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Confab: A Life-Changing Experience?
It’s been three weeks since Confab, but attendees are still talking about their experiences with us. We’ve heard from folks on Twitter, via email, and even SNAIL MAIL. Their stories are quite similar: Confab had an immediate, positive effect on the way they approach content and content strategy.
HOW HAS CONFAB CHANGED THINGS AT WORK FOR YOU?
Maybe it is a different approach to content audits. Or perhaps your entire content philosophy has changed. Tell us the specifics of how you’ve been able to put your new Confab knowledge to work. Large or small, technical or editorial: it’s all fair game. Let us know in the comments below!
Confab Is Over, But The Ideas Live On
Confab has come and gone for 2011. Cake was served. Sessions were attended. And tornado warnings were endured.
Now, we take to the streets (or our desks) to tackle content with a renewed vigor.
You are a Prodigious Set of Note-Takers
The volume of liveblogs and recaps from Confab is seriously impressive.
We offer our most sincere thanks for sharing your thoughtful notes and summaries. It’s especially satisfying to see Confab presentations distilled into these potent posts. (If this were a college course, we’d proudly be handing out “A” grades right now.)
If you missed a sessions or just want to compare/review notes, check out this list of posts from Confab attendees:
Overall Conference Recaps
Confab: Day 1 and Day 2 Recaps from Beehive PR by John Schneider and Bridget Monroe Nelson
5 things I'm thankful for: The #confab edition by Kristen Green
500 Confab Tweets from Day 1 (PDF) by Contentini
Dear Confab: Thanks for the wings! by James Callan
My #Confab reality check by Katie Cohen
On Confab, Conflict, and Collaboration by Sara Wachter-Boettcher
Content (Strategy) is King at Confab 2011 by Wiredrive
How to: Clean Up Your Sticky Content Problems by Heather Rast
Confab 2011: the first day in 20 tweets and Confab 2011: Tuesday in 20 Tweets by Fiona Cullinan
Higher Ed Takeaways from Confab 2011: The Content Strategy Conference by Rick Allen and Georgy Cohen
CONFAB 2011: We had our cake (and ate it too) by Susan Bond
Confabulous Quotables by Corey Mahoney
Strategy is a VERB, and other lessons learned at ConFab by Debbie Williams
10 Things That Stunk About Confab by Matthew Grocki
Impressions of Confab: A Designer Visits Content Strategists by Chris Detzi
Content Strategy Comes of Age: Five Lessons from Confab by Arjun Basu
The Content Strategy Rap (conceived at Confab) by C.C. Holland
Why Confab ’11 was a groundbreaking conference by Confab speaker Jonathan Kahn
Content Strategy Delivers (Confab: Part 1) by Joe Baz
Confab 2011 – some thoughts by Sally Bagshaw
6 Things I Learned at Confab: the Content Strategy Conference by Natalya Minkovsky
Confab 2011: Four Truths for Content Strategy by Tosca Fasso *
Confabulous: Content Strategy Basics by Elizabeth Amorose and Amanda Neville *
Session-specific notes and recaps
The Skinny on Groupon’s Content Strategy by Confab presenter Joe Pulizzi
Confab 2011: What Are Words For? by Confab presenter Erika Hall
What Content Creators Want by Confab workshop presenter Ron Ploof
It’s Time to Starting Treating Your Content Like a Business Asset by Kate Robinson
A series of Simplenote Confab liveblogs have been posted by Brian James Kirk
By Sadia Latifi:
- Attendees Learn Why Content Matters at #ConFab 2011
- We Love Content Strategy! Here's Why! #confab
- Telling Stories, Developing Strategies for Content #confab
By Frank Marquardt:
- Confab Session Wrap: Content Rules
- Confab Session Wrap: Inside the Groupon Content Machine
- Confab Session Wrap: Eat Media Hip Hop Content Strategy
- Confab Session Wrap: The New New Content Landscape
By Laura Creekmore:
- Curation: Beyond the Buzzword
- How to Create a Data-Driven Content Strategy
- Testing Content
- Johns Hopkins Testing Content
- Ann Handley of Marketing Profs: Embrace That You Are a Publisher
- Jeff Cram: Learning to Love Your CMS
- Christine Perfetti: Essential Techniques for Measuring Your Content’s Success
- Rachel Lovinger: Make Your Content Nimble
- Launching another salvo in the content strategy-UX war
- Confab 2011 Wrapup: I Find My People
By Arienne Holland:
- How To Create a Social Network Content Strategy: ConFab 2011
- Content Is a Business Asset: ConFab 2011
- Put the Content in Content Strategy: ConFab 2011
- What Is Data-Informed Content Strategy? ConFab 2011
- How To Test Content: ConFab 2011
- Why Facebook Likes Content Strategy: ConFab 2011
By Krista Stevens:
- Message Matters: Margot Bloomstein Confab 2011
- What Are Words For? Erika Hall: Confab 2011
- Making Sense of the New (New) Content Landscape: Erin Kissane Confab 2011
- A Web Designed for Readers: Mandy Brown Confab 2011
- Kristina Halvorson’s Keynote: Confab 2011
By Stacey King Gordon
- Content strategy comes home: Kristina Halvorson’s keynote opens Confab 2011
- Respect the reader: Mandy Brown
- Testing content: Christine Perfetti
- Creating a data-driven content strategy: Randall Snare and Elizabeth McGuane
- Beware the pink goo: Erika Hall
- Selling content strategy: Karen McGrane
Did we miss yours? Let us know in the comments!
