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Home » Tools and Training » Content Management System (CMS) » Cascade Server CMS Guidelines for Use
In January, 2005, the University of Missouri professional communications staff established campus goals and communicated those to the MU Content Management Task Force (communications and IT professional staff) for the acquisition and implementation of a content management system. These goals were established as a guideline to ensure that the best interests of our campus community and external audiences were served. These goals were developed after extensive personal visits with key stakeholders on campus and a survey of the MU community to collect information about needs and preferences.
The goals were as follows:
- Provide a consistent brand for MU throughout all of our official Web sites
- Create a central content bank to serve as a storage repository for multiple types of content, and utilize the opportunity provided by a content management system to share and syndicate this content across multiple Web sites
- Create a structure that will make it easy and accessible for non-technical people to manage content on official Web sites they own
- Use the workflow processes of a content management system to allow editors to manage the editing, approval and publishing functions more efficiently
- Encourage the use of consistent messages that strengthen and clarify MU’s identity and purpose
- Provide a solution that serves both PC and Mac Web developers
- Allow campus Web developers access to the tools and functions necessary to produce their own templates, beginning to end
MU acquired Hannon Hill’s Cascade Server Content Management System software in early 2006 following a rigorous selection process. This product most closely met all of the stated goals and provided a cost effective solution to our Web content management needs.
Schools, colleges, departments and units who wish to use the content management system (CMS) will be responsible for adequately preparing both their Web site and their assigned personnel prior to being granted access to the software. CMS access is restricted to on-campus faculty and staff. Students, freelance employees or vendors will not be granted access to the system due to training requirements and skill level needed. Developers are expected to manage their sites once launched.
It is necessary that certain steps be followed in order to prepare for optimal use and results when migrating a site into the CMS:
Build your team. Migrating your site into the CMS will be a team process and will require everyone’s participation — web developers and programmers, writers and editors and supervisors. Get your project off to a good start by getting everyone on board.
Set reasonable goals. Make sure your team understands what the CMS can and cannot do. You should select a site or part of one for your initial project that is complex enough to provide a good learning experience while small enough to complete in a reasonable amount of time. Your project timeline should be flexible to allow plenty of time for learning and correcting mistakes. Keep in mind that it will take several weeks to migrate your site into the system.
Review, organize and revise your site content. Complete a thorough content inventory of your site, identifying material to be updated or archived. Tag content that can be reused, and assign editors and approvers to each piece. Note the review periods (e.g., daily, weekly, monthly, every August, etc.) for each piece of content. If your site uses video content, you will need to set up an account with a video hosting service, such as IAT Services’ Streaming Video Services. If you have content that needs to be revised, now is a good time to make those updates. Download a content inventory template (Excel) and instructions.
Complete your project proposal. Once you have identified your project site and have gotten a good start on the content inventory, complete the project proposal. Download the proposal application form (PDF) here. When complete, the project proposal should be submitted to the director of Web Communications in 265 McReynolds Hall.
Clean up your code and make sure your site is compliant. All sites entering the CMS must be compliant with the MU Web Policies and Guidelines (webcom.missouri.edu/policy) and have XHTML 1.0 Transitional code. You’ll want to use the XHTML transitional DOCTYPE on each page of your site:
<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN"
"http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd">
Visit the W3 Schools XHTML tutorial for more information on XHTML 1.0 specifications. Once you have your site in XHTML, use the W3C Validator to make sure it is compliant.
Learn XML/XSL. XML and XSL are used to automate certain areas of a site such as menus or breadcrumb navigation and to create forms for users to enter or edit content. You can get a head-start by doing these tutorials. Training sessions will also be provided by IAT Services.
After reviewing the proposal, the director of Web Communications will convey approval to both the submitter of the proposal and CMS Support personnel in IAT Services. IAT Services will contact the designated person in the department to provide access and begin the developer training necessary for using the CMS.
Site managers must receive training in the use of the CMS and its supporting technologies before being granted rights to start creating sites. In addition to training, IAT Services staff is available for on-site, e-mail and phone consulting as initial sites are being created in the system. Detailed usage documentation can be found here.
IAT Services, working with departmental users has developed a checklist process that must be followed when preparing to publish a site to a production web server. Failure to follow all steps in the checklist, including prescribed pre-launch deadlines could possibly result in a failed implementation of the final web site(s). Detailed instructions for launching a site in the CMS can be found here.
It is crucial the sites in the CMS be kept current, both in content and technology. The MU Web Policies and Guidelines state:
1.1.2 — MU Web editors should review and update content regularly to maintain currency.
a. Review contact and deadline information every semester.
b. Check all site links at least quarterly; monthly is recommended.
c. Remove outdated pages from server.
d. All pages must have a last revised date.
You should plan to archive old information on your site regularly—IAT Services recommends every six months. This keeps the information current, and reduces the space occupied by your site as well as re-enforcing the non-archival nature of the CMS. Owners of sites with severely outdated information in the CMS will be contacted by the director of Web Communications and given a reasonable period of time to bring their site into compliance according to the type and necessity of the information that is outdated. Site owners who do not make the requested updates within that time period risk losing their permission to use the content management system.
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