Cherryleaf’s Ellis Pratt wrote this week about the content lake. Picking up on the concept of a data lake, a repository that holds “a vast amount of raw data in its native format,” Ellis explained that content can exist in much the same fashion: a big bunch of content that can be organized and processed by a smart piece of software.
I’d never heard of a data lake until I read Ellis’s article, and I’d never heard of a content lake until Ellis coined the term.
It reminds me of Alan Porter’s content pool: the total body of content than a given organization possesses, from every part of the organization.
Maybe the difference between a content lake and a content pool is that the pool’s boundaries are a little better defined. And usually there’s a lifeguard to rescue you when you’re in over your head.
With all due respect to my colleagues Ellis and Alan, I find that the best description of today’s content is an ocean.
No matter which watery metaphor you prefer, our containers for holding content are filling up fast. Content comes to us from every direction, in a multitude of forms.
- In the business world, seemingly every company is publishing how-to documentation, marketing and promotional literature, forum posts, and images. Look at the company’s organizational chart, and it’s hard to find an area that isn’t publishing content.
- Anyone with a computer or a phone can churn out articles, posts, messages, tweets, and images — from self-published manuscripts to cat photos. From
thought pieces to birthday greetings. - Content has begun flowing from the Internet of Things: an endless array of surveillance cameras, household appliances, and, well, things.
Ellis writes about storing, querying, and retrieving the content for instantaneous use. Here’s a question for those of us who call ourselves content professionals: Are we ready to do that?
I think we’re taking steps in that direction. But a lot of us, and a lot of the companies we work for, are at risk of getting swamped with all of the content that’s coming.
In any case, as we approach the 2020s, the winning content professionals will be those who can not only stay afloat in the content ocean but who can ride on top of the waves.
Surf’s up!
What do you think? Do you see an ocean of content coming our way? Are we ready?
Leading Technical Communication 
Great article, Larry! I think the ocean of content is already here. I see an opportunity for us as technical communicators to seize the possibilities that come along with that ocean! We have the skills and talents needed to jump in. Just like the ocean waters–which are both brackish and clear–content comes in both brackish and clear forms. There are so many opportunities for us to innovate on how to prioritize, segment, and tap into the right content at the right time. It’s exciting to be a part of this ocean!
Thanks for chiming in, Meredith. I agree that we as technical communicators have a wonderful opportunity to jump into the content ocean and add a lot of value.
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