The Key Difference Between Online and Print PublishingVocabulary and Expression

The Key Difference Between Online and Print Publishing
   The Ebola factsheet page from the World Health Organization (WHO)has been visited millions of times. Yet it was a real challenge to get this page reviewed and updated, for WHO was so focused on publishing new information about Ebola that it struggled to review and update essential content already published.
   This is a critical challenge that almost all websites face. An urge to publish new content is embedded in the DNA of every organization. To many, that is the whole point and essence of publishing. It is why the website exists: to publish stuff.
   It is totally alien to most organizations to review, renew and remove that which is already published. There are two main reasons. Firstly, the organization feels it always has to show it is doing something new.
   Marketers, communicators, PR and other content professionals are obsessed with the new. They rarely see it as part of their job to focus on current customers, current programs, etc.
   Secondly, in a print world you rarely have to worry about old print content too much, for print degrades and disappears over time.
   Not so for digital. Like a good wine, digital content tends to get "better" over time. Better in the sense that it ranks higher in search engine results, gets more links, etc.
   To many web professionals, the idea that they can focus on continuously improving the top tasks of their customers is an unattainable dream. Their work lives are ruled by a voracious organization in constant need to show it exists, show it is relevant, and show it is doing something. It is A Cult of Volume: the more I publish the more important I am.
   This deeply negative, archaic way of thinking is hugely damaging, but it will be hard to budge, because it is often senior and middle management who are the most voracious publishers of all.
   Nobody cares. Customers aren’t loyal anymore. The best employees are always looking out for new career opportunities. Everyone is in a hurry. Focus on what matters most to your customers. And remember: that’s rarely what matters most to you.