[Sigia-l] "Content Silos"

[Louis Rosenfeld]

On 10/7/02 12:03 PM, "Eric Scheid" <eric.scheid at ironclad.net.au> wrote:

[Stuff on "content silos" deleted]
 
> Read the IAwiki page to see whose ears are burning right now:
> 
>    http://IAwiki.net/ContentSilos
> 
> What do you think:
> -- are content silos an outdated structure?

No, they're more relevant than ever, and they're not an architectural goal,
but an architectural reality.  Think of silos as how information grows
"organically" within an organization.  In some cases that organic
"org-chart" architecture can be useful, but usually you'll need an
additional approach or two that cut across those vertical silos
horizontally.

> -- does the concept retain validity for some sites/contexts?

The corporate intranet, or any other site which is really made up of
multiple sub-sites that are managed somewhat autonomously.  Microsoft's
public site, for example, still displays some org-chart based divisions.

> -- do the tools we have today make it super easy to avoid
>    the accident of content silos?

No, though any tool that deals with back-end information management (e.g.,
CMS) is ultimately helpful because it forces us to closely examine the
*processes* behind content creation, publication, and maintenance.  A
well-implemented CMS system might support a hybrid of silos and
user-centered access, allowing content to continue to live in organizational
silos while records or surrogates of that content would live in a
centrally-maintained structure that supports horizontal access.
 
> Lastly: anyone want to point me to a clear and concise definition to put
> into the IAwiki glossary?

How about this:  "A content silo is a collection of information created and
managed by a single business unit within a broader organization.  Content
silos often map to an org chart, resulting in duplicate information,
technologies, and efforts.  Additionally, users often have to look in many
silos for information on one topic.  Therefore, the information architect's
challenge is to provide alternative, user-centric access (e.g., by subject
or by audience) to the information stored in an organization's many silos."

Or something like that.

cheers


Louis Rosenfeld
www.louisrosenfeld.com
information architecture consulting