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FACT SHEET
CONTENT MANAGEMENT SYSTEM
I. what is a content management system (cms)?
It is rare these days to find an organization that doesn't need to manage some form
of digital content. The problem for most businesses is that this rapidly growing area
of IT covers a broad range of IT disciplines and business needs.
Content Management Systems cover everything from Document Management, to
Knowledge Management, to Digital Asset Management and a range of other related
and unrelated fields.
Many of these areas are developing their own acronyms and Content Management is
more commonly being used to describe one of the most common business needs ...
Web Content Management. In this area, Content Management is about allowing an
organization to manage the content that they are deploying via the internet.
Organization’s use web Content Management Systems to integrate their web
presence with the rest of their operations. They use them to ensure content is up to
date, refreshed and relevant. These systems also allow businesses to extract more
value from the web channel and gain
II. core features of cms products
Another section titled ‘What's important in a CMS’, covers segment defining features
and how to decide which products match your needs. This thankfully brief section is
about the general features that define in a basic way, what it means to be a Web
Content Management System. And the core features are ...
• Production of web pages
By definition, a web content management system is about editing, producing and
deploying web pages.
• Systematization of web pages
Turning website management and production into a systematic activity that
delivers efficiency.
• Simplification of website production activities
One of the critical ideas is that a CMS should internalize at least some of the
technical, design or communication complexity of producing a website. Some still
expect technical or design skill, the better ones make all aspects simpler.
• User management
A CMS should manage who does what. Who can see the site, who can edit it, who
can publish it and who can administer it.
• Web based editing
The editor of some CMS are not web based. This is somewhat of an anathema,
really you should be able to use a web browser to edit your site. The best
systems do not depend on specific browsers or platforms for you to be able to
edit your site(s).
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FACT SHEET
CONTENT MANAGEMENT SYSTEM
• Database storage
The content and delivery of your web pages does not need to be from a
database, in fact static (non-database delivered) pages have some inherent
advantages (such as speed). However at some level your content should reside in
a database to enable it to be managed, retrieved, manipulated, archived and
integrated.
• Consistency and compatibility
Especially for systems deploying public pages, the results should appear
consistently across different platforms and browsers. This compatibility and
standards compliance is a benefit that should come from systematization.
• Split editing environment
Most contemporary content management systems keep the 'live' content
separated from the 'draft' or 'editable' content. This ensures site visitors are
uninterrupted and provides the flexibility for dividing editing from publishing
rights, improving data integrity and delivering 'undo' capabilities.
• Intuitive and simple to learn interfaces
Few people want to spend much time learning a piece of software. Most of the
benefit of a CMS is lost if it is as difficult to use as learning how to build a website
using code or design tools. Look for something that works the way you would
want it to.
• Scalability and extensibility
Can the tool grow as you do, both in size and in capabilities.
• Support and information
Can you get the information and assistance that you need from the vendor(s) of
the content management system.
• Speed and efficiency
Does the content management system make the site editing and deployment
faster and more efficient than other alternatives.
III. types of cms
Within the CMS world, there are several different types of products, and different
styles of each. Elements of various CMS styles can even be mixed and matched. This
article will focus on Web content management, since that's what most nonprofits
appear to need the most.
Web Content Management Systems (WCMS):
This subset of CMS emphasizes managing only Web content. Products vary in
functionality, complexity, and range. (You can read more about WCMS in the " "
article.)
Enterprise Content Management Systems (ECMS):
ECMS emphasize comprehensiveness. They are used to manage all aspects of an
organization's content publication processes, including Web, print, and any
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FACT SHEET
CONTENT MANAGEMENT SYSTEM
alternative outputs. The products offer a good amount of functionality, complexity,
and range.
Document Management Systems (DMS):
Technically, these are parallel to CMS, but they focus on documents (such as
Microsoft Word files), and are more for internal use than for presenting content for
public consumption. They vary broadly in functionality, complexity, and range.
Digital Rights Management Systems (DRMS):
These are also parallel or complementary to CMS. These systems only manage
intellectual property rights information for any content that exists. They vary broadly
in functionality, complexity, and range, but tend to specialize in areas where Digital
Rights are a priority (such as music or video).
