All About: Content Management Systems

How to use a content management system Tips Popular content management systems

A content management system (CMS) is a computer application used to create, edit, manage, and publish content in a consistently organized fashion. CMSs are frequently used for storing, controlling, versioning, and publishing industry-specific documentation such as news articles, operators' manuals, technical manuals, sales guides, and marketing brochures. The content managed may include computer files, image media, audio files, video files, electronic documents, and Web content. A CMS may support the following features:
  • identification of all key users and their content management roles;
  • the ability to assign roles and responsibilities to different content categories or types;
  • definition of workflow tasks for collaborative creation, often coupled with event messaging so that content managers are alerted to changes in content (For example, a content creator submits a story, which is published only after the copy editor revises it and the editor-in-chief approves it.);
  • the ability to track and manage multiple versions of a single instance of content;
  • the ability to capture content (e.g. scanning);
  • the ability to publish the content to a repository to support access to the content (Increasingly, the repository is an inherent part of the system, and incorporates enterprise search and retrieval.);
  • separation of content's semantic layer from its layout (For example, the CMS may automatically set the color, fonts, or emphasis of text.).

How to use a content management system

When using a content management system, it is good to learn a bit of HTML even though most content management systems come equipped with WYSIWYG editors. That's basically how content management systems are designed--it puts the power of content development in the hands of the writer rather than them having to wait on an IT person to do it for them. With a content management system, you can:
  • Review material before it is published and allow others to view it as well.
  • Preview material before it goes live.
  • Control content and see who is working on what.

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Tips

  • Load images first: Usually in content management systems, images are housed in another database other than the content. Create your images, then upload them into their respective database. This way, you don't have to waste time creating images while in the midst of creating your content.
  • Experiment with page types. Content can be interpreted differently based on house it is structed on a page. If the page set aside fot that type is content doesn't appeal to the message, try another.
  • NEVER copy content from Word.Always use Notepad to paste your content. This strips and Word copy that could be carried along during pasting. More times than not, this can damage your entire content management system.

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