José Mauricio Duque

Research is one of the most important parts of the writing process. Readers are looking for authoritative, people-first content, and incorporating thorough research into your content can help you meet that need. We’ve written a lot about research over the years, so we thought it could be helpful if we consolidated these insights into a single place for ease of reference.

Content research is a vital part of creating high-quality, people-first content. This differs from the kind of specialist research my colleague Jason has written about. Content research is concerned with the bigger picture. In other words, it’s the process of coming up with topics to write about in the first place. But it goes beyond simple brainstorming. You’re also trying to choose the best approach for your audience.

Some of the biggest record labels in the world made headlines recently when they filed a lawsuit against two companies which provide music-related AI tools. They allege that Suno, Inc. and Udio AI committed copyright infringement by using the labels’ songs to train their AIs, even if those AIs are used to generate original material. But the training of AIs has long been an ethical minefield, and in this post, we’ll explore why this can be such a fraught topic.

For many content creators, Facebook is an invaluable tool in their marketing arsenal. Consequently, there’s a good chance they’ll need to use Facebook’s brand assets at some point. This post will provide some tips on how to use them properly.

The other day, a colleague of mine was telling me about a conversation he had with a friend who works in higher education. She lamented the fact that more and more of her students are turning to AI for help with their assignments. Unfortunately, their use is often highly problematic. Sometimes, they’re simply too trusting, resulting in work that’s riddled with misinformation. But in other cases, they’re passing AI-generated content off as their own material. It doesn’t help that the world of AI is a lot like the Wild West at the moment. In a world where formal restrictions are few and far between, it’s up to individual creators to ensure that they’re using AI in an ethical manner.

Just a few years ago, AI was the stuff of science fiction for most of us. Now, it’s an indispensable part of a blogger's toolkit. No matter what kind of assistance you need, there's an AI tool that can help.

In my recent post about algorithms, I noted how they’ve helped create new genres of content, from the Let’s Play videos that turn gaming into a spectator sport to the beauty blogs that transform makeup enthusiasts into trendsetters. In this blog post, I’ll delve into the evolution of these genres and look at how they’ve redefined creativity and community in the digital age.

The other day, a friend was telling me about the new Lego kit he purchased. According to their website, the Hogwarts™ Castle Owlery is “the best kids’ toy to recreate the scene at the Owlery where Harry Potter™ invites Cho Chang™ to the Yule Ball, and more.” You probably noticed the three ™ symbols after the various proper names. With its cousin ®, it’s a ubiquitous part of our lives. But these symbols aren’t just ornaments, and there are rules governing their use. Think of this post as a field guide to these little heralds of intellectual property.

The other day, a colleague told me about a YouTuber called WilliamSRD who recently informed his audience that he was in a predicament. He’d recently uploaded a video about a VR game called Wraith: The Oblivion - Afterlife, and while it was well received by his viewers, YouTube unexpectedly decided to slap it with the ‘age restricted’ label. Their rationale for doing so wasn’t entirely clear. The video wasn’t graphic or offensive, but the game’s setting did have some very dark themes. This put the creator in a bind. If he left the video unaltered it would likely be doomed to languish in the backwater of YouTube–the algorithm doesn’t like age-restricted content, after all. But if he went ahead and scrubbed anything remotely controversial, he’d arguably be disrespecting the source material. It would be like doing a video about Jurassic Park without mentioning any dinosaur attacks.