Managing Life Sciences Content

Life sciences have been called the least automated industry in the world, but some pharmaceutical companies, medical device manufacturers, and healthcare-related organizations are working to dispel that image by implementing targeted content management solutions aimed at shortening the amount of time it takes to get new products to market.

Rockley Group, The (2004). Articles>Content Management>Scientific Communication>Workflow

Managing the Complexity of Content Management

Content management systems suck. Or so you would think from the strife heard from analysts and practitioners alike. And yet, many websites regularly publish vast amounts of information with superior control and ease compared to manually editing pages.

Lombardi, Victor. Boxes and Arrows (2004). Design>Web Design>Content Management

Managing Valuable Chapter Content

One of the ways that STC chapters can improve their value proposition to present and prospective members is to make available some of the best content that is created by and owned by the chapter members.

Kinder, Meredith and Sheila Loring. Carolina Communique (2006). Articles>Content Management>Community Building>STC

Managing Virtual Teams: Getting the Most from Wikis, Blogs, and Other Collaborative Tools--Interview with the Authors

I talk with Katherine (Kit) Brown, Brenda Huettner, and Char James-Tanny about their latest book, Managing Virtual Teams: Getting the Most from Wikis, Blogs, and Other Collaborative Tools.

Brown, Katherine 'Kit', Brenda Huettner, Char James-Tanny and Tom H. Johnson. Tech Writer Voices (2007). Articles>Collaboration>Content Management>Podcasts

Managing Your Information

Large paper documents can be difficult to manage and control, but large online documents and huge volumes/suites of information can be a nightmare if you do not use management software from the beginning. There are many different types of ways you can approach managing your materials.

Rockley, Ann. Rockley Bulletin (1998). Articles>Knowledge Management>Content Management

Manual Labor

Back when having a website was more important than having a sound business plan, Web content management systems were a must-have for large companies. IT managers bought into the idea that they needed an all-in-one system that would help them generate content, structure it, design it and publish it. But new research suggests these systems largely failed to live up to their promise. According to a recent report by Jupiter Research, 61 percent of companies that have deployed Web content management software still update their websites manually.

Surmacz, Jon. CIO Magazine (2003). Design>Content Management>Management>Web Design

MarthaStewart.com: Making the Case for Customer-Centric Content Management

When you hear the term "customer centric content management", you might think we're talking about marketing content. We're not. We're talking about managing the delivery of all types of content, including marketing content. And, we're specifically talking about providing individuals -- people -- both existing and prospective customers, with only the content that is relevant and of interest to them. You may think you already do a good job at this task, but in most organizations, there is significant room for improvement. Most of the problems are caused by one very big mistake: failing to listen.

Rockley Bulletin (2006). Design>Web Design>Content Management>User Centered Design

Maximizing Corporate Bandwidth Utilization and User Satisfaction ... at the Same Time!  

We are drowning in a sea of information. The challenge is to learn to swim in that sea, rather than drown in it.

Warner, Scott. KMworld (2001). Articles>Knowledge Management>Content Management

MCMS Connector for SharePoint Technologies Review

Review of MCMS Connector for SharePoint Technologies.

Huen, Stephen. Code Project, The (2005). Articles>Content Management>Server Side Includes>ASP

MCMS Manager

A tool which can be used to do common tasks which Microsoft Content Management Server API provides.

Ragel, Chester. Code Project, The (2005). Articles>Content Management>Server Side Includes>ASP

The Meaning of Knowledge Management

We hear the term knowledge management bandied about. It sounds suspiciously like a trendy new phrase for what we used to call 'documentation.' In truth, knowledge management is more than documentation. It encompasses documentation, data management, library management, and information design. Knowledge management is increasingly important; as the amount of content has increased, the task of locating the information in the content has become more difficult. You see, information is different from content. And knowledge is something that derives from information.

HyperWrite (2004). Articles>Knowledge Management>Information Design>Content Management

Meaningful Microcontent

Microcontent refers to small, granular, and possibly representative (that can provide a summary of or a navigation to a larger set of information) bits of information, typically available on the Web. An example in the domain of journalism might be headlines and news summaries, small bits of content that can be used on a front page of the news with links to more in-depth articles. The definition has grown in scope as much as in its application.

Albing, Bill. KeyContent.org (2006). Articles>Documentation>Content Management>Technical Writing

Meet Me in RIO: Implementing Reusable Information Objects  

Reusable information objects and reusable learning objects are the building blocks of e-learning courseware and e-documentation. A strong business case can be made for implementing a single-source content repository for RIOs/RLOs to achieve reusability between enterprise applications. Keys to achieving reusability include: an effective metatagging scheme, appropriate levels of granularity, and adherence to standards such as the SCORM.

Ruyle, Kim E. . STC Proceedings (2001). Design>Content Management>Single Sourcing

Metrics for Knowledge Management and Content Management

Metrics are a concrete way of defining what a knowledge management or content management project will achieve, and whether it met those goals. In an environment of tight budgets and high expectations, metrics are an appropriate next step for an industry that prides itself on delivering big benefits. Defining metrics is not easy, however, and much study and further practical experience will be needed before implementing such measures becomes simple or commonplace. This article reviews the benefits of metrics, outlines some commonly used measures, and presents some practical tips and tricks. It is hoped that this article will further stimulate the current discussions on the use of metrics in the knowledge management and content management communities.

