Open Source Content Management Systems Pakistan Development Gateway Foundation

1
Open Source Content Management SystemsPakistan
Development Gateway Foundation

• Ameel Zia Khan
• December 11, 2004
• OSRC/OSS Peshawar

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Presentation Overview

• Content Management Systems (CMS)
• What they are and why we need one
• Open Source CMS
• Examples Plone, Typo3
• About the PDGF
• PDGF and Open Source CMS
• Conclusion

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Content Management Systems

• What They Are And Why We Need One

4
What is a CMS?

• A tool used to manage document
• Creation
• Storage
• Editing
• Publication
• in an increasingly collaborative environment.
• Usually online, accessible from the web.

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Content Management

• Works at two basic levels
• Document management
• Internal management of documents (e.g. writing
  reports, papers, etc.)
• Web content management
• Management of documents for publication (i.e.
  making a website of any kind)

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Do I Need One?

• Why bother with a CMS?
• Our internal documents are organized on a
  central document server.
• Our web documents are made in plain HTML and
  hosted on a web server.
• Problems with this approach
• Unless everyone is very organized, the bigger
  your repository gets, the harder it is to
  maintain.

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Example University Website
Home Page
University Info.
Progammes
Admissions
News Events
For Students
Undergrad.
Fin. Aid
Archives
Gen. Info.
Graduate
Online App.
Courses, etc.
Jobs
Postgrad.
Faculty
Executive
Search, FAQ, Site Map
Library
Computer Labs
Research Pages
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The Problem of Complexity

• A comprehensive web presence requires that a lot
  of information be placed online.
• Over time, the number of documents in a website
  increases drastically.
• Problems
• Lots of documents (too many to handle easily)
• Multiple authors, multiple editors
• Multiple styles (page design and writing style)

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The Problem of Collaboration

• No single person/department can write all
  documents required to make a comprehensive
  website.
• Not everyone knows how to write for websites or
  for general publication.

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The Problem of Design

• Maintaining a uniform and consistent design
  across the website is not easy.
• It can be accomplished, but needs to be enforced
  manually.

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So What Do We Do?

• Traditional approach
• Hire a team to make and manage website.
• Team will
• Manage technical aspects of website.
• Collect information from various departments.
• Edit information, put it in web format.
• Upload information to website.
• Maintain information direct website queries to
  concerned people etc.

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Problems with Traditional Approach

• A sizable team is required
• Web designers
• Web coders
• Document editors
• Managers
• Managing a large number of documents (many
  hundreds!) is very hard and very time-consuming.

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New Approach

• Use a Content Management System
• Web people (coders and designers) set up skeleton
  site.
• Each department now fills (and maintains) its own
  section of the site shift of responsibility.
• Web people can train staff and facilitate the
  process (as document editors, for example).
• Publishing happens automatically
• Once documents go through the workflow process.

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How Will This Make Things Better?

• Web developers
• Make site structure.
• Define page formats (templates) for each section
  (or one for the entire site).
• They then focus on the websites functionality
  instead of being burdened with managing all the
  content.

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How Will This Make Things Better?

• Departments
• Are now responsible for their own content (keeps
  content up-to-date).
• Dont have to worry about website design or
  structure.
• Now just need to open a webpage, fill in text in
  the spaces provided and save the file in the
  repository.

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How Will This Make Things Better?

• Everything else happens automatically!
• Sections and pages are linked automatically.
• Search is automated (including advanced search).
• Formatting is kept uniform throughout the site.
• If workflow is used properly content is
  up-to-date and correctly edited at all times.

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Best Part

• Everyones life becomes easier
• Web developers have time to do more productive
  work.
• Note web developers dont become redundant when
  you use a CMS, they just get a chance to focus
  more on their core strengths.
• Departments dont have to go through web
  developer middlemen to place their content
  online.
• Stricter workflow procedures ensure better
  quality content.

Learning new skills, thinking up new solutions
to tech problems
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Best Part

• Content authoring-to-publishing cycle becomes
  shorter.
• Overall, website management and maintenance is
  significantly simplified.

Not using a CMS
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So Now What?

• Define a content strategy
• Content requirements
• Forecast development over time
• Figure out operating environments
• Operating Systems, databases
• Document standards (technical and other)
• Align requirements with features and pick a CMS
  product.

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Picking a CMS

• Different functionalities
• Document Management System (DMS)
• Internal documents, metadata, revision histories,
  etc.
• Digital Asset Management (DAM)
• Like DMS, but works on binary (multimedia)
  content
• Web Content Management (WCM)
• Lets you publish from DMS to web syndication
• Learning Content Management (LCM)
• A WCM structured to comply with online education
  standards (SCORM, AICC, IMS, etc.)

Sharable Content Object Reference Model
Aviation Industry CBT Committee IMS/IEEE using
XML
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Two Types of Products

• Advanced document management
• Software cost (enterprise solution) 500,000.
• Consultancy fee up to 6x cost of software.
• Implementation time several months.
• Pure web content management systems
• Software cost 25,000 - 250,000.
• Consultancy fee up to 3x cost of software.
• Implementation time a few weeks.

