CMS “Content Factories” A content management strategy for the University of Kent Web Forum - 20 April 2009

Scope of “the web” At Kent, there is no such thing as just "the web" instead there are many web systems which combine to provide a plethora of web services

At Kent, there is no such thing as just "the web"

instead there are many web systems which combine to provide a plethora of web services

The wider web estate

What is CMS? A Content Management System A system for managing content A computer system... primarily for web content but can manage other content

A Content Management System

A system for managing content

A computer system...

primarily for web content

but can manage other content

Our approach Concentrate on re-usable content first Create places to manage that content Make them system-independent and available to existing sites “ Content Factories”

Concentrate on re-usable content first

Create places to manage that content

Make them system-independent and available to existing sites

“ Content Factories”

What will CMS do for us? Edit websites with a browser Any PC/Mac Minimal training for basic editing Offsite editing Empower web authors No limit Improved permissions Enable inter-departmental authoring Allow content re-use Between web pages Between web properties See later: Content Factories See IS Committee paper: Update paper on proposals for a Content Management System ISC 08/08-09

Edit websites with a browser

Any PC/Mac

Minimal training for basic editing

Offsite editing

Empower web authors

No limit

Improved permissions

Enable inter-departmental authoring

Allow content re-use

Between web pages

Between web properties

See later: Content Factories

See IS Committee paper: Update paper on proposals for a Content Management System ISC 08/08-09

Free-up content Currently we're just creating pages one file = one page To re-use this content it must be copied-and-pasted into another file/page CMS will manage “blobs” of content blobs are known as "nodes” With these nodes content can be manipulated in a variety of ways A node can simply be a page A page can contain many nodes A page can show parts of nodes A page can show filtered nodes

Currently we're just creating pages

one file = one page

To re-use this content it must be copied-and-pasted into another file/page

CMS will manage “blobs” of content

blobs are known as "nodes”

With these nodes content can be manipulated in a variety of ways

A node can simply be a page

A page can contain many nodes

A page can show parts of nodes

A page can show filtered nodes

Management of content can help… Departmental homepage Courses Staff profiles

Departmental homepage

Courses

Staff profiles

A typical departmental home page Welcome paragraph News - three items: headlines with thumbnails, date, excerpt Events - two items: title, intro, date Facts box

Welcome paragraph

News - three items: headlines with thumbnails, date, excerpt

Events - two items: title, intro, date

Facts box

Adding one item of news… Create news page Add excerpt to homepage Sort out image Link to actual news page Remove old excerpt from homepage Copy files to ‘live’ Image, new page, homepage Inform C&DO Send emails, add to plasma, update RSS feed, etc…

Create news page

Add excerpt to homepage

Sort out image

Link to actual news page

Remove old excerpt from homepage

Copy files to ‘live’

Image, new page, homepage

Inform C&DO

Send emails, add to plasma, update RSS feed, etc…

How does CMS help Departmental home page? Add one news item and the following are automatically created: home page snippet a news page snippet the main news index an archive index Add one events item similar automation as news, but with different style Potential re-use of other content: welcome paragraph facts box

Add one news item and the following are automatically created:

home page snippet

a news page snippet

the main news index

an archive index

Add one events item

similar automation as news, but with different style

Potential re-use of other content:

welcome paragraph

facts box

What happens to Dreamweaver? Large amount of web properties 180-230 sites 250-400 web authors 350,000 pages CMS will therefore be introduced gradually and incrementally Key to this is “Content Factories”

Large amount of web properties

180-230 sites

250-400 web authors

350,000 pages

CMS will therefore be introduced gradually and incrementally

Key to this is “Content Factories”

Content Factories manage certain types of content provide re-usable content to parts of the site not necessarily visible themselves

manage certain types of content

provide re-usable content to parts of the site

not necessarily visible themselves

Content Factories Start with three basic types Publicity People Programmes

Start with three basic types

Publicity

People

Programmes

Content Factory 1: Publicity Handles: News Events Announcements Organised via taxonomies Content out is “Baked or Fried” Enables content sharing: Dept news to Media Office Event information all in one place etc

Handles:

News

Events

Announcements

Organised via taxonomies

Content out is “Baked or Fried”

Enables content sharing:

Dept news to Media Office

Event information all in one place

etc

Content Factory 2: Profiles Online Directory Expertise directories: Media Enterprise Research Helps create: Staff profile pages Will include KAR info etc

Online Directory

Expertise directories:

Media

Enterprise

Research

Helps create:

Staff profile pages

Will include KAR info

etc

Content Factory 3: Programmes Modules Courses Subjects Provides: online prospectus departmental pages user-friendly wizards

Modules

Courses

Subjects

Provides:

online prospectus

departmental pages

user-friendly wizards

Current web site – Dreamweaver powered

Some content from Content Factories

CMS powered sites with Content Factories

Getting content out of the CMS: Fry vs Bake Fry vs Bake Fried eggs: made on demand Baked muffins: made in advance Fried Created by filtering Happens automatically A page that shows: last 5 news from KLS next 5 events on the topic of Politics Baked Created by choice Chosen manually

Fry vs Bake

Fried eggs: made on demand

Baked muffins: made in advance

Fried

Created by filtering

Happens automatically

A page that shows:

last 5 news from KLS

next 5 events on the topic of Politics

Baked

Created by choice

Chosen manually

Further info http://blogs.kent.ac.uk/cms

http://blogs.kent.ac.uk/cms