Are you in charge of a college or university website? Has your website outgrown itself, is the creative inconsistent /outdated and static HTML pages a bear to maintain? If so, you will want to view my presentation, WordPress as a Higher-Ed Content Management Solution. This presentation will show yout how an *Army of One* brought together Marketing, IT and a skeptical community college using WordPress as a CMS (the College’s first), for their first major public redesign in over 6 years. Learn about how WordPress allows a team of three to maintain control of presentation and functionality while empowering individual departments to directly manage their own content.

1. WordPress as a Higher-Ed Content Management Solution Hanna Arnold Director, Online CommunicationsNorthern Essex Community College

2. Overview My Background The Web and Northern Essex Community College’s background WordPress? Yes--WordPress! Rolling out WordPress as a CMS Launching the site Now what? Lessons Learned WordPress as a Higher-Ed CMS @HannaArnold

4. BFA in Painting, Rochester Institute of Technology

5. MFA in Painting &New Media from SUNY New Paltz

6. Professional Experience

7. Large global companies mainly in the B2B arena (GTE, Ericsson)

8. Smaller local companies (VerticalNet (B2B), Potpourri group (B2C))

9. Freelance

10. UMASS and Mass College of ArtWordPress as a Higher-Ed CMS @HannaArnold

11. My Professional Roles Graphic/Web Designer Production Manager Project Manager Marketing Communication Manager UX Specialist Interactive Marketing Manager Creative Director Director, Online Communications WordPress as a Higher-Ed CMS @HannaArnold

13. Impossible to maintain with 2 part-time people

14. No online strategy, no cross communications with other departments

15. The website was viewed as a “big repository/filing cabinet”

16. Content was duplicated 2, 3, 4 times over the site

17. Content was not correct, outdatedWordPress as a Higher-Ed CMS @HannaArnold

18. Prior to Arriving at NECC Slow time to market with simple content edits Content owners would have to wait 3-5+ days for minor edits to be made Content/assets would be sent to the Communications Department (e.g. a document) for updating, only to have a mistake in the document, and another one sent to replace it. (duplication of effort) WordPress as a Higher-Ed CMS @HannaArnold

19. Prior to Arriving at NECC Total dissatisfaction with the website Everyone (up to the president of the college) was frustrated with the site The site was the laughing stock of the college (people--including the President--would say *it is on the web, and good luck finding it* WordPress as a Higher-Ed CMS @HannaArnold

20. Prior to Arriving at NECC Marketing and IT did not do joint planning, did not know how to communicate/speak to one another New CIO had used WordPress at a previous college, mainly as blogging software The college knew it needed to *do something* about the web Needed someone to bridge the gap between Marketing and IT/MIS (New role, Director of Online Communications was created) WordPress as a Higher-Ed CMS @HannaArnold

21. Shifting Gears—Time to Think Outside the Box Clear goals were set for the NECC’s web presence Distributed publishing (content experts making small edits to their pages) Replace the functionality and creative on the outdated public website Create a faculty/staff intranet, separate from the public site Implement a system for faculty web pages WordPress as a Higher-Ed CMS @HannaArnold

22. Shifting Gears—Time to Think Outside the Box Remember we are a Community College Limited staff, budget One full-time position in Marketing ½ time position in MIS Had some money for contractors for content migration Staggering amount of content to manage 900+ pages, 1200+ media assets WordPress as a Higher-Ed CMS @HannaArnold

23. WordPress? Are you NUTS? Really? Isn't that just for blogging? No one uses it for *real websites*! Who knows how to use it? Do you have a better idea? No? Then what do we have to lose? WordPress as a Higher-Ed CMS @HannaArnold

25. Developed a project planContracted a Linux Administrator Hired content migraters, cleansed content WordPress as a Higher-Ed CMS @HannaArnold

26. WordPress? Really! Used Atahualpa theme as a basis/point of departure Integrated ~20 plug ins Integrated LDAP user accounts Constructed 10 various templates Some for design layout, some for functionality WordPress as a Higher-Ed CMS @HannaArnold

27. WordPress? Really! WordPress single install VS WPMU CIO was convinced to go with Single install, we went down the wrong path, but are now going into MU Tried launching the site 2 times and failed because of the configuration of the site mainly issues with cache WordPress as a Higher-Ed CMS @HannaArnold

29. Can edit an existing page/content (that they are assigned to)

30. Can replace document(s) CURRENTLY on the site

31. Online Communications and Power-users in MarCom can create new pages, new posts, add new documents

32. ID-ed extended editors, brought them together for trainings a few weeks before launchWordPress as a Higher-Ed CMS @HannaArnold

33. The Launch Launched June 30, 2010 Redesign took 13 months Site was received extremely well Creative, Functionality, Content Extended editors are thrilled with ease of use Can make as many changes as they want Update the document as many times as they want 2010 NCMPR Sliver Metal winner WordPress as a Higher-Ed CMS @HannaArnold

34. Next Steps for necc.mass.edu Migration into WP 3 Usability Testing Reworking of IA Refinement of Creative Refinement of Functionality WordPress as a Higher-Ed CMS @HannaArnold

35. What is Next for Online Communications at NECC Using WP as a CMS has allowed strategic online projects to become *fast-tracked* Social Media & Location Based engagement Optimized Mobile Site (Aug.16 launch) Launch of Mobile App for Current Students (Aug. 30 launch) myNECC Portal development (Jan. 2012) Continuous Improvement of Public Site WordPress as a Higher-Ed CMS @HannaArnold

37. You are only as good as your team

38. Current team of 2 1/2, growing to ~3 1/2

39. 1 Full-time Designer, 1 Full-time Developer (in MIS), 1 10/wk Work-study

40. 1 Part-time Web Specialist, 1 Part-time Online Marketing Specialist (QA, Analytics) (Starting Sept.2012)

41. Trust their judgment

42. Key support from CIO, many other executive level stakeholdersWordPress as a Higher-Ed CMS @HannaArnold

43. Key Takeaways Managing Extended Editors Every page should have a main editor and a backup editor Offer training early, ideally on their specific content (they will connect with WP more easily) Develop a cheat sheet/site for the editors Logging in, making text edits, replacing a document KISS WordPress as a Higher-Ed CMS @HannaArnold

44. Questions? Contact info: Email: hanna.arnold@comcast.net, harnold@necc.mass.edu Twitter @HannaArnold WordPress as a Higher-Ed CMS @HannaArnold