(* new posts)
The Confab Live Blogs Are Coming In
Confab is underway. The tweets are rolling in. Liveblogs are posted, with more on the way.
Some highlights:
CONFAB 2011: Monday's Top 20 Tweets by @fionacullinan
Why Facebook Likes Content Strategy: ConFab 2011 by @RavenArienne
How To Create a Data-Driven Content Strategy: ConFab 2011 also by @RavenArienne
Confab | How to Create a Data-Driven Content Strategy by @lauracreekmore
Kristina Halvorson’s Keynote: Confab 2011 by @kristastevens
We Love Content Strategy! Here's Why! by @marisacp51
Content is a Business Asset by @brianjameskirk, @technicallym
If you've got one, and it is not listed, let us know in the comments below or tweet us at @confab2011!
A Few Workshop Slots Have Opened Up!
We’ve got some great news! A small number of spots have just opened up for both Confab workshops on Wednesday, May 11th.
Spots Available for Both Workshops
These spots are for the workshops only. The conference itself is still sold out. But, these workshops will let you get in on part of the awesome content strategy action on Wednesday.
Each full-day workshop spot costs $695. Register now!
The intensive, hands-on workshop options:
• Content Rules! (with Ann Handley and Ron Ploof) Due to a medical emergency, C.C. Chapman will be unable to attend Confab.
• Everything You Need to Build—and Sustain—a Content Strategy. (with Brain Traffic)
Spots are Very Limited
We can offer these few spots only until the rooms fill up. We’d like to be able to host everyone in the world. But, neither the laws of physics nor the hotel staff will allow it.
We are offering these spots on a first come, first served basis, so register now!
Welcome to Minneapolis, Confabbers
Maybe you are coming early. Maybe you are staying late. Maybe you just want something to do on Tuesday night.
Minneapolis is awesome, and filled with awesome things to see and do:
- Confab’s Minneapolis page
- “Minneapolis Has It All (including Confab)” Confab blog post
There are plenty of other things to do, too. Here are some of my personal favorites:
Eat:
Hell's Kitchen With a tagline of “Damn good food,” you can’t go wrong. They’ve taken home 67 “best” awards since 2002. Try the peanut butter. Really.
Salsa a La Salsa No joke—home of the best hard-shell tacos on the planet, in my opinion. It’s only a block and a half away.
Drink:
Brit’s Pub Fancy a pint? A bit pub food? Lawn bowling? Yes--they have a bowling green on their roof in the middle of downtown Minneapolis. They have a pub quiz on Tuesday and Wednesday during Confab.
Bradstreet Crafthouse You know a place is serious about cocktails when they have FIVE different kinds of ice. A few blocks away, but what are a few steps more when walking toward cocktail nirvana?
See:
Minneapolis Institute of Arts This museum is one of my favorite places in all of the Twin Cities. They have an AMAZING Department of Asian Art. Plus Van Gogh, Monet, modern photography masters and much more. It’s a short cab ride away, but well worth it.
Minneapolis Sculpture Garden This fair-weather favorite is home to one of our icons: the Spoonbridge and Cherry. And it’s just across the park.
Do:
The Electric Fetus Ringo Starr wore an Electric Fetus t-shirt on the Grammys in 2010. That alone makes it one of the coolest record stores in the nation.
Target Target? Yes, the retail giant’s flagship store is just up the street. While it is a sight in its own right, you might want to go there simply to buy that toothbrush you forgot.
