PUTTING IT IN YOUR HANDSDistributed Content Authorship at Selwyn District Council

WHAT IS DISTRIBUTED CONTENTAUTHORSHIP (DCA)?

Typical Web Update DCA Web Updateyp p p

WHY WOULD YOU WANNA DO THAT?!!

Give THEM the ability to directly edit?

Are you mad?!y

PROS AND CONS OF DCA

Smaller web team Less time spent on the

ebsite

Loss of cohesion in style/feel of the siteUsabilit declinewebsite

Puts the ownership in their hands

Usability decline Errors in data Have to train the users

Editor understands the data

Have to train the users

SELWYN’S PREVIOUS SITUATION

One person managed all data on the websitep g Delays in getting data updated Edited data sometimes changed the intent

SELWYN’S LIMITATIONS

N b d t f f ll ti b t No budget for a full time webmaster No web management experience in the team

WHAT WE DID

Developed a Style Guide to standardise visual p ystyle

Created an approvals process for all updates

Trained Trainedselected staff from key areas

STYLE GUIDE

Non-optionalp Good hyperlinking, page length, naming of files, etc. Advice on wording and using Flesch reading ease

scoring (50+ required)

FLESCH READING EASE … EXAMPLES

Hard 1…………………………………………………………….100 Easy

APPROVALS PROCESS

Created a number of workflows and user groups

Review Group approves for p ppstyle

Team Leaders approve for ppcontent

Flexible for individual departmental needs

STAFF TRAINING

Two sites – one manager for each gsent to Squiz trainings

One-on-one training with Content gEditors

Ongoing requests for additional g g qtraining needs

Training workbooks, materials and examples created in-house

SOME OBSTACLES WE’VE OVERCOME

REVIEW GROUP CONFUSION

Initial size of Review Group = 12p Many too busy to ever get involved A few always reviewing quickly Inability to determine what still needed reviewing

SOLUTIONS:

Group reduced to 3 key usersp y Search folder created for all items “in workflow”

Limitation: Not defined by step Email rules and folders set up

INFREQUENT USE = FORGETFUL USERS

Team Leaders of infrequently updated areas forget q y p gwhat to do ‘Cheat sheet’ created and provided

W kfl il i lifi d Workflow emails simplified

Editors of infrequently updated areas forget how Webmaster edits.

DIFFERENT DEPARTMENTAL NEEDSBUILDING DEPARTMENT

Material for Building Dept is approved through team g p pp gmeetings before allowed to update

No need for a Team Leader approval

SOLUTION:SOLUTION: Removed the Team

Leader portion of Workflow

DIFFERENT DEPARTMENTAL NEEDSSOME USERS OVERBURDENED

Large teams of Planning and Assets both chose to g ghave one editor

Both regular updates d ft land often complex

dataSOLUTION:SOLUTION: More training for

these Editors, i l di A tincluding Asset Listing Pages and Custom Forms

DIFFERENT DEPARTMENTAL NEEDSEMERGENCY RESPONSE

No time for complicated approvals processp pp p Team Leader not always available Critical to get public information up NOW

SOLUTION: Edits by ICT,

approvals by website System yAdministrators (often same person)person)

RECENT LESSONS FOR EMERGENCYRESPONSE

The recent Canterbury Earthquake was beyond any y q y yresponse we’d ever previously made.

Usual emergency response staff overwhelmed with th d ti ti f b d tother duties – no time for web updates.

Response: Writers became donated staff from a PR firm – noWriters became donated staff from a PR firm no

Matrix experience. Provided Word files. Two editors both simultaneously getting copies of

changes to makechanges to make. Editors discussed who would take responsibility on

which days.R d kfl i l li di Removed workflow entirely – live edit.

Four Photos from our Quake…

The fish tank in our foyer is no more

A typical office view the morning after

Fault line – note the horizontal movement ofFault line note the horizontal movement of the hedge and irrigator wheel-marks

Highfield Road was once flat and straight. Now a 3m horizontal kink, and a 2m vertical drop.

SHOULD YOU INCORPORATE DCA?

Consider staffing needs and experienceg p Can you handle in-house training, or afford Squiz-

provided training, for editors? Will management back a Style Guide? Easy Edit suite and Squiz CMS might help

Mi it p not all areas Mix it up – not all areas have to have DCA