Why you need a global content strategy

You need a global content strategy. You might look at this statement and think, “I’m a technical communicator. Why on earth would I need a global content strategy? All I care about is the documentation suite and online Help system for this product line.”

Text by Val Swisher

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Why you need a global content strategy

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Many technical communicators I work with think this way. They are fabulous content developers who write detailed, intricate instructions on how to use the most complicated products. They are very smart and very articulate. However, when it comes to understanding how the technical piece of content creation fits in with the worldwide corporate content strategy, they fall short.

Sure, there are many technical communications departments that have a well-planned strategy for their content. Many are using structured authoring tools in an XML environment. Many take advantage of content reuse opportunities. Many even understand how content reuse impacts the cost, time, and quality of translation. But they don’t see how their content interacts with or lives side-by-side with the content being created by other departments in their company.

Even the best content strategy in a silo is a losing ...