Asset Management Systems (AMS):
These are also parallel to CMS. These systems manage so-called content "assets"
(images, video, audio, and other binary, non-textual content). They vary broadly in
functionality, complexity, and range, but tend to be used in organizations where
assets like these are numerous (such as photo agencies or graphic design firms).
IV. who is involved?
Take some time to understand the people, or more generically, the roles involved in
your content processes. As above, do a quick pass to get a general idea. Usually, the
roles are:
Authors:
Identify the types, or roles, of your authors. Who does the bulk of the content
creation? Are your authors internal, or do they work all over the country? Is it a
consistent group of people, or do they come and go? Are they dedicated to the task,
or is it something they do on the side? Is there a team or a group of individuals?
Editors:
Who does most of the editing? Do the authors act as their own editors? Is there a
team of editors? Is that a dedicated role, or is it something someone does when time
is available? You can examine these questions on per-content piece level, as well as
on a site- or publication-wide level.
Designers:
Who works on the design of any given piece or the publication as a whole? Are they
technical people or artistic types? Is there a team or a group of individuals working
independently? Is the designer or team also responsible for other design tasks in
your organization?
Approvers:
Who's involved in approving something for publication? Editors, of course, but what
about management? Legal? Partners?
Publishers:
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CONTENT MANAGEMENT SYSTEM
Who performs the actual publication of the authored, edited, and approved content?
Who releases the finished Web page to the live Web servers or the final document to
the printer?
V. rated on…
-System Requirements
-Security
-Support
-Ease of Use
-Performance
-Management
-Interoperability
-Flexibility
-Built-in Applications
-Commerce
VI. list of open-source/commercial cms
Open Source CMS
-DotNetNuke (.NET)
-Drupal (PHP)
-e107 (PHP)
-Joomla! (PHP)
-Mambo (PHP)
-Moodle (PHP – Online learning)
-TinyCMS (PHP)
Open Source/Commercial: Portal/CMS
-Alfresco (JSP)
-Liferay Portal / CMS (JSP)
-Magnolia (JSP)
Commercial CMS
-Ektron CMS400.net (.NET)
-Interwoven TeamSite (JSP?)
-Macromedia Contribute
-Oracle Portal
-Share Point Portal Server (.NET)
Custom Built CMS
VII. resources
CMS MATRIX - THE CONTENT MANAGEMENT COMPARISON TOOL
This site is provided by CMS Vendor WebGUI, however its list is fairly comprehensive
and largely unbiased. Visitors can select up to 10 CMS products and see their key
features compared on screen. This is a useful tool, however one note of caution,
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FACT SHEET
CONTENT MANAGEMENT SYSTEM
because most of the feature lists are maintained by the vendors, treat the results
with some caution. Click here for The CMS Matrix comparison tool >>
CMS WIRE - NEWS, REVIEWS AND INFORMATION
CMS Wire is a web magazine dedicated to Content Management. The site, managed
by Brice Dunwoodie, contains information and news relevant to CMS decision
makers. The site also maintains a list of vendor products. Click here for CMS Wire's
product listing page >>
GOOGLE AND THE DMOZ PROJECT
If the targetted links above aren't your thing, try Google or their Open Directory
Project (DMOZ). Remember to focus your search carefully, their are over 700 CMStype products on the DMOZ list alone. Click here for the CMS section of the DMOZ
listing >>
Article
What is Content Management?
The Gilbane Report: Volume 8, Number 8, October 2000
http://gilbane.com/gilbane_report.pl/6/article.html
“We envision Web Content Management as a prime strategic business tool.
Web content management must be focused on improving operational agility,
individual empowerment and organizational growth. All enterprises know that
customers, partners, suppliers and employees require efficient access to the most
current information. Vignette understands that to deliver the most superior online
experience possible, Web content management software must support the effective
creation and management of Web content, automate Web-related processes, deliver
the right content in the right context, and continually analyze Web presence
efficacy.”
Vignette, http://www.vignette.com/us/Products/Web+Content+Management
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