"The Benefits of Using Web Content Management Systems"
Gregory L. Koch IIGregory L. Koch II earned his Bachelor’s degree in Technical Communication from New Mexico Tech in May of 2009 and is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Information Technology at Rochester Institute of Technology. His interests include visual design, Internet and web communications, and single sourcing, server and network management. Greg has developed several web applications using Web Content Management Systems and recently served as Lead Web Developer and Designer for New Mexico Tech’s website redesign project.
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BackgroundAs technology evolves, technical communicators create more deliverables in new formats, such as information for the web. Organizations need to publish product documentation and information online that is easy to access. It may sound like a simple task; however, it can be very tedious to ensure that an organization’s website is uniform, contains all the information a customer needs, and is easy-to-use. By using a WCMS, an organization can make it easy for every employee to update a website with a graphical user interface and style sheets that enforce organization-wide style and layout standards. WCMSs can be an all-inclusive solution for any organization if the system is used correctly. Evolving from Markup to Structured ContentAbout fifteen years ago, websites were simply static files that contained HTML. Clark discussed how using HTML publishing was rich, simple, and efficient; websites could be more than just text, they could include images, colors, designs, etc. (34). However, the pages were still static and making changes was very difficult because a larger website, say 50 pages, could take hours to update. Not only was the process of updating static files time consuming, it also required a specific skill set (knowledge of HTML) that many people did not have. Using “What You See Is What You Get” (WYSIWYG) editors removes the need to know HTML but requires that each page be updated independently, which is still very time consuming. In some cases, the editor may even make code that is difficult to read or edit and the code may not be standard (Clark 46). Clark identifies how we have more recently overcome some of the issues of creating static pages by using Cascading Style Sheets (CSS). Clark identifies that there is still a problem with using HTML and CSS: the actual content is still static. Not only does using CSS remove the style from the HTML, but it also adds description to the code with class names. Even though CSS made it easy to apply the same layout across every page in a website, there was still a problem: each page still needed to call on the same CSS files and contain the same basic HTML tags to make use of the styles. McKeever discusses the evolution from static HTML and CSS to WCMSs (689). Creating HTML and CSS templates for the design and layout of the pages and storing the page content in a database can create pages created by merging the HTML and data based on each individual page request. Combining database content and template HTML and CSS provides the user with an up-to-date version of the page. More importantly, a WCMS allows the administrator(s) of the page to use a WYSIWYG editor to input the content of a single page, removing the need to insert the page design or layout information in each content item. Selecting a Web Content Management SystemOrganizations seeking a powerful web presence need to be very careful about the systems they choose to implement and even more critical of the content and organization of their websites. The content they select to place on their websites can easily change the users’ opinions of the organization. A technical communicator is a very valuable asset to an organization when designing and organizing content for the appropriate audiences and should be used in all cases. Technical communicators can help ensure the content on the page does not offend the user or create a negative image of the organization. Brinkkemper, et al. stress that businesses need to use the “Internet as a way to create competitive advantage, global collaboration and integration with external partners” (2). In their article “Coming to Content Management,” Bernhardt et al. review two example cases, a non-profit organization’s website and the Michigan State University library website. In both cases a WMCS was needed to streamline web-publishing practices. They specifically looked at how the organizations connect with their readers and the services provided by the organizations. The non-profit organization case shows that a WCMS can be useful when targeting specific audiences, but also the importance of analyzing and understanding the website’s audience. By analyzing, not only the organizations’ website but, the internal processes of the organizations, they revealed a critical problem: the structure of the published content on their websites was very different from the organization of the organization’s internal. Thus, the organization needed to rewrite all the content developed internally to make it suitable for the web (Bernhardt, et al. 15). Kim Guenther wrote a series of articles that discusses many of the features she considered when selecting a WCMS. Guenther identified some of the most important features to look for when selecting a WCMS:
