This week: Siobhan Kelleher, Director of Production

What are you reading?
Red House: Being a Mostly Accurate Account of New England’s Oldest Continuously Lived-in House —by Sarah Messer

Your thoughts?
It’s an interesting combination of the history of one area of New England (near where I grew up) framed in relation to a single house, the family who built and occupied it for over 300 years, and another family who moved in and discovered the house’s history while living in and restoring it. The mix of historical recreation and modern family drama kept me intrigued.

Print or Digital?
Print. I like to have a book to read at bedtime to help wind down at the end of the day.

The implications of disaggregating your content

by Tom Beyer, Director of Publishing at iFactory

One of the consequences of putting content online is that it allows publishers to explode the notion of the book as a container. In many ways this seems like a great thing – you can combine content in different ways and even allow your users to pick and choose the content they are interested in. But of course this flexibility does have some restrictions – there are implications that need to be considered to assure you have the right work flows and systems in place to handle the new level of complexity in metadata and user transaction data. Nothing comes without a cost and in this case the cost is the added complexity of more closely managing your content.

The first thing you must ask yourself is if your content lends itself to being chopped up at a finer level of detail than the original book. If the content is highly narrative with a strong story line or argument then it is probably not appropriate for any sort of chunking – fiction and certain kinds of monographs are clear examples of this – no one wants just a few chapters from the middle of Bleak House or Infinite Jest.

But assuming that some sort of disaggregation does make sense for your content, the following describes just a few of the issues that need to be considered as your content moves online and you consider how you want to present it to your users.

Metadata

The most important thing to consider ahead of time is the metadata that needs to be created to allow your content to be disaggregated. If content is being combined into different collections, then there needs to be some mechanism for associating each item of content with the appropriate collection(s). These collections can be based on subject, time, theme – anything that makes sense for your list – the choice is up to you. But there needs to be a mechanism for tagging the data with the appropriate information and communicating that information to your online platform.

Taxonomies are increasingly used to help users find the content they are looking for. Often, publishers already have some of this information at the book level. To make the most of moving the content online this information really needs to be created at the chunk or chapter level. Often this means rethinking the taxonomy – does it need to be more detailed? Is there an industry standard taxonomy that you can use? If so, does your content map link to it or are there big holes where you don’t have relevant content?

One way to think of this is that all of the metadata you currently create and maintain at the book level needs to be maintained at the chunk (often chapter or entry) level. Depending on the kind of books you are entering into the system, this may be an increase in magnitude of the metadata that you manage. Is your system and business process equipped to handle this level of data?

Business Models

How do you intend to monetize the content? If the content is being packaged as part of a database that you plan to sell as a subscription service to librarians, be aware that the subscription model is receiving some increased resistance from libraries in the US. Also, subscription services demand a certain level of content updates to make them viable. Are you prepared to frequently update the system with new content?

One alternative to subscriptions is perpetual access. In this model libraries pay a higher initial fee to ‘own’ the content. This is usually a modest annual fee for the hosting costs of the platform that is providing the content. If this is offered in conjunction with the subscription model then there is usually the need to provide top ups so that perpetual access customers can gain access to the new content that is added to the database over time.

A third model – PDA [Patron Driven Access] pioneered by EBL – is proving increasingly popular with a number of the eBook aggregators providing it. You should consider whether PDA is something you want to consider for your content.

In all of these cases, you need to have internal systems to support selling content in these different ways. Is your current inventory and billing system up to the challenge?

Discoverability

It is vitally important to consider discoverability and SEO in conjunction with your online content. There has been an increasing trend to provide some portion of the content outside the access controlled firewall. Often quick search and the search results page are freely available if not some portion of the content itself. What happens when an unauthenticated user clicks on a result?

Ideally, the platform should at least show metadata about the content and potentially an abstract that entices the user to purchase or subscribe to the content. This means that the publisher needs to provide abstracts for each chunk or chapter of content – sometimes this is simple because the content comes with an abstract (most journal articles, for instance) – but if that’s the not the case,  the publisher must either invest the time to create them or develop an automated solution.

Custom Collections & Custom Publishing

Should you decide to allow your users to select the content for their own custom collections, or to allow for custom eBook or custom POD books you will need to provide even more metadata to the online system. Pricing and authorial information will need to be provided at the chunk level which users can then select. This is critical so that the resulting custom eBook and POD books can be priced appropriately and your authors can be properly compensated. This means you need to get reports which indicate exactly what chunks of content were used and in what quantities, so you can then keep track of these figures for your own internal purposes. Your contracts with your authors then need to spell out how they are compensated when only a portion of their work is used in a custom publication.

