.

   'Content Critical' talks about topics such as metadata and full-text search, but looks on them from an editorial point of view, rather than a technical point of view. Unlike other books on related topics, this one starts with what your customers want, not with the technical ramifications.

   As the book says, the main thing people do when they visit a website is read. To make it a pleasant visit, the text has to be readable and it has to be pretty obvious how to find your way around the website.

   If you already have a journalistic background, you'll find this a useful handbook for website issues, as well as a good reference for colleagues who come from a different worldview.

   If you don't have a journalistic background, it's an invaluable introduction. You will learn a lot from this book about the basic nuts and bolts of running a big website.

4. Excellent, a must have text for students and practioners.

   Rated 5 out of 5 stars, March 12th, 2002

   Gerry McGovan and Rob Norton have written a timely and authoritative contribution to the world of web development, analysis and practice. Their book, Content Critical gets to the heart of the matter; 'we are all publishers now'. They examine, unpick and inform all the key issues in a practical and clear way. So that the newcomer and expert alike is better informed and more able to engage with the real issues of new media publishing.

   Gerry and Rob's book will act as a heaven sent antidote to the proliferation of so called 'new media' texts that either nibble at the fringes of the cultural and social issues of a 'cyber generation' or fixate on the latest technical nicety that simply contributes to the digital detritus that inflicts us all. Students and practitioners alike will benefit greatly from Gerry's book.

5. A great collation of obvious common sense.

   Rated 5 out of 5 stars, February 12th, 2002

   When I read this book it was quite easy to get excited about things like - classification, information achitecture, navigation, metadata, XML etc. But when I look back it all seems so obvious. Most of it I already knew and the rest is common sense. But the writers have brought it all together - collated it in one easy (and actually quite enjoyable) read. That in itself is true value. The checklists and summaries are particularly useful. Not sure about the comments on video and audio content, but I get the point! And graphic designers might not like some of the things this book says about their contribution, but someone had to say it!