the executive's guide to content management systems
DESCRIPTION
It’s no wonder executives fail to understand—or appreciate the differences between—content management systems. They get different information, explanations, opinions and needs expressed by (1) the IT team, (2) vendors of CMS systems and (3) the marketing squad—all with varying degrees of knowledge and experience. We’d like to clear the air, untangle the problem and explain what to look for and how to make a decision. This will be an agnostic look at what the systems can do and cannot do, and whyTRANSCRIPT
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content management systems, untangled
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gb design and technology
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if you like this program, you may also like
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if you like this program, you may also like
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added insight
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of grass, wires, plumbing, home entertainment walls, cheeseburgers, surgeons and crows … apologies for the mixed metaphors
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why we do research and share our thinking?
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what is a CMS, what does it doflexibility and what a CMS can’t doopen source v. proprietaryconfusion’s source: a gathering of crowsthe right questions to ask
agenda
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what is a CMS, what does it doflexibility and what a CMS can’t doopen source v. proprietaryconfusion’s source: a gathering of crowsthe right questions to ask
agenda
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a cms serves as an interfacebetween your web content and display
database your websitecms
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… the CMS works between marketing content and distribution modes (website, email alerts, proposals, etc)
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allows non technical users to manage different types of data on their own
things like images, videos, narratives (text), audio, etc … a CMS puts you in the driver’s seat
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the best are easy to use and fitted to the tasks you are trying to accomplish
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what is a CMS, what does it doflexibility and what a CMS can’t doopen source v. proprietaryconfusion’s source: a gathering of crows
the right questions to ask
agenda
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it can’t alter your “display” without a cost
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a sample template
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You cannot move the logo from place to place. It’s in a fixed position, a position decided when the site was designed.
You cannot move the subnavigation around but you CAN rename it to fit the content of the page as you like.
You cannot change the size or color of the headlines or text but you CAN swap out the copy in the center and add pictures, diagrams, maps, charts and graphs.
so what can/can’t I do with a CMS?
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You cannot movethe fixed positionof the main navigationbut you CAN change the names and the order of the navigation
You cannot move the sidebars around the page but you CAN move them up and down and you CAN change the content of the sidebars as well as the pages they are related to. You CAN also add videos or images if the sidebar was designed to accommodate them.
so what can/can’t I do with a CMS?
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another sample template
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You CAN insert anew name but notchange the style ofthe presentation
You cannot move the sidebars around the page but you CAN open or close the bars so they display and enrich the page or shut down and clean up the page
so what can/can’t I do with a CMS?
You CAN swapout the image andthe quotation butyou cannot movethe position of theimage on the page
You CAN changethe contact informationbut not its organization or styling
You cannot change the size or color of the headlines or text but you CAN swap out the copy in the center and add pictures, diagrams, maps, charts and graphs.
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what is a web page template?
one of the structured pages of your website
some websites have a single temple, more common to have four to six with two or three variations on each
remember: while a single page design can give enormous flexibility and freedom, you can’t just move everything in a free for all
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the give and take between the display and your database is strict
database your websitecms
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where flexibility ends
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what is a wireframe and its role?
a wireframe is just another way of thinking about a template
before sites are built, wireframes are written to define all of the functionality desired on the page
a good CMS is not restrictive to design only limit to page design is the imagination
of the designer or the courage of the client but again, once it is coded to display, the
CMS flexibility has its limits
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it can’t alter your “display” without a cost
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what is a CMS, what does it doflexibility and what a CMS can’t doopen source v. proprietaryconfusion’s source: a gathering of crowsthe right questions to ask
agenda
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open source“free” and “flexible”built by a communityindustry agnosticgood at a lot of things, great at nonego anywhere for service“less” secure (open)
proprietarycomes with a license feebuilt by proprietorwears an industry hatgreat for specific needs for outfits like yoursserviced by owner“more” secure (closed)
oversimplifying the complex …
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note: nothing is “free;” you need to consider the total cost of “ownership” … or getting the open source cms to safely and dependably do what a proprietary cms is built to do
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consider the total cost of ownership
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also note: once you customize an open source CMS, it becomes proprietary and you are the proprietor
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takeaway: when something is not working, clients often prefer the “one-throat-to-choke” model. There is a more direct line of responsibility in a proprietary model than in open source.
