Content Convergence & Integration 2008

As is abundantly clear, the world has changed. One of the more visible changes is found in how we create, share and use content. What has also changed is the recognition that the value of content is skyrocketing. These changes are impacting everything we do. So one question to be answered is how do we improve our understanding of content in its multifaceted forms and how do we design technology that can helpfully manage and leverage this content. This is the domain of content engineering, a framework for designing, developing and deploying content solutions.

Content engineering is the application of a rigorous discipline to the task of understanding content and designing applications that can help people create, manage, share, publish and use that content. In the era of universal connectivity and business globalization, the introduction of efficiency and effectiveness into the tools and techniques used to manage and publish content is long overdue. To be more provocative, the traditional content management and publishing technologies have been largely unsuccessful by any measure. Similarly, the methodologies that have historically been used, if they can be called that, have been woefully deficient. Among the sources of excitement at this point in time is the emergence of technologies under the loose banner of Web 2.0 that offer new hope that a new level of success can be achieved. But capitalizing on this opportunity will also depend on the adequacy of the some of the underlying technologies, on the affordability of migrating content into more useful forms, and on the completeness of the methodologies being leveraged. Built on over 20 years of innovation in handling electronic content, content engineering set outs proven approaches to designing content solutions, migrating content assets and managing patterns of continuous innovation.