The smell of baking bread is wafting through my house.
A new bromeliad, a gift from my mum this week, extends its prehistoric fronds in all directions, just to my right. And in the darkened room to my left come the sounds of battle, complete with exclamations of despair.
I’ve already waged my battle with the content noise of the internet. I emerged victorious, a fistful of outstanding items for your discerning reading.
Each one of them illustrates something about the world of business publishing, from a slightly different angle. For example, I’ve unearthed pieces as different as how to understand content models at one end, to how to cost out XML publishing on the other.
Because I know you also want something super practical to go and play with, I’ve included a productivity methodology adapted from Marc Andreesson and using Trello. Kanban nerds, this one is for you!
Now, I’m off to enjoy my fresh bread. Enjoy the reading this week!
~ Leticia, Queen Pixie at Brutal Pixie
PS. If you want more on the education side than you get in the Sunday Letter, join my daily emails list.
Tip of the Week
When you write your material using collective pronouns like ‘we’, you erode your authority.
The Sunday Five
When you find wonderful content roaming in the wild, send it to hello@brutalpixie.com for us to consider adding to The Sunday Five.
[ HOW ] Storyneedle pulls the models apart
It is a rare day when Storyneedle doesn’t deliver. This week, Michael gets under the hood and examines models: Content models, domain models, ontology. In it, he unpacks the reasons why structured content is not the same thing as a data or domain model; and why structured content isn’t semantic or machine intelligible. He offers a nice explanation for the differences between each model and why it’s important; but if you’re not already an information super geek, it will be completely lost on you. (Even my eyes started to glaze over three-quarters of the way through.) Nevertheless, you can read it at https://storyneedle.com/where-domain-models-meet-content-models/
[ MONEY] XML publishing and its real costs
Sarah O’Keefe gives us a fairly direct and un-fluffy description of the types of costs you might encounter in your business by implementing XML publishing. She gives us a few scenarios - and zero commentary. Useful primarily for project managers, I suspect. Read it at https://www.scriptorium.com/2019/02/how-much-does-xml-publishing-cost-small-medium-large-and-enterprise-scenarios/
[ KANBAN ] Use the Marc Andreessen Productivity System in Trello
Yep, it’s as I promised. This is Marc Andreessen’s system adapted to Trello. (He uses index cards.) Marc keeps no schedule and only a few lists of things he needs to do, so if you’re looking for a lightweight way to keep track of everything, this might be your holy grail. Go have some fun with it at https://betterhumans.coach.me/implement-the-marc-andreessen-productivity-system-in-trello-50caccee16d8
[ TECH ] It turns out that human communication is really valuable
So much so that the Natural Language Processing market (in tech) is estimated to be valued at about $13.4 billion. This article is a bit of an overview of how NLP is being used (and will be used). Just be careful to remember, when you read this, that artificial intelligence platforms are still programmed by people. ;) Read it at https://www.information-age.com/nlp-natural-language-processing-123479054/
[ LIFE ] Want to see what a content marketing editor does in a day?
Then read this. A New York City-based content marketing editor shares a ‘day in the life’. It might shine a light for you on what’s involved in these kinds of roles, as an employee of a major brand. It’s a fun, lighthearted read, too! Get it at https://contently.com/2019/02/13/content-marketing-editor-job-description/