Key concepts for the transition from individual page creation to content management :

  1. Content is separated from design. Content = what you have to say. Design = how content is presented (layout, fonts, colors, university identity). Our current site templates do this now, but content is not retrievable as data.
  2. Web content becomes data. Individual pieces of content can be re-used anywhere on the web site (documents, paragraphs, course descriptions, forms, photographs, individual numbers/letters and so on) .
  3. Units, departments and individuals have increased responsibility for quality (because technical expertise will no longer be required to update or create new content).
    1. Web authors will need to collaborate and cooperate to make sure that their content is suitable for all of its uses, since content and photos could be displayed in other contexts.
    2. The review and approval process within departments becomes more important as publishing becomes easier.
  4. Users can set up their own interactive elements (forms, template variations, discussions, and other formerly technical elements) without web expertise.
  5. Publishing roles are formalized in the CMS. Web site content will be created and updated by people with assigned roles within CommonSpot; those roles are determined by individual offices and departments. Examples of roles include author, editor, approver, publisher.