This is a course taught by Deane Barker for the Masters in Content Strategy program at FH Joanneum in Graz, Austria.
This course is designed as an introduction to the ideas, architecture, and technical basis behind the modern content management system (CMS). Emphasis is given to the lifecycle of content within a CMS, from modeling and aggregation, through editorial workflow, and finally to transformation and publication.
This course is targeted to non-developers. Some experience with CMS as a user is helpful, but not required.
The primary goal of the course is for you to understand the breadth of content management from a systems perspective. The secondary goal is for you to understand the scope of a content management implementation project and some of the variables and dynamics of an associated professional services relationship.
This course is comprised of:
- 8 full lectures, each approximately one hour long
- 1 capstone lecture, approximately 20 minutes long
- 3 assignments
- 2 books, totaling approximately 550 pages of reading
- Several dozen additional reading assignments
Grading
The course is graded as follows:
- You will receive the default grade of “2” if you attend all lectures, complete all reading, and complete both assignments
- If you desire an advanced grade of “1” you will need to contact the instructor for one extra-curricular assignment
- If you do not complete all coursework, you will receive an unsatisfactory grade.
I do evaluate both assignments, but I do not check attendance for the lectures, nor do I verify that you have completed the reading. I assume you are taking the course to learn the material, and therefore I trust you will complete the work.
Books
The two books for the course are:
Web Content Management: Systems, Features, and Best Practices (“Squirrel”)
Selected chapters of this book will be assigned after each lecture. You will read 13 of the 16 chapters of this book.
Real World Content Modeling: A Field Guide to CMS Features and Architecture (“RWCM”)
You will read this entire book at your own speed, but it needs to be complete by Lecture 5.
Lectures / Lessons
There are eight lectures, delivered live or recorded. Each lecture is accompanied by additional reading (all reading is from Gadgetopia and written by the instructor, unless otherwise noted).
If possible, I would like you to complete the book reading prior to the lecture, and the additional reading after the lecture.
Lesson 1: The Content Technology Landscape
What are all the different segments in the content technology space, what do they do, and where do they fit on the lifecycle of the management of content?
Lesson 2: The Basics
The differences between content, content management, and a content management system. Types of content management systems. Why we use CMS, what a CMS does, and what CMS doesn’t do.
Lesson 3: Acquiring a CMS
The four acquisition models of CMS: open-source, commercial on-premise, commercial as a service, build your own.
Lesson 4: Content Modeling
The separation of content and presentation. Why we model content. The components of a content model: types, attributes, datatypes, and validation rules. The difference between discrete and relational content modeling.
Lesson 5: Content Aggregation
What a content aggregation is. The different “shapes” of content. Additional aggregation structures. Aggregation restrictions and validation.
Lesson 6: Templating and Output Management
Content channels. Coupling models. Templating and common templating constructs and languages. Request-Object mapping. The operative content object vs. the surround. Contextual influence in the surround.
Lesson 7: Editorial Workflow
Why editorial experience matters. The content lifecycle. Editorial findability. Editorial interface. Versioning and version control. Archiving. Approvals. Permissions. Localization. Personalization. Form Building.
Lesson 8: CMS Implementations
Who implements the CMS. Development project methodologies. Pre-implementation artifacts. Wireframe analysis. Implementation decision factors. Content integration. Non-development tasks. QA and deployment planning. Professional services engagement models and relationships. Training.
Capstone: CMS in Eight Eternal Principles
The eight most important principles to effective implementation and usage of a content management system.
(There is no additional reading for this lesson.)