 - A content management system (CMS) is a system used to manage the content of a Web site. Typically, a CMS consists of two elements: the content management application (CMA) and the content delivery application (CDA). The CMA element allows the content manager or author, who may not know Hypertext Markup Language (HTML), to
manage the creation, modification, and removal of content from a Web site
without needing the expertise of a Webmaster. The CDA element uses and compiles that information to update the Web site. The features of a CMS system vary, but most include Web-based publishing, format
management, revision control, and indexing, search, and retrieval.
The Web-based publishing
feature allows individuals to use a template or a set of templates approved by the organization, as well as wizards and other tools to create or modify Web content. The format management
feature allows documents including legacy electronic documents and scanned paper
documents to be formatted into HTML or Portable Document Format (PDF) for the
Web site. The revision control feature allows content to be updated to a newer
version or restored to a previous version. Revision control also tracks any
changes made to files by individuals. An additional feature is indexing, search, and
retrieval. A CMS system indexes all data within an organization. Individuals can
then search for data using keywords, which the CMS system retrieves.
A CMS system may also provide tools for one-to-one marketing.
One-to-one marketing is the ability of a Web site to tailor its content and
advertising to a user's specific characteristics using information provided by the user or gathered by the site (for example, a particular user's page sequence pattern). For example, if you visit a search engine and search for "digital camera," the advertising banners will advertise businesses that sell digital cameras instead of businesses that sell garden products.
Two factors must be considered before an organization decides to
invest in a CMS. First, an organization's size and geographic dispersion must be
considered especially if an organization is spread out over several countries.
For these organizations, the transition to CMS is more difficult. Secondly, the
diversity of the electronic data forms used within an organization must be
considered. If an organization uses text documents, graphics, video, audio, and
diagrams to convey information, the content will be more difficult to manage.
| CONTRIBUTORS: |
Klaus Svarre |
| LAST UPDATED: |
22 Sep 2006
|
 |
Do you have something to add to this definition? Let us know.
Send your comments to techterms@whatis.com
|
|
More resources from around the web:
|
|
