diff --git a/src/error.rs b/src/error.rs
index ac8fab5..7060222 100644
--- a/src/error.rs
+++ b/src/error.rs
@@ -37,7 +37,7 @@ pub enum GolgiError {
     /// JSON serialization or deserialization error.
     SerdeJson(JsonError),
     /// Error decoding typed ssb message from content.
-    ContentTypeDecode(String),
+    ContentType(String),
     /// Error decoding UTF8 string from bytes
     Utf8Parse {
         /// The underlying parse error.
@@ -56,7 +56,7 @@ impl std::error::Error for GolgiError {
             GolgiError::Rpc(ref err) => Some(err),
             GolgiError::Sbot(_) => None,
             GolgiError::SerdeJson(ref err) => Some(err),
-            GolgiError::ContentTypeDecode(_) => None,
+            GolgiError::ContentType(_) => None,
             GolgiError::Utf8Parse{ ref source} => Some(source),
         }
     }
@@ -77,7 +77,7 @@ impl std::fmt::Display for GolgiError {
             GolgiError::Sbot(ref err) => write!(f, "Sbot returned an error response: {}", err),
             GolgiError::SerdeJson(_) => write!(f, "Failed to serialize JSON slice"),
             //GolgiError::WhoAmI(ref err) => write!(f, "{}", err),
-            GolgiError::ContentTypeDecode(ref err) => write!(
+            GolgiError::ContentType(ref err) => write!(
                 f,
                 "Failed to decode typed message from ssb message content: {}",
                 err
diff --git a/src/messages.rs b/src/messages.rs
index d839e94..6ea9cc3 100644
--- a/src/messages.rs
+++ b/src/messages.rs
@@ -36,32 +36,26 @@ pub enum SsbMessageContentType {
     Vote,
     Post,
     Contact,
-    None
+    Unrecognized
 }
 
 impl SsbMessageValue {
 
      /// Gets the type field of the message content as an enum, if found.
-     /// if no type field is found, it returns a SsbMessageContentType::None
-     /// if a type field is found with an invalid format it returns a GolgiError::ContentTypeDecode
+     /// if no type field is found or the type field is not a string, it returns an Err(GolgiError::ContentType)
+     /// if a type field is found but with an unknown string it returns an Ok(SsbMessageContentType::Unrecognized)
      pub fn get_message_type(&self) -> Result<SsbMessageContentType, GolgiError> {
          let msg_type = self
              .content
-             .get("type");
-         let enum_type = match msg_type {
-             Some(mtype) => {
-                 let mtype_str: &str = mtype.as_str().ok_or(GolgiError::ContentTypeDecode("type field with invalid format".to_string()))?;
-                 match mtype_str {
-                     "about" => SsbMessageContentType::About,
-                     "post" => SsbMessageContentType::Post,
-                     "vote" => SsbMessageContentType::Vote,
-                     "contact" => SsbMessageContentType::Contact,
-                     _ => return Err(GolgiError::ContentTypeDecode("type field with unknown value".to_string()))
-                 }
-             },
-             None => {
-                 SsbMessageContentType::None
-             }
+             .get("type")
+             .ok_or(GolgiError::ContentType("type field not found".to_string()))?;
+         let mtype_str: &str = msg_type.as_str().ok_or(GolgiError::ContentType("type field value is not a string as expected".to_string()))?;
+         let enum_type = match mtype_str {
+             "about" => SsbMessageContentType::About,
+             "post" => SsbMessageContentType::Post,
+             "vote" => SsbMessageContentType::Vote,
+             "contact" => SsbMessageContentType::Contact,
+             _ => SsbMessageContentType::Unrecognized,
          };
          Ok(enum_type)
      }
diff --git a/src/sbot.rs b/src/sbot.rs
index 5fbafa5..a7b2250 100644
--- a/src/sbot.rs
+++ b/src/sbot.rs
@@ -195,31 +195,24 @@ impl Sbot {
     pub async fn get_latest_about_message(&mut self, ssb_id: &str, key: &str) -> Result<Option<String>, GolgiError> {
         // vector of about messages with most recent at the front of the vector
         let about_messages = self.get_about_messages(ssb_id).await?;
-        // iterate through the vector looking for an about message with the given key
-        // the first one we find is the most recent
-        for msg in about_messages {
-            let value = msg.content.get(key);
-            match value {
-                Some(val) => {
-                    let val_as_str_option = val.as_str();
-                    match val_as_str_option {
-                        Some(val_as_str) => {
-                            return Ok(Some(val_as_str.to_string()))
-                        },
-                        None => {
-                            // if it is an improperly formatted field (not a string)
-                            // then just continue
-                            continue
-                        }
-                    }
-                },
-                None => {
-                    continue
-                }
-            }
-        }
-        // if no about message with given key was found, then return None
-        Ok(None)
+        // iterate through the vector looking for most recent about message with the given key
+        let latest_about = about_messages
+            .iter()
+            // find the first msg that contains the field `key`
+            .find(|msg| msg.content.get(key).is_some())
+            // map the found msg (`Some(SsbMessageValue)`) to a `Some(Some(&Value))`
+            .map(|msg| msg.content.get(key))
+            // flatten `Some(Some(&Value))` into `Some(&Value)`
+            .flatten()
+            // map `Some(&Value)` to `Some(Some(&str))`
+            .map(|msg_val| msg_val.as_str())
+            // flatten `Some(Some(&str))` to `Some(&str)`
+            .flatten()
+            // map `Some(&str))` to `Some(String)`
+            .map(|msg_str| msg_str.to_string());
+
+        // return value is either `Ok(Some(String))` or `Ok(None)`
+        Ok(latest_about)
     }
 
     pub async fn get_name(&mut self, ssb_id: &str) -> Result<Option<String>, GolgiError> {
diff --git a/src/utils.rs b/src/utils.rs
index c840610..34f5ec6 100644
--- a/src/utils.rs
+++ b/src/utils.rs
@@ -140,6 +140,8 @@ where
     Ok(messages)
 }
 
+
+
 /// Takes in an rpc request number, and a handling function,
 /// and calls the handling function on all responses which match the request number,
 /// and prints out the result of the handling function.