Intentional Design Inc.

Everything You Wanted to Know about Content Management

As promised, I’ve posted the slides from the STC webinar Everything You Wanted to Know about Content Management, But Were Afraid to Ask. The experience of presenting the webinar is a bit odd. I sat in my office, staring at the screen, with no visual or audio feedback to let me know if the audience was interested or bored … though when the questions started piling up at the end of the presentation, I know that at least thirty or so people had been listening closely!

The presentation was meant as a primer for organizations, large or small, about to embark on the content management journey and wanting to avoid the more common pitfalls along the way. The points covered include:
- what content management is, particularly in the context of producing technical documentation and complex content suites
- critical differences between content management for XML structured authoring and other types of content management (particularly Web content management)
- what all the pieces of a content management system are, and how they work together
- the concept of the “definitive source” or “single version of the truth” and its implications for technical communicators
- factors in choosing a CMS: context, requirements, and strategic adoption
- common mistakes that stall content management projects

The STC has archived the session, and has plans to make it available for playback; you can contact the Education Director for more information.