Toward the end of “Context first”, I listed four implications of content abundance for publishers. The last of the four claimed that “publishers will distinguish themselves if they can provide readers with tools that draw upon context to help them manage abundance”.
An example was recently covered by Folio:‘s Bill Mickey, who reported on a partnership between the Associated Press (AP) and database technology provider MarkLogic. The two teamed up to create a fast tool that supports targeted queries of the AP’s 500 million pieces of content.
This particular tool is (at least for the moment) a business-to-business application. Still, it is a good example of how a content provider can give users the ability to search, combine and repurpose content in an efficient way.
Creating existing formats in a cost-effective way is a given, but there is a hidden value in content agility: it gives publishers the ability to tap into markets that don’t yet exist.
