Content Management Strategies and Systems
Darren Peacock, Sweet Technology Pty Ltd, Australia
Effective content management is essential to developing, managing and sustaining a quality online presence. Sound content management strategies and the right content management software can significantly improve the quality and reduce the running costs for museum websites.
This one day workshop gives participants an in depth introduction to the issues and technologies that underpin digital content management for museum websites. It offers a structured method for tackling content management issues for websites large and small, cutting through the often confusing jungle of jargon, technology and competing vendor claims.
By undertaking the workshop, participants will become:
- more aware of the issues and opportunities presented by integrated digital content management systems;
- familiar with the operation of content management systems within a museum environment;
- familiar the types, functions and features of digital asset management (DAM) software;
- familiar with the types, functions and features of content management software;
- more aware of the potential of their organization's digital assets, including user-generated content;
- better able to plan and implement a content management system in their own organization.
What is content management?
Content management is an emerging discipline of great significance for the future of museum websites. As the size and complexity of a museum website grows, content management issues such as consistency, accuracy, workflow, speed to publish, multi-channeling and re-use become critical. Similarly, as more transactions and interactions take place online, an integrated platform is essential to maximize the value of those interactions- for visitors and museums. By adopting an integrated content management approach and using appropriate software, museums are better placed to manage their websites, now and into the future.
What will I do in the workshop?
Through a combination of presentation, demonstration, solo and group exercises, participants will be taken through the conceptual foundations of content management, an audit of their organization's own digital assets and content management issues, content management strategies, software options and the preparation of a business case and project plan. The workshop aims to be highly interactive and to provide opportunities for participants to meet and share experiences with peers from other museums.
The workshop is structured to be responsive to participants' particular needs and levels of experience. It offers a balance of conceptual and technical information and a large helping of practical advice. Each participant receives a workbook in which to take notes and undertake the class exercises, providing the basis of an outline plan to take home at the end of the session. The session includes practical demonstrations of two CMS products operating in museum-type environments, one a proprietary system and one open source (Drupal). A wiki website will enable participants to stay connected and share information and experiences after the workshop.
This is the seventh year this workshop has been offered at Museums and the Web, gaining favorable reviews each year, and asapting to new challenges and techniques.
Workshop: Content Management [Full Day]
Keywords: content management, CMS, strategy, planning, implementation, demonstration