Another important aspect to consider are the business rules surrounding how the content can be packaged. Is there a maximum amount of content that users can choose for a custom publication? A maximum amount from any single publication? A maximum total number of publications that can be picked from? Are there certain combinations that shouldn’t be allowed for whatever reason? If you decide to allow users to upload their own content is there a maximum percentage that they can put into a custom publication? Also, do you have any restrictions about where you can sell your content – can you sell worldwide? If so, do you need to control that in your online system? What about a currencies options? Tax and shipping costs for POD publications may also need to be considered.

PubFactory

Disaggregation and custom publishing are major components of our PubFactory online platform. We provide the tools to allow publishers to disaggregate their content but ultimately our publishers are on the hook to provide us with the necessary data to make the system work. Of course, we are happy to provide advice to publishers considering what and how to move their content online. Give us a call!

At iFactory, we are a team of individuals working to deliver innovative, inspiring, intelligent interactive solutions to some of the world’s leading institutions. While we’re quite the team, we thought we’d start sharing some of our individuality with you via a series we’re calling, “What We’re Reading”. It’s an opportunity for you to catch a glimpse into each of our lives, and to boot—you’ll get some great book recommendations!

This week: Jesse Grant, iFactory Engineer

What are you reading?
The Confusion—the second book in the Boroque Cycle trilogy. It’s classic Neal Stephenson all the way.

Your thoughts?
I’ve been a huge fan of [Stephenson's] for awhile and I love the way he blends together pedantic lessons on history and science, with totally exciting and enthralling storytelling.

Print or Digital?
Digital. Amazon Kindle app on my Android phone.

Recently, we announced another collaboration with Oxford University Press, this time on the design of the newly launched Oxford Bibliographies Online. Chris Reidy of the Boston Globe ran a news update that appeared online, and in the Globe’s digital newsletter.

Take a look!

A salesman’s perspective on what makes a great trade show booth
by Sean Sweeney

I have been selling professional services for almost 18 years, and in that time I have attended many trade shows. In the last few years I have been selling PubFactory, iFactory’s electronic publishing platform solution; and my trade show attendance has increased exponentially. Regardless of where I go, the type of show or the time of the year, I see the same mistakes being committed in both the set-up and manning of trade show booths.  So, to help our current clients, friends and associates, I have assembled a list of do’s and don’ts for your booth…

1)

DO…
Have a warm and inviting booth where people can see and sample your product easily—and without crowding one another. If you have digital products, have multiple computers to run the software so that it can be interacted with and sampled by your visitors.

DON’T…
Have your collateral set up in the back of your booth with your round table and chairs in front, thus forcing your prospective customers to climb over you, your table, and your bag in order to see what you have to offer. Nothing turns people off more than their inability to see, touch and interact with your product.
Continue reading…

Here at iFactory, it would be fair to say the majority of us have a small (read: large) love affair with the game of soccer. Needless to say, this week and the next three bring many sleepless nights as we anxiously and supportively watch our teams battle it out in South Africa. To keep things interesting, we started a pool—a little friendly competition is always enjoyable—namely when your office gets covered in red and white (and Switzerland is not your team of choice).

While the interest in soccer at iFactory is somewhat expected—we have folks here that have been playing all their lives—it goes without saying that the World Cup has become increasingly popular on television and computer screens across America. Why the sudden surge in interest?

Major marketing dollars.

Back in 2009, ESPN teased us with ads and essentially promised incomparable coverage of the 2010 World Cup through the “biggest marketing campaign ever.” Deliver they did, since the numbers say it all—“Saturday’s US-England game was the most widely-watched opening round World Cup  broadcast ever,” according to Time.com. But while ESPN is playing a huge role in sparking interest in the Cup, the sports network’s marketing efforts are not the single reason for America’s newfound love. The fans, existing and new, have always been there, but now there are new means to connect with them.

Social media.

Online buzz for the World Cup surpassed the metrics of any other major sporting event. A broader outreach through familiar online communities is another means to connect with existing fans, and engage new ones.

But marketing efforts and networking aside—America loves sports.

In a time of so much uncertainty, when all we often hear of are worldly disasters and economic strife, we take solace in entertainment and friendly competition…even when your office is plastered in the colors of an opposing team.

What about you—have you always watched the World Cup? Is there a World Cup-related website or application you’ve found to be particularly interesting and cool?