Robertson, James. Step Two (2003). Articles>Content Management>Knowledge Management

Microsoft Content Management Server

This document takes a look at the business reasons for implementing a content management system inside a corporate environment, and how Microsoft Content Management Server can be leveraged to provide low-cost and rapid development of a content management solution.

Duffy, Scott. XGuru (2002). Articles>Content Management

Microsoft Content Management Server Crawl Page for Search

Provides a start page for search engines to crawl a Content Management Server (MCMS) web site.

Huen, Stephen. Code Project, The (2006). Articles>Content Management>Server Side Includes>ASP

Moving from Information Transfer to Knowledge Creation: A New Value Proposition for Technical Communicators    

'What do technical communicators do?' asks the ambitious question on the Society for Technical Communication's FAQ Web page (STC 2001). The answer lists typical job titles for technical communicators and then says, 'All these professionals take technical information and make it understandable to those that need it.' This description is consistent with the way that many technical communicators describe their role, that of transferring information from those who have it (subject matter experts or SMEs) to those who need it, and they define the value of the technical communicator as packaging that information to be more accessible and more readily understood by the user. This article first reviews the current literature that addresses the value of the technical communicator. Whereas those discussions focus on what is delivered to the user (reader), this article examines the value the technical communicator adds by creating organization (internal) knowledge. The article then examines the philosophical underpinnings that support any discussion of knowledge and defines the role of technical communicators as creators of knowledge. Finally, it offers an expanded value proposition for technical communicators and examines its practical implications.

Hughes, Michael A. Technical Communication Online (2002). Design>Information Design>Content Management>SMEs

Moving Legacy Documentation into DITA: An Interview

JoAnn Hackos, content management and information design expert, gives her best advice on what organizations need to know about moving legacy documentation to DITA.

Hackos, JoAnn T. Data Conversion Laboratory (2007). Articles>Documentation>Content Management

Moving to an XML-Based Web Site

In early 2007, I started the task of reworking the ageing HyperWrite Web site. The site was originally created in 1995. It underwent a major rework (to a frames-based design) in 1997, and was reworked in 1999, 2000 and 2002. In the decade since the Web site was launched, not only has Web technology moved on, but HyperWrite's activities, focus and business direction are now quite different. Time and budget were set aside to renovate the site to better serve HyperWrite's business needs, and to serve as a practical example of the company's capabilities.

Self, Tony. HyperWrite (2007). Articles>Web Design>Content Management>Case Studies

Moving to Modular Documents  

Lam’s software-controlled robotic etchers demanded multi-disciplinary manuals that were time-consuming to write. Since both software and hardware changes required a six-month re-write, manuals lagged behind product. Dividing manuals structurally into modular books enabled separate updates, as most urgently required. Modular engineering approaches to ongoing etcher development later drove a different modular design; but the approach enabled quick documentation of rapidly changing product. Company growth and product proliferation now combine with computer technologies to drive development of increasingly smaller modules of information, leading to a database model for books that may someday match individual machines.

Snavely, Deborah. STC Proceedings (1996). Articles>Content Management>Writing

Moving to Single Sourcing: Managing the Effects of Organizational Changes    

Argues that the move to single sourcing often requires changes within teams as new skills are introduced and members' roles shift. Points out that while some changes may threaten the stability of the team, managers can anticipate and prevent problems.

Bottitta, Jeanette, Alexia Prendergast Idoura and Lisa Pappas. Technical Communication Online (2003). Articles>Content Management>Single Sourcing>Collaboration

Moving to the Public: Weblogs in the Writing Classroom

Given that students have access to the Internet, weblogs can easily replace traditional classroom uses of the private print journal. While weblogs are normally public, free tools such as Blogger can be used for private, expressive writing.

Lowe, Charles and Terra Williams. Into the Blogosphere (2004). Articles>Education>Content Management>Blogging

Multilingual Publishing with a Content Management System  

Sheds light on the benefits of using a content management system (CMS) when publishing in multiple languages. Included are tips for shopping for a CMS, managing unique character sets, and managing the translation process.

Freeman, Bret. Intercom (2006). Articles>Content Management>Localization

My CMS Ate My Search Engine Rankings

A dynamically-delivered site in and of itself need not denigrate your search engine rankings. Google and other spiders can follow dynamically-generated pages, up to a point. The key is to have links elsewhere on the site pointing specifically to those pages. If each page results from a purely dynamic query (e.g. using session variables), then you could be in trouble.

Byrne, Tony. CMSworks (2004). Articles>Web Design>Content Management>Search

Needle in a Haystack

In most organizations, data is piling up by the minute: e-mails, names, addresses, transactions, you name it. As a result, finding what you need when you need it is becoming increasingly complicated, which is why more companies are deploying enterprise search tools. According to a recent report by Boston-based Yankee Group, 75 percent of businesses with more than 100 employees have some sort of enterprise search technology in place. The study also found that the bigger the organization, the more likely it is to invest in search technologies, as 91 percent of companies with more than $1 billion in annual revenue report having enterprise search capability. In 2001, a similar Yankee Group survey found that 63 percent of businesses employed search technology. In that year, enterprise search vendors generated $400 million in revenues.

Surmacz, Jon. CIO Magazine (2003). Design>Content Management>Usability