ATCM 3301_F18
Archive_Digital Content Design (Fall 2018)
ATEC 3301
This writing-intensive course blends theory and practice to increase the effectiveness of text prepared for digital media. Students will design, compose, and evaluate information to improve audiences’ utility and satisfaction. Topics include organization, logical development, structuring, and ethical presentation of information in a digital format.
ATEC students gain competency in four areas:
- Art and design
- Computer programming
- Business and marketing
- Writing and communication
Text Books
Handley, Ann. Everybody Writes: Your Go-To Guide to Creating Ridiculously Good Content. John Wiley & Sons, 2014. ISBN: 9781118905555 (ebook)
Krug, Steve. Don’t Make Me Think. New Riders, 2014. ISBN: 9780321965516 (ebook)
Graded Assignments
- Participation & Attendance
- Reading Responses (5)
- Audience Analysis & Usability Review
- Content Proposal
- Content Pages (5)
- Revision Plan and Self-Reflective Essay
- Final Assessment
Helpful Links
- Feedback Sheets (Google Sheets with Feedback from Forms)
- Full Syllabus
- Class Website Links (Amazing Websites by your Peers)
- Link to Class Presentations (Google Slides)
Schedule
Week 1
8/20 (M) – Introduction
8/22 (W) – Media Industries
- Green and Jenkins, “The Moral Economy of Web 2.0: Audience Research and Convergence Culture,” in Jennifer Holt and Alisa Perren (eds.), Media Industries: History, Theory and Method (New York: Wiley-Blackwell, 2009). (Part 1, Part 2)
- Skim the “about” section: Who the #$% is Henry Jenkins
Week 2
8/27 (M) – Content Marketing
- Amanda Wall & Clay Spinuzzi (2018) The art of selling-without-selling: Understanding the genre ecologies of content marketing, Technical Communication Quarterly, 27:2, 137-160, DOI: 10.1080/10572252.2018.1425483 To link to this article: (PDF Emailed to class)
- Optional: “What is Content Marketing”
Reading Response 1:
How would you define digital content? What are some examples? How is it used, and who creates it?
8/29 (W) — Content Marketing
- Handley, Chapter 10 of Everybody Writes (ebook)
- “21 Ways Your Audience Affects Your Design”
Reading Response 2:
Share one example of content marketing from a company and discuss how it uses at least 5 of the 21 ways to appease its audience. (Uncertain if it’s content marketing?
9/3 (M) – NO CLASS (Labor Day)
9/5 (W) – Usability & Design
- Krug, Chapter 1-5; and Chapter 9 in Don’t Make Me Think Revisited (ebook)
Reading Response 3:
Submit to your course participant page two websites you would consider yourself an ideal audience for. Briefly analyze the ways each website and its content are designed to meet your expectations and needs in terms of usability.
WEEK 4
9/10 (M) – User Testing
User Testing Workshop
9/12 (W) – Content Creation
- “7 Things that Really Great Content Creators Do”
- “The 5 Habits of Highly Successful Content Creators”
- “How to Differentiate Social Media Influencers and Content Creators”
- “Social Media Influencers are going to be the Primary Content Creators of 2018”
DUE: Audience/Usability Analysis (email to Dr. Rheams prior to class)
IN CLASS: Content Proposal and Marketing Strategy Overview
WEEK 5
9/17 (M) – Content Topics and Ideas
- “Choosing a Blogging Niche”
- “81 Topic Ideas for Starting a Blog that Matters”
- “How to Brainstorm Blog Content Ideas”
In Class Writing:
List 5 blog post ideas. These can be topics you might write and/or those you would like to read (if you have chosen a blogging niche for your portfolio project, focus them in that category).
9/19 (W) – Persona Research
Reading Response 4:
Write a brief description of three marketing personas who would read your blog.
WEEK 6
9/24 (M) – Strategy
- “How to Think Up a Year’s Worth of Blog Topics in an Hour”
- “What are Keywords?”
- “7 Types of Keywords to Boost your SEO Strategy”
- “3 Components of a Content Marketing Editorial Calendar that Works”
In Class Writing:
Identify keywords and SEO parameters: What are three keywords or phrases that your blog’s persona might search for?
9/26(W) – Editorial/ Peer Teams
IN CLASS: Form peer editing groups.
