Last July, I conducted several email interviews to prepare my column on how to survive a Content Management System (CMS) implementation for the October 2006 issue of University Business: “10 Tips for Surviving a CMS Switch”
Mark Greenfield, Director of Web Services at the State University of New York at Buffalo, shared 5 tips of his own at this time.
Know the specific business problem you are trying to solve.
Are you looking at a CMS to give non-technical staff the ability to update content? Do you need editorial workflow? Do you want to syndicate content?
Look at implementing different solutions for different needs.
A one-size-fits-all approach doesn’t necessarily work well at a university.
Look beyond traditional CMS products.
Blogging platforms such as WordPress and Movable Type can easily be deployed as a CMS, and work well for sites where the content is more dynamic than static.
Understand the campus culture, especially when looking at implementing a campus-wide CMS.
Universities are devolved organizations, with individual schools and departments operating with a great deal of autonomy.
A CMS will not necessarily improve the quality of the content.
Well trained writers and editors are required, even more so when distributing authorship through a CMS.
Related posts:
- Interview: Mark Greenfield, University at Buffalo’s Director of Web Services
- Special UB column on how to survive a CMS implementation: 4 tips from Nancy Jeanne Mustachio, Application Development Director at Seton Hall University
- Special UB column on how to survive a CMS implementation: 6 tips from Brian Phelps, Web Manager at the University of the Pacific
- Special UB column about podcasting: Interview with Paul Kruczynski and Brett Essler from Buffalo State College
- Special UB column about admission-sponsored blogs: Brendon Connelly, Director of Graduate and Professional Studies Admissions at George Fox University
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