Signature January/February 2015 - 22

be continuously producing the content
their members need. The Internet of
Things will disrupt our view of when
and how content should be produced
and distributed because our members
will now decide what content they want,
and when they want it, and what device
they want it on."
The good news is that by connecting humans with their physical environment, the Internet of Things will
give association publishers new data
streams to work with. An association's
digital content delivery system will grow
"smart" as it learns from the behavioral
pattern of its users and shares that information with you, the publisher - giving
you the opportunity to provide better
content service.
For instance, what if you received data
that revealed which emotions showed up
when your member read an article on a
particular topic? What if your content
system knew when each of your members
is most open to interruption, so that
your e-newsletter arrived in their inbox
exactly then?

In an interview with imgZine, Thomas
van Manen, an analyst and digital strategist with Sogeti Trend Lab VINT, a
global network of technology leaders and
trendsetters, said this: "Context is key.
Knowing how someone uses a product
offers new opportunities to make the
current system more efficient, effective,
and personal.
"The whole idea of the Internet of
Things - sensor networks, wearable
devices, embedded intelligence, smart
home/offices, and so on - fits perfectly
into the idea of creating anticipatory
systems around a user," he continues,
"enabling the technology to disappear
and let some kind of silent intelligence
takeover. Users have a personal hierarchy
of what kind of information is important.
If publishers can provide relevant and
personal content via contextual triggers
such as sensors, time, and location, they
are doing a good job."
So what does all this mean? Association
publishers will soon have a greater ability
to learn from the behavioral patterns of
members and use that data to provide more

"You've got to be asking: What are the 'things'
our members are using to get their content?
Do we have to respond to this now? Do we
need to invest?"
- Bob Silverstein

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 16

signature

customized content delivery on the device
they are using in that moment.
To borrow van Manen's phrase, your
members already have "a personal hierarchy" of what kind of information is
important to them. Behavioral analytics
will allow us to learn from members and
other users of our content without asking
for their input. And if association publishers can provide members with the information they really need, that makes the
association indispensable to the member.

NEW TERRITORY
Constance Hardesty, editor in chief for the
American Animal Hospital Association,
has spent time thinking about the Internet
of Things as well as what she calls the
Internet of Publishing.
"I think of the Internet of Things as
somewhat different from, though integrated with, the Internet of Publishing," she
explains. "The Internet of Things is more
of a user platform than a content platform."
The smart shelves that control inventory management are already happening
in animal hospitals, and linking these
systems to content is a natural next step,
she says. "We've reorganized the publishing department to make it possible
for me to consider doing these kinds of
things," she says. "Long ago, my area
was called the Publishing Department.
I proposed that we change the name to
Media Department to reflect our ambition to become less text-centric. Maybe

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Signature January/February 2015