DUE: Content Proposal and Marketing Strategy and Marketing Persona worksheet; posted to eLearning.
WEEK 7
10/1 (M) – Short-Form Content: Quizzes and Curated Content
- “Learning the Art of Digital Content Curation”
- “How to Use Quizzes in Your Marketing Strategy”
- “Quizzes as Content Marketing: The Next Trend?”
Reading Response 5:
Find a quiz and analyze it in relation to the site’s presumed marketing strategy. One paragraph (100 words) posted to eLearning.
10/3 (W) – Short-Form Content: News and Info Sharing
- Usher. “The Appropriation Amplification Model of Citizen Journalism.” Journalism Practice 2 (2-3): 247-265.
- “Digital Newsletters as Content Marketing”
- “How to Write News Brief”
WEEK 8
10/8 (M) – Workshop
DUE: Short-Form Content Piece (first version); post to WordPress, link from course participant page.
IN CLASS: Peer review workshop
10/10 (W) – Visual Content: Infographics, Research & Data, Content Visualizations, and Maps
- “The Surprising History of the Infographic”
- “7 Tips for Creating Successful Infographics”
- “Analyzing the Top 30 Infographics on Visually”
IN CLASS: Plan an Infographic
WEEK 9
10/15 (M) – Visual Content: Memes, Gifs, Comics, Cartoons, & Illustrations
- “Gif – The Biggest Digital Marketing Trend for 2017”
- “How to Use Gifs in Your Digital Marketing Strategy”
- “Meme Marketing: How Brands are Speaking a New Consumer Language”
- “Creating Memes to Help your Online Marketing Efforts”
Reading Response 6:
Link to one example of Gif or Meme marketing; what is its relation to the site’s marketing strategy; is it successful (100 words)?
10/17 (W) – Workshop
DUE: Visual Content Piece (first version); post to WordPress, link from course participant page.
IN CLASS: Peer Review
WEEK 10
10/22 (M) – Long-Form Content: Reviews, Listicles, Curated Links, Op-Eds, and Feature Articles
- “8 Tips for Writing a Listicle that Will Get Published”
- “Tips for Writing a Review”
- “How to Write an Op-Ed”
- “How to Write a Feature Article”
10/24 (W) – Long-Form Content: Advice, How-To Guide, FAQs, and Interview
- “How to Write a How-To Article”
- “How to Write a Profile (Interview)”
- “How to Write Great FAQ pages for Better SEO”
In class writing:
Link one example of a long-form content piece that informs your project; explain how.
WEEK 11
10/29 (M) – Workshop
DUE: Long-Form Content piece (first version); post to WordPress, link from course participant page.
IN CLASS: Peer Review
10/31 (W) – Audio/Audio-Visual Content: Podcasts and Music
- “7 Reasons to Add a Podcast to your Content Marketing Strategy”
- “How To to Start your Own Podcast”
- “Content Marketing with Music”
WEEK 12
11/5 (M) – Audio /Visual Content: Video
Burgess and Green, “The Entrepreneurial Vlogger: Participatory Culture Beyond the Professional-Amateur Divide,” in Snickars and Vonderau (eds.), The YouTube Reader(Stockholm, Sweden: National Library of Sweden, 2009): 89-107.“How to Use YouTube as an Effective Marketing Tool”
In Class Writing:
Link and analyze one example of YT being used as a marketing tool.
11/7 (W) – Workshop
DUE: Audio/Audio-Visual Content piece; post to WordPress, link from course participant page.
IN CLASS: Peer Review
WEEK 13
11/12 (M) – No Class
W (11/14) – Social Media Tie-In
In Class Writing
Sample Marketing Retrospective
WEEK 14 – NO CLASS
WEEK 15
M (11/26) -Workshop
DUE: Blog of your choosing (first version); posted to WordPress, link from course participant page.
IN CLASS: Peer Review
11/28 (W) – Workshop
IN CLASS: Usability Testing
WEEK 16
12/3 (M)
DUE: Revision plan and self-reflective essay; posted to eLearning.
12/5 (W)
IN CLASS: Open Lab
WEEK 17 (Finals Week)
12/10 (M)
DUE: Finalize blog including final versions of content pieces by noon.