squiz iuc 2010 - selwyn district council - putting it in your hands
DESCRIPTION
Squiz International User Conference 2010TRANSCRIPT
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