Can we talk? Content management systems and personalization tools can turn your site into a conversation - Online

University Business, Oct, 2003 by Stephanie Geyer

Web development teams sure can face an uphill struggle. The process of retooling an institution's Web site is a huge undertaking that can involve people from every nook and cranny on campus. You know the drill: You need the technological experts who understand servers, programming, and databases. Then you need input from the school's brand identity and marketing folks. The admissions and finandal aid groups need accurate information and a seamless online application. The faculty wants individual program and persona[ pages that can stand up to peer review. The alumni and development folks need the site to keep graduates and friends informed and engaged. The athletic director wants the latest scores and stats posted the moment the game has ended. The president wants it all, along with a personal message sharing the mission and vision of the school. (And you can guess how much the business officer is hoping to pay for the project.)

The good news is that all of these people, multiple departments, offices, and programs, want the school's Web site to be an effective communications tool for reaching diverse audiences. The bad news is that the Web teams are likely to be deluged with input from each of these campus groups. Never fear: There are two rules the site builders need to remember:

Rule #1--It is always about the user. Each person who comes to the site wants and expects it to work for him. He is not thinking about all of the other audiences the institution must consider in the site development process. He's thinking, "Where do I get the information that I need now?"

RuLe #2--Content is king. Content must be accurate, engaging, compelling, funny, interesting, informative, targeted, and fresh. Did you get those Last two? They are the keys to effective content: targeted and fresh.

RULE #1: THE USER'S NEEDS AND INTERESTS

Providing personalization and customization tools on your site can deliver that one-to-one experience that your prospective students, parents, guidance counselors, alumni, athletic team enthusiasts, and board are seeking (see box). When a site features these tools, it sends the following important messages to users:

* "We know you are coming to our site, and we want to deliver answers to your specific questions."

* "You have the power to make your experience on our site whatever you want it to be."

* "We want you to come back and use our site again."

The implications for a campus that chooses to integrate these tools into its Web site lead to ...

RULE #2: CONTENT IS KING

To deliver on the promise of personalization, an institution must anticipate the interests and questions its constituents will bring to the site. It must then create content to match those interests and answer those questions. And it must do it all over again, every day.

In 1996. Bill Gates Denned the essay, "Content Is King." "If people are to be expected to put up with turning on a computer to read a screen, they must be rewarded with deep and extremely up-to-date information [emphasis added] that they can explore at will," he wrote. "They need to have audio, and possibly video. They need an opportunity for personal involvement that goes far beyond that offered through the letters-to-the-editor pages of print magazines."

An effective content management system is the perfect companion tool to personalization. Content management systems allow an institution to maintain the visual and navigational integrity of their site, while providing the opportunity to add, edit, or delete content for non-technically skilled people from any office on campus, [Ed. note: Content management (and related) solutions include LiquidMatrix Corp. (www.liquidmatrix.com), Vignette (www.vignette.com), Luminis (www.campuspipeline.com), Campus Cruiser (www.campuscruiser.com), and Connexxia (www.connexxia.com), among others.]

THE 'CONVERSATION'

Another way to think about Web site content and personalization is to compare it to a conversation. Think about the last time that you had a substantial conversation with a person who was previously a stranger. Maybe you bumped into a woman while attempting to stow your suitcase in an overhead bin on an airplane. You apologize and she says, "No problem. Are you heading home or going to Denver on business?"

"Business," you respond. "I've never been there before."

For the duration of the flight, you and this woman talk about what you might do in Denver (visit the botanical gardens), which leads to a conversation about xeriscape gardening. This leads you into a chat about vegetable gardening and organic farms. She is a writer for a magazine and is looking for a source to talk about the resurgence of heirloom tomatoes. You suggest she contact the chair of the agriculture department at your institution, who recently received a grant from a food processing corporation.

The anatomy of this conversation is simple: One person offers information and the other either responds or introduces new information. As long as each party has related information to contribute, or is interested in learning more on the topic, the conversation continues. If it wanes, and the parties are still comfortable with one another and willing to talk, a new topic might be introduced.