(“Choosing Web Content Management Solutions” 87) This list of features is obviously not all-inclusive and the extent of online technology is almost endless, nonetheless, these are very important high-level features that one should consider when selecting a WCMS (“Choosing Web Content Management Solutions” 87). By selecting a WCMS that allows an organization to reuse existing content, the organization can potentially save a significant amount of time and money. If current documents cannot be reused, it may mean the organization needs to restructure its methods of internal documentation and information design. Redesigning the organization’s processes can be very costly, but can be avoided if the correct system is acquired (Clark; Guenther). Jupiter Media Metrix, a leading organization in Internet analysis and measurement, showed that organizations typically spend six times the cost of the WCMS in development, customization, and deployment of the systems to make them fit their needs. Rather than wasting money on customizing a system, the money could be better spent creating a proprietary system that would better serve the organization. According to this review, one-fifth of web developers are involved in content management, and 31% of organizations have developed custom content management systems (“The High Cost of Web Content Management” 8). Many large organizations have transitioned to WCMSs because of increased productivity and decreased dependency on one individual who is managing the organization’s web presence. Larger organizations often design proprietary systems because their needs are very specific. Even though some situations require proprietary systems, WCMSs are becoming more common and many smaller organizations can find a solution that will suit their needs at little or no cost. Using a free, open source package removes the cost of the software, leaving organizations to pay for customization, initial design, and organization planning (“The High Cost of Web Content Management” 8, “Web 2.0 at Work” (26-27). Ric Shreves, with Water & Stone, produced a report on the market share of open source WCMS. Shreves states that the metrics in this area are scarce, the literature is difficult to read, and both are driven by passion and commercial interest. Much of the data about WCMSs are unreliable. He conducted a survey of open source WCMS products and analyzed popularity (number of downloads and installations), support, literature in print, search engine visibility, reputation, and fan activity (on popular social networks). Shreves concluded that the open source market is currently dominated by three open source packages: WordPress, Joomla!, and Drupal. Organizing ContentMany technical communicators spend a significant amount of time making sure that each page of a website will be displayed correctly. Eschenfelder said that, specifically in government web planning, developers do not give enough thought to planning web content (465). By using a WCMS, developers will spend less time on the design and layout because the template only needs to be created once and will be used across all the pages. Without concerns of the design and layout, developers are able to focus specifically on the content of the page and how the user will interact with the page. Speed and efficiency are key benefits of using a WCMS; if a website lacks content structure, both of these benefits are lost. Users need to be able to find appropriate content and administrators need to be able to find content in the back end to make updates. Freeman and Yin discuss a method of developing a content organization structure based on algorithms. Their method may be perceived as very complicated and a bit over-the-top because of the “document clustering algorithms” they use, but the basic idea of content organization is very important (Freeman and Yin 1257). Their method provides a way of sorting content into trees, called topographical organization of content, similar to a hierarchical sorting and storing of information in folders. This creates a very logical and functional content structure. Displaying personalized content is very easy when using a WCMS and can be as simple as showing pertinent information, or as complicated as displaying a user-customized page that was stored from previous sessions. Gibbs and Pong discuss how to create a personalized website with content management using a one-to-one strategy, delivering customized content for each user. The article presents the results of their study at a midwestern university, which asked students about how useful the university’s website was. Those who used the website said it would be more useful if it included some kind of interactivity (143). The interactivity can be as simple as a search function. Gibbs and Pong also confirm with their survey that most users do not mind if a cookie, a file that stores personal data on the user’s computer, is used to remember user settings or personal information (144). Many websites collect and analyze user data such as Internet Protocol (IP) address, location (based on IP address), browser, operating system, and much more. This data is then used to change a website to better accommodate typical audiences. Byrne discusses how this information provides users with content they find more interesting. He suggests that this information can also be used by developers to create better content for the users, reducing the amount of time required to obtain the knowledge they were seeking (32-35). Convincing ManagementThis extensive amount of information may be useful when selecting a WCMS, looking at technical specifications, and learning about the history of WCMSs, but there is no solid evidence that a WCMS can benefit an organization by examining this literature. This led me to create a survey to help fill the gap in the literature available to management and technical communicators. |