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another takeaway: telling a non-technical business user that open source is more flexible or better is like telling a patient that one plastic surgeon is better than another because one gives you the freedom to operate on yourself. The point is, you can’t.
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remember: if you want to change your display to keep up, you must go back to the developers for changes (you’re always beholden to the open source or proprietary coders)
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what is a CMS, what does it doflexibility and what a CMS can’t doopen source v. proprietaryconfusion’s source: the gathering of crowsthe right questions to ask
agenda
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a gathering of crows(the IT team, vendors and marketing)
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the reality, everyone has an agendaand it ain’t yours
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burned before
the vendor was charming but went belly up 18 months after launch
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burned before
the vendor was reliable but in 6 months the CMS was out of date
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burned before
another CMS I missed in our search had more, better features
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burned before
the IT boys knew networks, not websites, but threw their weight around
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burned before
my IT department was so intent on learning SharePoint on the fly, our site was delayed by months
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burned before
in marketing, some of us learned enough from our last experience to be very vocal
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burned before
our marketing partners brother’s nephew has a friend who told me…
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so what’s a highly competent, somewhat tech-experienced,
slightly tech literate, frustrated executive supposed to do?
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learn to ask the right questions
learn to ask the right questions
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what is a CMS, what does it doflexibility and what a CMS can’t doopen source v. proprietaryconfusion’s source: a gathering of crowsthe right questions to ask
agenda
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before you question, here’s a tip
forget looking for the final, holy grail solution— it doesn’t exist; only change is constant
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learn to ask the right questions
does the CMS have the features you want here and now
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you can help yourself by:
knowing which features/functions are important to you and why
distinguishing between “must have” and “nice to have”
making a list, checking it twice understanding that “today’s” features
are less relevant, thanks to the cloud
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learn to ask the right questions
have you considered the future
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you can help yourself by asking…
is the CMS in the cloud? are new features pushed as available
or on a set schedule? how frequently are enhancements
delivered? is there a cost in implementing
enhancements?
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if you like this program, you may also like
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learn to ask the right questions
is it easy to use, easy to learn
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you can help yourself by:
knowing that ease of installation is different than ease of use
getting a demo and having a list of questions prepared
looking to see if experienced users of any CMS smile during the demo
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intuitive? easily learned? easy to use?
easily enter content?
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easily relate content?
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learn to ask the right questions
does the CMSdeliver the flexibility
you require
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you can help yourself by:
knowing what flexibility means to you understanding the difference between
a CMS’s “flexibility” and the flexibility of your site design/display
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You CAN insert anew name but notchange the style ofthe presentation
You cannot move the sidebars around the page but you CAN open or close the bars so they display and enrich the page or shut down and clean up the page
so what can/can’t I do with a CMS?
You CAN swapout the image andthe quotation butyou cannot movethe position of theimage on the page
You CAN changethe contact informationbut not its organization or styling
You cannot change the size or color of the headlines or text but you CAN swap out the copy in the center and add pictures, diagrams, maps, charts and graphs..
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learn to ask the right questions
is your team an aggressive user
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you can help yourself by:
knowing if you will be making changes frequently, adding pages and stretching its capabilities
canvassing the team to get an accurate idea of what you do now and are frustrated doing…now
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learn to ask the right questions
is the CMS scalable
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you can help yourself by:
using your analytics to gauge the typical load then estimating reasonable increased load
knowing if the strategic plan calls for rapid growth
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learn to ask the right questions
is the CMS secure
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you can help yourself by:
taking host security seriously understanding plugin risks having a plan for the failure of the CMS
developer
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learn to ask the right questions
will it help me do effective SEO work
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learn to ask the right questions
other questions
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content management systems, untangled