Automated Content Management Systems CMS

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Automated Content Management Systems (CMS)

• What is this CMS?
• Should we do it?
• How much does it cost?
• What will it be like?
• What can we learn from others?

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Definition of Web CMS

• A content management system (CMS) is an automated
  system used to manage the content of a web site.
• Typically, a CMS consists of two elements
• the content management application (CMA) and
• the content delivery application (CDA).
• The CMA element allows non-technical content
  managers or authors to manage the creation,
  modification, and removal of content from a web
  site.
• The CDA element uses and compiles that
  information to update (publish to) the web site.
  They can either produce static web pages, or can
  be dynamicwhere content is pulled together on
  the fly when a user requests a page.
• The features of a CMS system vary, but most
  include web-based publishing, format management,
  revision control, and indexing, search, and
  retrieval.

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Your CMS Colleagues
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Before You Buy a CMS

• Consider costs benefits. Implementation Costs
  3-4X the Software
• Will take longer than you think. Complicated
  software systems.
• How big is your website? How much content? How
  many people contribute content?
• What are your content management needs? Of
  those, which can a CMS handle? Talk to experts
  and each other.
• Not a magic bullet to solve all problems.
• Think about implications for the future
• For redesigns
• New versions of software
• Out of the Box functionality versus customization
• No system will give you everything you want OTB
• Find out from vendors what is OTB versus add-on
• Customization can cause loss of OTB functionality
• Implications for upgrades

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Is It Worth It?

• Yes.
• Provides advantages to
• website manager
• content contributors
• website visitors

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Advantages to Website Mangers/Content Contributors

• Ability to see
• how much content you have on your site at any
  time
• type of content you already have versus gaps
• Ability to update the site
• without any technical knowledge
• in real time
• from any computer with Internet
• Ability to enforce common look and feel,
  standards, style guides
• Easy to delete content, add content, verify
  content
• Find and delete redundancy
• Correct broken links
• Set review and archive dates
• Easily archive content
• Delete out-of-date or inaccurate content
• Create content once, use many places.

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Advantages to Your Website Visitors

• More accurate content
• More timely content
• More consistency
• Less duplication and redundancy

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Web Content Management Vendors Source
CMSWatch.com
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CMS Software in Use in Federal Government
Sample of Agencies
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Implementing Once You Buy

• Focus on customer goals and needs
• Technology and content teams need to work
  together
• Sometimes need a translator/interpreter
• Ensure you work with your implementer on the
  usability of the CMS.
• WARNING Technical implementers will have
  different terminology than you do.
• Takes longer than you think. Dont advertise a
  launch date.
• Take time for content analysis
• What are your common types of content. Allows
  you to share develop content once, use many
  places.
• How will you chunk that content?
• Give yourself as much flexibility in page types,
  content types, templates for the unforeseen
• Content migration is grueling, but content is
  better afterwards
• Take time to look at business processes?
• Dont make more complicated than needs to be.
• If many content contributors, pick system with
  very easy, intuitive user interface, will require
  minimal training.
• Large scale technical project
• Thorough project plan
• Good project management and risk management
  throughout
• Anticipate integration needs.
• Constantly re-evaluate system architecture needs.