Content Management Systems

 
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October 21st, 2009 — admin

Content Management System (n.): a database program with a interface that makes it possible for a person with limited technical skills to administer a website

Common Content Management System features include:

  • Friendly user interface that allows non-technical users to easily administer the website
  • Ability to create templates to provide a unified look and feel throughout site sections
  • Document management and media upload capabilities which enable users to upload files, pictures and videos
  • Site-wide search capabilities that give users flexible ways of searching content on the website
  • User account management tools to allow site administrators to define and control site access
  • Website usage tracking and reporting
  • E-commerce integration to enable payment for event registrations, memberships, publications, and other items
  • Homepage content feeds that stream news items within the site to the homepage
  • Forms to gather information from site visitors, such as a contact form
  • Comment capabilities to allow users to post threaded comments on site pages

Case Study: Simplifying the Website Modification Process

Background

CHAPA logoCitizens’ Housing and Planning Association (CHAPA) is an umbrella organization for affordable housing and community development throughout Massachusetts. The group works to encourage the production and preservation of affordable housing for low income individuals through advocacy with local, state, and federal officials; research on affordable-housing issues; education and training for organizations and individuals; and coalition- and consensus-building among broad interests in the field.

Over a number of years, CHAPA had amassed a large website through ad hoc efforts using internal resources. An increasing amount of content and documents needed to be regularly added to the site, and keeping the website fresh, accurate, and up-to-date, was taxing for the organization’s 5-person staff who possessed minimal technical expertise. CHAPA needed a way to increase the throughput of content on its site while reducing its administrative burden. In addition, the organization wished to offer new features and services through its website to improve the effectiveness of CHAPA’s work.

Increasing Capacity

CHAPA engaged Isovera to tackle these issues and, after an initial analysis, Isovera recommended implementing Drupal, a leading open source content management system. Drupal would be used to power the site’s content and functionality, and provide an intuitive interface for CHAPA staff to manage the site’s components site day-to-day. A detailed plan was put in place to migrate the old site to Drupal, while improving the site’s overall user experience and adding new capabilities.

Isovera drew upon its technical, management, and domain expertise to improve the organization of the CHAPA website and implement the Drupal CMS in a way that optimally serves both the site's audience, as well as the staff charged with administering the site. CHAPA is now able to more easily maintain the site by adding documents, creating and editing web pages, and populating the homepage with up-to-date news, reports, and events.

Increasing Functionality

CHAPA website screenshot

Drupal benefits from a vast worldwide community of developers who work to continually improve the software. These efforts result in a broad set of “modules” that can be readily deployed to increase a site’s functionality. By carefully selecting and deploying appropriate Drupal modules, the CHAPA website is able to offer a rich set of functionality that is most often found in much larger organizations. The site features include:

  • A Searchable Consultants Directory
  • Events Management
  • Job Board
  • Dynamically-Fed Homepage
  • E-commerce Capabilities.

The Isovera team undertook a transformative effort that benefited from the firm’s technical, design, project management, and marketing expertise. This effort resulted in the successful implementation of a new platform that will advantageously position CHAPA for many years to come. Take a look at www.chapa.org.