Web Content Meets Records Management

While the Web has forever changed the way we gather information, communicate and conduct business, it's the highly dynamic and personalized Web content and the transactions performed on the Web that present records managers with the greatest challenge.

Marsili, Diane. E-Doc (2002). Design>Content Management

Web Two-Point Uh-Oh  

The problem with many Web 2.0 applications is the assumption that the community's motives are good, or at least neutral. Perlin's column explores how one of the drawbacks of Web 2.0--potential loss of control over information--has manifested itself.

Perlin, Neil E. Intercom (2007). Articles>Web Design>Community Building>Content Management

Website Automation: or, How I Saved My Sanity at the Last Minute

If there's one thing I can't stand, it's maintaining a website. The design is the fun part— solving problems, incorporating a brand, meeting user needs. That's what we live for. But maintenance? Yuck. So I surveyed the technologies available; what could I automate to ease the burden on myself and other volunteers? This article presents the results of this undertaking. It focuses mainly on the processes and their results. I discuss details of the tools and technologies where relevant, but this is not a tutorial on any tools or technologies; I'll provide resources for further information.

Hendry, Michael. MetroVoice (2002). Design>Web Design>Content Management

The WebWord Content Management System

The WebWord content management system is not technical, it is human. In fact, the technology is minimal and the web site works because a human understands and maintains the content using very simple tools. While this approach consumes a lot of time, it is simple and cost effective. Small and medium web sites can get along without using content management systems.

Rhodes, John S. WebWord (2001). Design>Content Management>Case Studies>Web Design

Webworks Publisher Tutorial: Better Jumps to Topic Titles  

By default Webworks Publisher uses file names and paragraph numbers as hyperlink targets, e. g. <a href='filename.html#55555'>. Most web browsers try to position the paragraph with the corresponding name anchor <a name='55555'> at the top of the screen if possible. If you jump to the top of a scrollable topic, any content above the title line (e.g. navigation graphics) is hidden. There are a few easy countermeasures.

Muller-Hillebrand, Michael. InFrame (2002). Design>Content Management>Web Design>Adobe FrameMaker

WebWorks Publisher Tutorial: Useful Meta Tags  

If you are using Webworks Publisher to create HTML pages which will be published for the WWW, you may want to place additional useful meta tags in your pages to be found and indexed by search engines and thus be found by interested persons.

Muller-Hillebrand, Michael. InFrame (2002). Design>Content Management>Web Design>Adobe FrameMaker

What Every Technical Communicator Should Know About Metadata  

Technical Communicators who begin working with content management systems, knowledge bases, portals, data warehouses, or information retrieval systems discover they are expected to know how to work with metadata. Metadata is “data about data.” It can describe data or content (databases, data modeling, data access and reporting, data movement, data stewardship, data quality);organizations (business rules, process stewardship, data users, project management); content management and information retrieval (document properties, revision and change control, reference and navigation, document standards); and business intelligence (decision support, competitive intelligence). Metadata management can positively impact productivity and the quality of web and documentation projects.

Thomas, Gwen P. STC Proceedings (2002). Design>Content Management>Metadata

What is Wiki?

Wiki is a category of web server software that allows users to contribute content. Collaboration is the key to Wiki, which is designed as a powerful system for online communities to build web pages and web sites. Unlike blogs and forums, all users are allowed to contribute and edit existing content. Wiki is derived from the Hawaiian term "wiki wiki" meaning "quick". The concept behind a Wiki is that collaboration on projects will move it along quicker.

Small Business Software (2007). Articles>Content Management>Web Design>Wikis

Which Hosted Wiki Is Right for You?

A look at three hosted wiki services that are free or relatively cheap to use and provide easy tools to set up your wiki within minutes.

Nesbitt, Scott. InformIT (2006). Articles>Web Design>Content Management

Words Drive Action: An Interview with Gerry McGovern

Gerry McGovern is a world-renowned content-management expert and author of the books, 'Content Critical' and 'The Web Content Style Guide'. User Interface Engineering's Christine Perfetti and Josh Porter recently talked with Gerry about the importance of an editorial perspective in a web development process. Here is what Gerry had to say about his experiences.

Perfetti, Christine and Josh Porter. User Interface Engineering (2002). Articles>Content Management>Web Design

XML Repositories: An Idea Whose Time has Finally Come

This white paper discusses the role of an XML repository into today’s enterprise infrastructure. Virtually every database and repository provide some degree of XML support; however, there are important distinctions between support for XML as a data type and the role of a repository whose architecture and operations are optimized to support the broad family of XML recommendations and standards. Specifically, this white paper will explore: The nature and extent of XML use across the enterprise, cost and quality of service implications of an infrastructure with, and without, an XML repository, the evolution of XML repositories from both a technology and a market segment perspective, criteria to determine when an XML repository would add significant value to an existing infrastructure, and capability and packaging recommendations for XML repository functionality that can be used to evaluate specific offerings.

Holst, Sebastian. Gilbane Report (2004). Articles>Content Management>Information Design>XML

Requirements of Content Management Systems: Definition According to Need

In all companies, the requirements of an editorial system are worked out individually from the analysis of existing functioning and the definition of editorial and publication processes required in the future. The first important criteria for analysis are change frequencies and degree of reuse of the published information. The description of the information types as well as translation sequences constitute another starting point for the definition of a modular work process (single-source principle) and publication options (cross-media publishing).

Ziegler, Wolfgang. tekom (2005). Articles>Content Management>Information Design>Workflow

Companies Struggling with Unstructured Content

Firms wrestling with unstructured data such as emails and spreadsheets don't see enterprise content management as the answer to their problems.

Milne, Janine. Computer Business Review (2008). Articles>Content Management>Information Design>Metadata

Reusability 2.0: The Key to Publishing Learning  

What would you do if you had to develop and deliver personalized training to 900,000 employees, located in 34,000 different locations globally with a complex set of variables that changes training on a location-by-location basis? The key is reusability 2.0. While technology-delivered training has become mainstream in many organizations, most are still not fully leveraging the power of reusable learning content to meet their instructional needs.

Chapman, Bryan. Xyleme (2007). Articles>Content Management>Instructional Design>White Papers