They look useful. They appear easy to use. They seem straightforward to install. But do you need a Content Management Application (CMA)?

A CMA is an efficient publishing tool

A CMA is a program that allows you and others in your organization to quickly, easily, and seamlessly publish content (or revise it) on your website. It can handle text, graphics, images, links, animation, and other page elements.

Various companies offer CMAs. The two that I am familiar with are robust versions created by Vignette and Microsoft. Of the two, I found Microsoft’s product easiest to use and the most versatile. Of course, Vignette and others frequently upgrade their programs, so don’t count anyone out because of my experiences. Furthermore, CMAs can be tailored to your needs, so look at CMAs implemented in situations similar to yours.

What a CMA can do for you

One of the best things about a CMA is that it allows you to control content development to:

• provide a structure for entry and approval
• make entries without frequently nagging developers to publish
• revise existing entries on the fly
• productively use design templates for consistency
• upload graphics and images without bothering a developer or programmer

Will a CMA help you?

To decide whether you need a CMA in your shop, give some thought the following important considerations:

How many people will add content to your site? CMAs are ideal for organizations with several to many content providers. It standardizes the process for loading and gives you more control over what goes into the site and how it looks. Furthermore, it can help reduce logjams by allowing multiple loaders to publish information at the same time.

'...someone still needs to review and edit content.'

What is your content development and approval process? CMAs allow entry of content then approval by as many eyes as needed electronically. It streamlines the process because it eliminates: • paper profusion – everything is handled electronically • mailing and delivery delays – content is entered at the source’s end • material falling between the cracks – content providers are responsible for production, which removes all that needless paper from your desk How many content handlers do you have? CMAs allow you to skip content entry by your staff and put it in the hands of the actual content providers. At the same time, CMAs are generally easy to learn, whether you’re instructing administrative assistants, students, marketers, or educators. Someone should still review and edit content, but that’s also electronic and notification can easily occur by e-mail.

How many developers are at your disposal? CMAs allow you to focus developers on programming and maintenance rather than publishing chores. If you publish a lot of material, a CMA can save you and your IT team a lot of time and effort. Yes, someone has to install the CMA, but that really leads to future time-savings. The two times I was involved with installing CMAs, we hired outside consultants who were skilled in CMA development and installation. Once it was installed, I trained dozens of people to do content entry, and they loved it.

How much content will you develop? CMAs are most useful to organizations that develop and publish a lot of information. Of course, CMAs can save you time and effort in publishing a small amount of information, but they’re most proficient when you publish a lot of material.

Are you and your content developers tech-savvy? If you simply can’t learn computer software or you don’t like it so you avoid it, or if the same can be said about your content writers and editors, you might as well forget a CMA. It would be better to hire content loaders or get help from your IT staff. Just be aware that hiring outside loaders can become expensive and involving IT staff, who are likely already overloaded with work, can cause backups and inefficiency in many other areas.

In conclusion…

There are other considerations (such as development costs, maintenance costs, and compatibility with existing programs) but above I have provided the key editorial indicators you should worry about. My experience has been that CMAs are useful and streamline the online publishing process, but your own considerations may make you reach a different conclusion.


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