Survey of Publishing Industry Sheds Light on Content Management

Business Wire, May 14, 2002

Business Editors/Hi-Tech & Publishing Writers

NEW YORK & LANSDALE, Pa.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 14, 2002

Really Strategies, Inc. announces publication of the market study, The [Bracket] Report - Publishers' Adoption of Content Management Systems and Technologies.

The focus of the report is content management - how publishers use processes and technology to move content from manuscript to distribution on multiple media platforms. A team of graduate students from the Center for Publishing at New York University cooperated in the execution of the survey.

Results of the study suggest that while there are tools to help publishers streamline workflow and move products to market faster and less expensively, publishers remain skeptical about the ability of commercially available products to meet their needs. Many of the publishers interviewed indicated that they implemented a content management system during the last one to two years. Most said that their content management systems are "doing what they are suppose to." However, they told the researchers, "we're doing it as we go," or "it's time consuming and may not even work when it's done," and "it must work flawlessly or we're out of business-but our vendor hasn't kept promises regarding upgrades."

The study is the result of comprehensive telephone interviews conducted in March and April by NYU's Center for Publishing with publishers, editorial directors, and chief information officers. Each interview lasted 15 to 50 minutes. All but two questions were multiple-choice. One hundred-eight publishing professionals were contacted. In four weeks, 54 interviews were completed.

According to Bennett Zucker, vice president of Really Strategies, this report focuses on one category of publishing - scientific, technical and medical (STM).

"Publishers in the STM market typically need to produce highly structured, complex packages in both traditional and new media," he said. "In future reports, we expect to broaden our audiences. The STM publisher's early-adopter experience offers excellent guidelines for those in other segments."

In April, Really Strategies and the Center for Publishing at NYU announced that the two are working on research projects dedicated to helping inform the publishing industry about opportunities and challenges with new systems and technologies. The [Bracket] Report is the first study to evolve from this collaboration.

The study is a benchmark for publishers to measure themselves against others like them who are faced with big investment decisions in otherwise uncharted territory.

The [Bracket] Report - Publishers' Adoption of Content Management Systems and Technologies is available for $295 from Really Strategies, Inc. For information, please see www.reallysi.com/report.htm

About Really Strategies

Really Strategies partners with publishing, Internet, and media companies to evaluate and implement content management solutions and technologies. Through a three-tiered content evaluation methodology (Strategy, Acquisition and Delivery, and Management), Really Strategies guides its clients in a structured and logical way of addressing content requirements.

Really Strategies believes that business goals and content should drive system architecture and implementation, and that technologies should be built around standards like XML to ensure future openness and flexibility. For further information, please visit www.reallysi.com or call (215) 631-3107.

About Center for Publishing at New York University

Since 1943, the Center for Publishing at New York University has offered a full complement of courses, seminars, and institutes that cover the entire publishing spectrum. In the Fall of 1996, the Center responded to the increasing demand within the publishing industry for better trained and knowledgeable professionals by introducing its Master of Science in publishing.

Developed jointly by NYU and a distinguished national publishing advisory group, the graduate degree introduces students, who are currently working in the industry, to all the functions of publishing and prepares them for management positions in book, magazine and online publishing.

The program is a remarkable partnership encompassing advisers, faculty and students that has flourished since its inception. The members of the Board of Advisers are an extraordinary group of senior managers--presidents, CEOs and chairs of companies. The faculty are seasoned professionals who provide academic challenges from practical perspectives.

The Center also offers a full-time Summer Publishing Institute that provides a broad, comprehensive introduction to the industry. In addition, certificates in book, magazine, b2b and electronic publishing offer a wide array of courses that professional education for close to 1,000 individuals each year.