Get a good grip on your content management process by following the content management lifecycle.

The management of content has been a challenge since people invented new ways of sharing information through books, documents, web, social media and other content containers. More people create more content, and thanks to the web more people have more access to more content. Just think of the many emails we receive daily and the millions of websites, social media networks and weblogs where we share content worldwide.

Phases in the Content Management Lifecycle

Content management (CM) is the process of planning, developing, managing, deploying, preserving and evaluating all content within an enterprise. Content management helps control the explosive increase of content by using it effectively. As any human being has a lifecycle, so has content: from the beginning (creation) to the end (retirement). Also, the process of content management has its lifecycle. This CM Lifecycle consists of six phases: plan, develop, control, deploy, preserve and evaluate.

It All Starts with the Business Process

The business process is the inner circle of the CM Lifecycle to emphasize that it’s the reference for any phase in the content management process. Content management has to meet one or more business goals. Each phase in the CM Lifecycle has to be aligned with these goals. So continuously ask yourself the question if what you’re doing in the CM project still meets the business goals. If not, have the courage to change the project or even end it.

It’s not a coincidence that I put the business process in the center of the content management lifecycle. Everything in this lifecycle — from planning to evaluating content — has a direct link with the business process. If what you do in your content management lifecycle has no alignment with a business process, stop doing it!

In the planning phase, the current situation and the requirements are analyzed and quantified. In this phase, the content management strategy is aligned with the business objectives.

In my opinion everything in your content organization — the content management, the content governance, the content tooling, you name it — should be based on a content strategy. Why? Well, because your content strategy is a translation of your business goals and business processes. They are literally the “raison d’être” of your organization.

These are the things you can do in the Plan phase of the Content Management Lifecycle:

• Analyze — examine the business goal(s), business processes and requirements, and analyze the content and the content lifecycle.
• Quantify — define measurable indicators to decide in the evaluation phase if the content management strategy is successful.
• Align — match the content management strategy with your business goals and objectives.
• Design — develop your information architecture (content model, metadata, standards, workflow, interaction design, etc.) and install a governance policy.

Content can be created, edited, captured, collected or acquired in other ways. Metadata is added to give the content meaningful context.

By ERIK HARTMAN | Jul 21, 2011

When starting or revamping your small business website, there is one word that will save you the most time, money, and headaches.

The word? Organization.

Ready to take a simple, but giant leap toward making your business life a whole lot more efficient for yourself (and whoever you’re paying to help with your website)?

Tip 1: Create a Special Folder in “My Documents”

Your website information needs to have a single, designated folder on your computer. Go into your “My Documents” folder and create a new folder called “Website Stuff” or any other name you choose. Everything that has to do with your website, be it images, videos, page content, text files, notes, etc… go into this folder.

Tip 2: Create a Special Folder in Your Email Client/Program/Software

Same theory as Tip 1, but just in a different place. Anything you’ve received via email that has to do with your website should be saved or tagged to this folder for easy access when it’s necessary down the road. This will save you a lot of time later searching for that email from anyone that’s interacted with you regarding the development of your website.

Tip 3: Get a Notebook

Sure, we live in a digital age. But, keeping a simple, old school notebook that is dedicated to the organization of your website is invaluable. Write down all your usernames and passwords, as well as notes, brainstorming ideas, and useful websites you’ve come across in your notebook. It’s perfect for simple reference and you’ll be glad you did if your computer crashes down the road.

Take a moment now and take care of these three simple organizational tips. You’ll be well on your way to less stress and greater returns with your website and online presence.

By Gregg Murry