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A content management system (or CMS) is a system used to organize and facilitate collaborative content creation. Recently, the term has been
associated almost entirely with programs for managing the content of web sites. Web Content Management (WCM) is also used to refer to these
programs.
General information and an example
CMSs allow end-users (typically authors of some sort) to provide new content in the form of articles. The articles are typically entered as
plain text, perhaps with markup to indicate where other resources (such as pictures) should be placed. The system then uses rules to style
the article, which separates the display from the content, which has a number of advantages when trying to get many articles to conform to
a consistent "look and feel". The system then adds the articles to a larger collection for publishing.
The systems also often include some sort of concept of the workflow for the target users, which defines how the new content is to be routed
around the system.
A good example of a CMS would be a system for managing a newspaper. In such a system the reporters type articles into the system, which stores
them in a database. Along with the article the system stores attributes, including keywords, the date and time of filing, the reporter's name,
etc. The system then uses these attributes to find out, given its workflow rules, who should proofread the article, approve it for publication,
edit it, etc. Later the editors can choose which articles to include (or ignore) in an edition of the newspaper, which is then laid out and
printed automatically.
Web Content Management Systems
WCM systems span a wide variety of needs, from small systems with almost no workflow for small user-groups and such, to large database-based
systems for running large, very active web sites such as those for a newspaper.
A WCM-tool normally includes functions for administering users and groups and editing the content. You can, for example, have one group for
administrators, one group for content editors and one group for visitors, everyone. Besides editing the content, a WCM tool often has functions
for version control, to keep track of the history of the different versions of an item. Several WCM systems utilize standardized protocols like
ICE or WebDAV for managing the site content technically.
As with all software areas, the companies that develop and sell/distribute WCM tools put more and more functions into them to make them as
attractive as possible. The functions might include modules that are typically used when building a web site (intranet, extranet or public
internet) like search engine, discussion forums, Online Shop, Customer Relationship Management, etc. Today many of these features are also
regarded as part of the WCM area, even if they do not exactly deal with managing content.
List of Content Management Systems
There are many CMS availabe now and some of them are good and free
Related Topics
Benefits of Knowledge Management Systems - Benefits of Automation
Causes of Knowledge Management Failures
Knowledge Management Implementation - Critical Successful Factors
Project Management for Knowledge Management Systems
Document Management System - Physical vs. Electronic
E-learning - an Overview
Organizational learning
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