I’m a unique marketing professional. Since graduating from a renowned liberal arts college a few (okay, eleven) years ago, I’ve either been designing websites, maintaining them, or working alongside the amazing people that make them tick. I prefer to figure out a technical issue before [sheepishly] calling the experts—you can often find me showing the lay of the land to my less technically-savvy friends—I get excited when I hear of a new keyboard shortcut—I own a smartphone—a Mac—a PC. So why, then, is it so difficult for me to let go of my pen and paper?

It’s not like I come from a generation of quill pens and ink wells—I’m a tried and true Gen Xer who can’t live without my computer/s or my BlackBerry. Yet, when it comes to note-taking and scheduling, give me a Mead and a Bic Fine Point, please.

Perhaps it’s a control issue. Knowing that I’m not going to mysteriously lose my notes due to the blue screen of death (BSOD) or the flashing question mark is indeed settling. Sure, my dog could tear the paper to shreds or I could mistakenly spill coffee all over it, but I’d still be able to salvage my precious scrawls.

I’m not asking for acceptance—not at all. I proudly walk into the conference room laden with laptops and plop my notebook (the spiral-bound kind) on the table. My friends now expect that when asked my weekend plans, I’ll fish my DailyPlanner out of my bag and leave the BlackBerry alongside my house keys.

I suppose I just wonder how many folks out there function similarly to me.

Here’s your chance to come clean. When did you toss your spiral-bound in the trash–or are you still tucking it under your pillow at night?

It’s not often that we take a moment to pat ourselves on the back, or similarly, post press releases to our blog. We are so thrilled about our latest launch of Oxford Dictionaries Online, however, we wanted to share the news with you—our loyal blog readers. If you haven’t already spotted the release across the networks, we have included a few bits and pieces— and a link to the entire release—below.

Oxford Dictionaries Online is Oxford’s innovative modern English dictionary and language reference service. Featuring smart-linked, fully searchable content from Oxford’s largest modern English dictionaries and thesauruses, ODO provides comprehensive coverage of British, US, and World English with more than 350,000 definitions and 600,000 synonyms and antonyms.

PubFactory’s customizable features include a ‘My Oxford Dictionary’ feature for creating your own profile and saving entries and searches, an innovative alpha word wheel for browsing, and a user-friendly advanced search.

“We are delighted to have worked with iFactory in developing Oxford Dictionaries Online,” said Judy Pearsall, Head of Dictionaries, Oxford University Press. “This was a large custom-built project with complex data needs, and iFactory excelled in building an enticing and intuitive interface with underlying data sophistication and robust technology. Overall we’re pleased that it’s been such a good match of design, data skills, and rich content.”

The selection of PubFactory for Oxford Dictionaries Online continues a long-standing relationship between iFactory and OUP.

Read the full release

Visit Oxford Dictionaries Online

Everyone has a reason for doing what they do. Some people know their passion at the age of 5, and follow it for the rest of their lives. Some people stumble into employment that fits them like the final piece to a puzzle.

My love affair with project management was something of an evolution, and it was a fit that I have grown into. It’s definitely not a job that a 5 year old envisions, but somehow it fits with many of the things I have valued since I was not much older than that.

I am a self-proclaimed jock. I’ve played team sports since I was 5, refereed since I was 11 and coached since I was 12. I believe in all of the lessons we learn about from our coaches, teammates, or classic sports films. I not only believe in these lessons, I’ve carried them with me throughout my career.

First—and most obviously—I believe in teamwork. I believe that 99% of the time, a good team can solve problems better than the individual. Teams generate not only more ideas but also many different ones. There are creative thinkers, logical thinkers, analytical thinkers and dreamers. And most groups have at least one devil’s advocate to uncover possible problems with proposed solutions. No single person can possibly break down a problem from all angles—but a team can. Project management is all about working within the constructs of a team—and I love that. You can’t be a good project manager unless you are a good team player. You can’t be a great project manager unless you are also a great team leader.

Continue reading…

Ten tips—from a project manager—to get the most out of your vendor and your web project.

Before embarking on a digital communications project with a vendor, be sure you develop a plan. Knowing what terrain lies ahead, and the best route to get there, will allow you to stay on time…and on budget.

Get your vendor involved early. Too often decisions on features, functionality, and budget are decided upon without the valuable advice an experienced developer can bring to the table. Use your vendor to shape the RFP.

Be clear on your priorities and commit to them. Outline your goals before the project begins, and don’t lose sight of all that you want to achieve. This can be your project’s biggest motivator. Ideas evolve, changes are implemented, and new concepts can blanket your original project goals. Establish clear priorities and try not to lose sight of them.

Continue reading…