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Are you in charge of a college or university website? Has your website outgrown itself, is the creative inconsistent /outdated and static HTML pages a bear to maintain? If so, you will want to view my presentation, WordPress as a Higher-Ed Content Management Solution.This presentation will show yout how an *Army of One* brought together Marketing, IT and a skeptical community college using WordPress as a CMS (the College’s first), for their first major public redesign in over 6 years. Learn about how WordPress allows a team of three to maintain control of presentation and functionality while empowering individual departments to directly manage their own content.
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WordPress as a Higher-Ed Content Management Solution
Hanna ArnoldDirector, Online CommunicationsNorthern Essex Community College
Overview
My BackgroundThe Web and Northern Essex
Community College’s backgroundWordPress? Yes--WordPress!Rolling out WordPress as a CMSLaunching the siteNow what?Lessons Learned
WordPress as a Higher-Ed CMS @HannaArnold
My Background
Education BFA in Painting, Rochester Institute of Technology MFA in Painting &New Media from SUNY New
Paltz Professional Experience
Large global companies mainly in the B2B arena (GTE, Ericsson)
Smaller local companies (VerticalNet (B2B), Potpourri group (B2C))
Freelance UMASS and Mass College of Art
WordPress as a Higher-Ed CMS @HannaArnold
My Professional Roles
Graphic/Web DesignerProduction ManagerProject ManagerMarketing Communication ManagerUX Specialist Interactive Marketing ManagerCreative DirectorDirector, Online Communications
WordPress as a Higher-Ed CMS @HannaArnold
Prior to Arriving at NECC
First generations of the college’s websites was done in static HTML
Impossible to maintain with 2 part-time people
No online strategy, no cross communications with other departments
The website was viewed as a “big repository/filing cabinet” Content was duplicated 2, 3, 4 times over the
site Content was not correct, outdated
WordPress as a Higher-Ed CMS @HannaArnold
Prior to Arriving at NECC
Slow time to market with simple content edits Content owners would have to wait 3-5+
days for minor edits to be made Content/assets would be sent to the
Communications Department (e.g. a document) for updating, only to have a mistake in the document, and another one sent to replace it. (duplication of effort)
WordPress as a Higher-Ed CMS @HannaArnold
Prior to Arriving at NECC
Total dissatisfaction with the website Everyone (up to the president of the
college) was frustrated with the site The site was the laughing stock of the
college (people--including the President--would say *it is on the web, and good luck finding it*
WordPress as a Higher-Ed CMS @HannaArnold
Prior to Arriving at NECC
Marketing and IT did not do joint planning, did not know how to communicate/speak to one another
New CIO had used WordPress at a previous college, mainly as blogging software
The college knew it needed to *do something* about the web Needed someone to bridge the gap between
Marketing and IT/MIS (New role, Director of Online Communications was created)
WordPress as a Higher-Ed CMS @HannaArnold
Shifting Gears—Time to Think Outside the Box
Clear goals were set for the NECC’s web presence Distributed publishing (content experts
making small edits to their pages) Replace the functionality and creative on
the outdated public website Create a faculty/staff intranet, separate
from the public site Implement a system for faculty web
pagesWordPress as a Higher-Ed CMS @HannaArnol
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Shifting Gears—Time to Think Outside the Box
Remember we are a Community College
Limited staff, budget One full-time position in Marketing ½ time position in MIS Had some money for contractors for
content migrationStaggering amount of content to
manage 900+ pages, 1200+ media assetsWordPress as a Higher-Ed CMS @HannaArnol
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WordPress? Are you NUTS?
Really? Isn't that just for blogging?No one uses it for *real websites*!Who knows how to use it?
Do you have a better idea? No?
Then what do we have to lose?
WordPress as a Higher-Ed CMS @HannaArnold
WordPress? Really!
Decision made based on examples from small business and non-profit sectors
We had the expertise internally for design, UX, PHP development
Developed a project planContracted a Linux AdministratorHired content migraters, cleansed
contentWordPress as a Higher-Ed CMS @HannaArnol
d
WordPress? Really!
Used Atahualpa theme as a basis/point of departure
Integrated ~20 plug ins Integrated LDAP user accountsConstructed 10 various templates
Some for design layout, some for functionality
WordPress as a Higher-Ed CMS @HannaArnold
WordPress? Really!
WordPress single install VS WPMU CIO was convinced to go with Single
install, we went down the wrong path, but are now going into MU▪ Tried launching the site 2 times and failed
because of the configuration of the site mainly issues with cache
WordPress as a Higher-Ed CMS @HannaArnold
Rolling Out WordPress to the College
Defining roles for editing the site, what should we have the content experts have access to? Can edit an existing page/content (that they are
assigned to) Can replace document(s) CURRENTLY on the site Online Communications and Power-users in
MarCom can create new pages, new posts, add new documents
ID-ed extended editors, brought them together for trainings a few weeks before launch
WordPress as a Higher-Ed CMS @HannaArnold
The Launch
Launched June 30, 2010 Redesign took 13 months
Site was received extremely well Creative, Functionality, Content
Extended editors are thrilled with ease of use Can make as many changes as they
want Update the document as many times as
they want2010 NCMPR Sliver Metal winner
WordPress as a Higher-Ed CMS @HannaArnold
Next Steps for necc.mass.edu
Migration into WP 3Usability Testing
Reworking of IA Refinement of CreativeRefinement of Functionality
WordPress as a Higher-Ed CMS @HannaArnold
What is Next for Online Communications at NECC
Using WP as a CMS has allowed strategic online projects to become *fast-tracked* Social Media & Location Based
engagement Optimized Mobile Site (Aug.16 launch) Launch of Mobile App for Current
Students (Aug. 30 launch) myNECC Portal development (Jan. 2012) Continuous Improvement of Public SiteWordPress as a Higher-Ed CMS @HannaArnol
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Key Takeaways
There will be naysayers--go with your gut, you CAN do it
Ask for help/advise You are only as good as your team
Current team of 2 1/2, growing to ~3 1/2▪ 1 Full-time Designer, 1 Full-time Developer (in MIS), 1
10/wk Work-study▪ 1 Part-time Web Specialist, 1 Part-time Online
Marketing Specialist (QA, Analytics) (Starting Sept.2012)▪ Trust their judgment
Key support from CIO, many other executive level stakeholders
WordPress as a Higher-Ed CMS @HannaArnold
Key Takeaways
Managing Extended Editors Every page should have a main editor
and a backup editor Offer training early, ideally on their
specific content (they will connect with WP more easily)
Develop a cheat sheet/site for the editors▪ Logging in, making text edits, replacing a
document KISSWordPress as a Higher-Ed CMS @HannaArnol
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Questions?
Contact info: Email: [email protected],
[email protected] Twitter @HannaArnold
WordPress as a Higher-Ed CMS @HannaArnold