Just what is Content Management?

Before you can get involved with content or content management, you have to know what it is. Basically, content management is a set of processes and technologies that make control of digital information possible. The digital information itself is the content. It is also referred to as digital content, since it was created by a computer. This content can take the form of documents, multimedia files, or anything else that contain digital information, which is used by others. Content management centers around the idea that content goes through six cycles or phases: to create, update, publish, translate, archive, and retire. Here are the six phases in more detail:

 

·        Create: The minute someone (also known as the author) creates a document it enters into stage one or the first phase. One note to make here is that the author does not have to be one person. It could be two or more.

·        Update: This is also known as editing. This is the second phase. After the author or authors create the document, the document is edited to ensure accuracy and integrity of the information.

·        Publish: The third phase is publishing. Once the person or people, depending on who or how many people are involved in the editing or updating process, finishes editing the work, it gets published. This may simply involve putting the content on a server for others to get to it. Or it may simply be providing access rights to certain individuals, groups, or departments, to the content.

·        Translate: Translating occurs in the fourth phase. At one point the information may need to be translated to be better understood by all departments that require use of it.

·        Archive: At some point this will occur. When it does it is known as the fifth phase of content management. After the content is released, eventually this content is updated or replaced with newer content. When this happens, instead of replacing the older document, it is merely archived for future use when required.