Content Management System

Author Tips

There are some things that web authors can do to prepare for the CMS conversion:

• Determine what content should be moved to the CMS and what content can be archived (to CD/DVD or hard drive) or purged.
  • What information is important to your visitors?
  • What content is vital to the department's mission?
    Note: ALL departments will display the official departmental mission statement on the website.
    
• Check content:
  • Fix all dead links.
  • Ensure content is complete, accurate, and current.
  • Move all faculty web pages to the http://faculty.winthrop.edu server.
    
• Think about what graphical elements might strengthen site content:
  • Photography
  • Custom buttons (View buttons currently available.)
  • Remove all unnecessary graphics from the FrontPage/Expression site.
    Rule of thumb: If the graphic does not add value, it should be deleted.
  • Round the corners on photos that will be moved to the CMS.
    
• Remove all unnecessary tables.
  Important: All tables used for layout alone are NOT needed and should be deleted!
  
• Rename ALL files with spaces in the names.
  Example: File name.pdf should be changed to file-name.pdf OR filename.pdf OR FileName.pdf
  
• Convert all Word, Excel, and PowerPoint files to Adobe PDF files.
  Note: Contact the Help Desk if Adobe installation is needed on a computer.
  
• Ensure that Winthrop rules are followed for all links:
  • If the link is going to a Winthrop page (on the FrontPage/Expression or CMS server), then you do NOT need to spawn a new window.
  • If the link is going to a non-Winthrop page (i.e. third party site), then you DO need to spawn a new window.
  • Typically, if the PDF is a fill-in-able form, spawn a new window. If it is for information purposes only, then do not spawn a new window. Each situation is unique and ultimately determined by the web developer & author.
    
• Back up FrontPage/Expression web files that need to be saved.

Last update: 05/01/12