Source Demystifying Document Management
Michael Bronder Oct. 2003, New Architect Magazine
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A Third Option Open Source

• Low cost alternative
• Software is free
• Consultancy is optional (can do in-house)
• Highly customizable
• Content, by nature, requires customization
• Feature-rich
• New features developed regularly

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Basic CMS Features

• All CMS generally have
• A content repository
• Dynamic page generation
• Workflow procedures
• Additional features include
• Syndication
• Personalization
• Caching

• Editing tools
• Internationalization
• Multiple sites

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Things To Consider

• Scalability of CMS
• Your CMS needs to be able to handle your content
  serving requirements.
• Matching your contents focus with CMS
  strengths
• Different CMS have different focuses and,
  therefore, different core strengths.

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Things To Consider

• Development community
• Ensures continued development of product.
• New features keep getting added.
• Can also be internal.
• Support
• External (paid consultancy services).
• Internal (web developers learn everything about
  the tool themselves).

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Open Source CMS

• Plone, Typo3

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CMS Example Plone

• Comprehensive DMS (Zope), WCM (Plone)
• Technical specifications
• OS Linux/Solaris/BSD, Windows, Mac OS
• Language Python
• Uncommon, but powerful and mature language
• Uses own application server
• Can run behind popular web servers (Apache/IIS)
• Can use other databases (MySQL, Oracle, etc.)

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CMS Example Plone

• PDGF portal runs on Plone
• Sites using Plone
• NASA/JPL (including Mars Rover site)
• Lufthansa (vendor extranet)
• Oxfam America
• Warwickshire Police
• NATO Internal (runs Zope)
• CBS NY (runs Zope)

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CMS Example Typo3

• Comprehensive WCM (with advanced graphics
  support)
• Technical specifications
• OS Linux/Solaris/BSD, Windows, Mac OS
• Language JavaScript, PHP4
• Database MySQL (can be extended to use others)
• Webserver Apache, IIS

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CMS Example Typo3

• Sites using Typo3 (mostly European)
• Dassault Systèmes PLM
• Gottlieb Duttwiler Instiut (Switzerlands oldest
  and most independent think tank)
• Volkswagen Coaching (training for VW managers)
• stopchildtrafficking.org

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Other Examples

• Using LAMP
• Drupal
• Metadot
• Midgard
• Tiki/TWiki

• Using Java
• Red Hat Content and Collaboration Management
  (CCM)
• DiGi
• eXo Portal
• Gridsphere

LAMP Linux Apache MySQL
(Perl/PHP/Python)
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How Does It Work?

• Live example of Plone

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About the PDGF

• PDGF and Open Source CMS

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Development Gateway The Idea

• New technologies do three things
• Increase efficiency
• Improve effectiveness
• Enhance transparency
• PDGF aims to leverage information and
  communication technologies (ICTs) to help meet
  Pakistans economic, social and human development
  challenges.

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PDGF The Mission

• To create a clearinghouse mechanism for
  information and resources related to development.
• To create greater access to knowledge and
  information relevant to the Millennium
  Development Goals (poverty, education, children,
  gender, health, environment, access).
• To facilitate the establishment and growth of
  communities and coalitions with common areas of
  interest.
• To help universalize technologies that can
  improve business, government, and civil society
  organizations.

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UN Millennium Development Goals

• Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger
• Achieve universal primary education
• Promote gender equality and empower women
• Reduce child mortality
• Improve maternal health

• Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases
• Ensure environmental sustainability
• Develop a global partnership for development
• http//www.un.org/millenniumgoals
• http//www.developmentgoals.org

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Pakistan Country Gateway

• PDGFs flagship feature
• A portal where users can find information,
  resources, and tools.
• A platform to share material, conduct dialogue,
  and solve problems.
• A medium for the creation, storage and exchange
  of knowledge.
• A facilitator of development in Pakistan.

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Portal Front Page
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PDGF and OS CMS

• PDGFs goals include
• Encouraging the use of technology-based
  information management solutions.
• Helping organizations manage their information
  (for internal and external use).
• We do this through
• Information dissemination (i.e. this
  presentation)
• Facilitation services

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Importance of ICTs in Pakistan

• Pakistan does not have a comprehensive web
  presence (esp. research material).
• We encourage everyone (especially development
  organizations) to get organized and then get
  online.
• If they need any help or advice, were more than
  happy to give it (thats our job!).

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Our Suggestion

• Make your life easier, get a CMS.
• Open source solutions are the obvious choice.
• Get your web developers to research CMS.
• Useful links at the end of this presentation.
• Pick one thats right for both developers and
  users.
• Install it, run it and never look back!

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Conclusion

• Where Do We Go From Here?

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Summary

• In a growing web environment, managing
  information is becoming increasingly important
  and increasingly difficult.
• CMS help manage content, especially in a
  collaborative environment.
• Open Source CMS are especially useful in the
  developing world.
• Everyone should start using one.

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Thank you

• Questions Answers

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Useful Links

• CMS Resources
• http//www.oscom.org (international association
  for OS CMS)
• http//www.cmswatch.com (news, reviews)
• http//www.cmsinfo.org (news, reviews)
• http//www.opensourcecms.com (try before you
  install)
• CMS Products
• http//www.plone.org
• http//www.typo3.com
• PDGF More CMS Resources
• http//www.developmentgateway.org.pk
• General information info_at_developmentgateway.org.p
  k
• CMS/Portal Contact ameel_at_developmentgateway.org.p
  k

A copy of this presentation is on our website.