{"id":508,"date":"2018-09-11T03:08:46","date_gmt":"2018-09-11T03:08:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/jenbrassjenkins.com\/?p=508"},"modified":"2018-09-12T01:25:57","modified_gmt":"2018-09-12T01:25:57","slug":"content-the-editorial-workroom-how-to-begin-tracking-your-content","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jenbrassjenkins.com\/index.php\/2018\/09\/11\/content-the-editorial-workroom-how-to-begin-tracking-your-content\/","title":{"rendered":"Content & The Editorial Workroom: How to Begin Tracking Your Content"},"content":{"rendered":"

No Content Strategy? Try These 3 Things to Start Moving in the Right Direction.<\/h2>\n

Raise your hand if you have no content strategy.<\/p>\n

Raise your hand if you have a partial content strategy (in the clouds around your head, somewhere\u2026).<\/p>\n

Raise your hand if you are a genius. All of your hands should now be in the air, \u2018cause you can point your organization in the right direction towards a content strategy by starting with these small steps (and always claim to be a genius\u2014humble brag my people).<\/p>\n

Recently at work, in tandem with multiple fortuitous circumstances, I was able to assist in setting up some editorial management for content. It\u2019s just a start, mind you, and rather opposite of the \u201cideal\u201d methodology (business goals –> content strategy –> editorial calendar –> content creation and maintenance, #amIright?). But if you, like us, need to work with priorities that change on the fly, demanding clients no matter the validity of their requests, and a multitude of contributing teams, you might try some of these first steps we have taken.<\/p>\n

1. Compile Task\/Work Lists<\/h2>\n

Ideally every piece of content would roll up to a top-level strategy. But sometimes it\u2019s necessary just to gain that measurement of the current state. This can be difficult, however, without a spreadsheet or task management system of some kind. In our office over the last two years, we have slowly consolidated into one main project management system, Asana.<\/p>\n

Everyone enters their projects differently and even uses different tracking methods (my team uses complexity scores<\/a>; another team relies more on time logs; yet other teams rely on output). The one thing we all do, however, is enter our content-to-be-done into Asana as tasks. Knowing that the majority of our teams enter the majority of their content as tasks into the system (or spreadsheets, which can be imported into Asana), I thought I\u2019d take a stab at organizing it all into an editorial calendar.<\/p>\n

\"List<\/a>
Fig 1: All the content assets\/tasks in Asana<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In Asana, this meant setting up a project and literally just tagging each content task as part of the project (1 hour \u2013 that\u2019s all it took).<\/p>\n

\"Calendar<\/a>
Fig 1.5: Calendar view of content assets\/tasks<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

You Don\u2019t Have a Project Management System (& Heads Will Roll Before You Get One)<\/h3>\n

You don\u2019t need a project management system to make a list, however. The good, old-fashioned spreadsheet will do just as well. It\u2019s true that you probably can\u2019t rely on all your content creators entering things into a spreadsheet, and that might not change, but change for good sometimes rests on the shoulders of you\u2014the superhero in plainclothes.<\/p>\n

\"Spreadsheet<\/a>
Fig 2: Y\u2019all are best pals with the spreadsheet, cheap, easy, but hopefully not that easy\u2026<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Writing things down holds people (yourself included) accountable. It\u2019s something to measure. Lists are the best friend of measurement and tracking; they are data points in and of themselves. They are also the easiest place to start.<\/p>\n

Generally, people just need a rallying point. It\u2019s not that they don\u2019t want glory, lauds, and honor, it\u2019s just that they don\u2019t know how to go about it. All it takes is that one person starting the process.<\/p>\n

2. Assign Categories\u2014Thereby Setting Up an Easy, Quantifiable Way to Show the Output You Are Creating<\/h2>\n

One thing I would add to your soon-to-be-editorial calendar is categories (tags\/columns\u2014whatever). Why? These categories will help you see what track your content is on. Who\u2019s your audience? What type of content is being created? Categories will section your content and add that special razzle dazzle to a spreadsheet or list.<\/p>\n

On our editorial calendar (notice it\u2019s not a list anymore\u2014IT\u2019S A CALENDAR), we use these categories:<\/p>\n