PHILIP SPIEGEL - DAM Ideas

I'm in a New York state of mind...

as I finalize my presentation for the upcoming DAM conference in NYC next week.  I'm going to be speaking on June 2nd about metadata strategy and implementing an effective operation around the business and tech needs of a DAM.

I'm interested in the generally non-technical challenges of strategic planning to operationalize DAM.  This includes the metadata nuts and bolts of taxonomy structure, language and style rules, data entry, governance, administration and user access.  Success comes from matching good technology with good process.  You want to get the most from the tools at hand but its not JUST about the tools...its about the how's and why's and most importantly toward what end...its about results.  I think this gets lost in the sauce but its critical.  

I'm looking forward to the trip north.  Beyond the excitement of returning to my native NY, having a real bagel and a couple of slices of authentic pizza, I'm looking forward to being fully immersed in a topic of great interest.  I'll let you know how it goes.

What's the Incentive?

I've made the case that critical metadata captured early in the content creation process (as early as possible) is ideal if not critical.  In the film / video / photo world that means at the shoot, on set, in the field, etc.

But how does a media organization incentivize those involved to embrace this ideal?

Let's start with harshest incentive first.  The proper capture and delivery of accurate, critical foundation metadata about an asset is a production deliverable and a contingency of payment for work done. There is no payment for services rendered unless this requirement is met and / or you incur a penalty of some percentage off the total owed to offset the additional time and costs for internal resources to get this information together.  If going back after the fact to gather this info is not an option then a fee is applied to offset the loss of value that not having this data causes to the content overall. 

A more diplomatic approach would be to find ways to implement tools into the process so that the task of gathering this metadata is as painless as to not be an encumbrance.  Removing any excuses of why it can't be done from the table then shifts the discussion to how it can be done, by who and what is the most efficient and effective way.  That is ultimately the focus of the discussion that has to happen anyway.  This is a partnership and the capture / creation of an asset is only the first of many steps in the assets life-cycle.

In the stock footage world you could impress on the suppliers that the better organized the content the faster it went through the internal pipeline and out to market. Simply put...You'll have the potential to earn more money sooner.  It's a powerful motivator.  The strategy needs to continue to be shaped around the understanding that there is mutual benefit in this effort and everyone wins.  The discussion shouldn't be about why it can't be done it should be around what's the smartest way it can.

Not only Salmon Need to Swim Upstream…

Let me explain.   Small meaningful changes early in the metadata workflow process amplify over the entire workflow to bring enormous value.   For example, foundational data captured during the shoot can save a cataloguer hours of research later in the process.  Having this information complete and accurate from the start also increases the value of that asset for the entire operation.   We all want accurate info.  In fact it is generally assumed to be 100% accurate.  If we haven’t got the exact location, or place name, or animal, or person we will be more general in the language but if we have the information from the shoot, or if it has already been captured further upstream the entire process is simplified.  Verification is still required but more info is way more valuable than no info at all.  

I encourage everyone to look across your entire workflow to identify what metadata, where and by who that that information is best captured.  Aren’t a few quick entries at the point of media capture better than hours of research long after the shoot?

From this exercise you should be able to find these informational moments of opportunity and build process to capture, communicate and connect this info to media and assure that it is retained as it travels through the entire workflow and lifecycle.

As I prepare for a presentation on metadata for the upcoming NY DAM conference in early June, I expect more posts about this topic to come. 

Next up….the metadata snowball.