What is Content Management?
Content management is the method of systematizing and organizing a set of information. This set of information is also referred to as content or digital content, if stored or seen on computers. Content can be seen in the form of text, audio, and visual files; graphics; tagging schemes such as HTML; or any type of file that requires management.
It is a process that should involve a joint partnership and collaboration among team members. It cannot be done solely by one person because there are specific tasks and roles that each member of the team should execute. The five roles that each member should assume are as follows: the creator who is responsible for editing and creating the content; the editor who is responsible for modifying the message of the content and the delivery style such as the localization and translation; the publisher who is responsible for launching the content to be used; the administrator who is responsible for organizing and systematizing the permitted access to files and folders, as well as assisting users; and the consumer who can be viewed as having the most important role because the consumer is the one viewing and reading the content after it has been published.
As content can be found and accessed from many forms or media, there are specific types of content management that can be applied. The first type is the Web Content Management System or WCMS which focuses on the management of and content delivery to websites. The next one is the Digital Asset Management System or DAM which focuses on the management of multimedia factors and graphics, excluding the text. Document Management System or DMS is another type which specializes in managing the entirety of certain documents instead of simply focusing on the content alone. There is also the Enterprise Content Management System or ECM which specializes in managing all content areas in an organization, including professional documents or emails. And finally, there is the Component Content Management (CCMS) which is also referred to as XML Content Management. This type specializes in managing and storing the content as a main source for reusing the content and as well as the delivery of the stored content to several media channels like mobile devices, PDF files, the Web, and print.
So why does an organization need a content management system? One of the main reasons is that an organization uses the exact same content limitlessly in just a single publication. An example for this is a disclaimer in an automobile instructional manual wherein the disclaimer is used over 10 times in that one manual alone. Likewise, the same content can be reused in more than one document or publication. Another reason is that organizations need to publish or share their content in different languages. Hence, modification of the content is definitely needed.
Ultimately, applying a good management system for content is important to an organization because it enhances the already existing content that needs to be revised and it is also through this that one can monitor if the content is properly consolidated.