Getting departments to own their Web content
Sunday, April 5, 2009
8:41 am – walk into the office
8:45 am – coffee
8:50 am – open up Outlook, scan for website maintenance requests
One of two things usually happens here: either I see no messages, meaning everyone’s happy for the moment, and I open up the job tracker and start working on a project that’s probably due later that week. Or, the more likely scenario – there are at least a couple of fires to put out:
- “There’s a typo on this page.”
- “Please add this information to the contact page.”
- “I need an event registration form that submits to a database and takes payment – by tomorrow!”
- “The sky is falling!!!”
Now, those last two would warrant some attention, although I’m not a big fan of the “can I have it done yesterday” attitude.
But the first two shouldn’t even be my inbox. Its not that I’m above handling those kinds of updates, its just not efficient for either of us. You have to take time and effort to send the email and then wait for my response, and then wait for the actual update. I have to break from what I’m doing and lose my concentration, find the page in question, and make the update. Even if fixing a typo takes 2 minutes, this whole process can be several days if I’m out of the office or just plain forget to do it. And fielding several of these minor requests can easily take up half the day. All the while the error is still up there for the world to see.
The (theoretical) workflow
All campus departments that have a Web presence are required to manage their site with Adobe Contribute (not the ideal system, but that’s another post). At least one person must regularly check for outdated content and handle the simple text and image changes. If all you need to do is add a few paragraphs to a page, it really is a simple process. And yet still these requests show up in my inbox. Why?
Some people use Contribute so rarely they forget the process, which is understandable. Some just don’t want to do it. I get the sense some folks feel its not their responsibility – they have plenty to do already and the Web people should manage the website, right? But that’s exactly what needs to change on campuses. A culture of content ownership needs to be encouraged. Web designers and developers will give out the tools and support the process to make it as easy as possible, but they should not be getting paid to make text updates all day long.
Of course, the dream is to have a CMS that is robust, easy to use, and fast enough that people will never feel it to be a burden. But since I have yet to see this utopian system, we’re stuck with tools that sometimes cause problems and confusion. Added to this potential frustration is the fact that the people that have been placed in charge of managing the site probably have too much to do already. Everyone in higher ed wears at least three hats, no matter what the position. I firmly believe certain positions will need to have something about Web content management placed in to the job descriptions where appropriate. It will be part of the regular duties for certain employees in departments that have a website.
The new reality
Often these tasks are given to administrative assistants, but I think it should be everyone’s job to at least pay attention to what is on the site. As students primarily turn to the website for information (as indicated by the rise in stealth applications), a department’s site is their main voice, and it should be recognized as such. If it still has event information from 2 years ago, what does that say? The site has become useless, will discourage repeat visits and reflects poorly on the institution.
As Web developers, if we can make it clear what the department’s responsibilities are while being supportive and open to their needs, and communicate the importance of a solid Web presence in the eyes of today’s students and campus community, then hopefully our inboxes will be a little less crowded.
Now, about those 24 hour turnaround requests…