Introduction to Hypermedia and Web-based content management


Visiting Lecture at Management Information Systems 2014

Jukka Huhtamäki
Researcher, IISLab

Step 1: Vannevar Bush

Consider a future device for individual use, which is a sort of mechanized private file and library. It needs a name, and, to coin one at random, "memex" will do. A memex is a device in which an individual stores all his books, records, and communications, and which is mechanized so that it may be consulted with exceeding speed and flexibility. It is an enlarged intimate supplement to his memory.

Vannevar Bush: As We May Think

     

Step 2: The mother of all Demos


See also: The Engelbart Mural

Step 3: Ted Nelson & Xanadu


Other landmarks

World Wide Web 1989
Web 2.0 2005
Social Media ~2008

web 101

Three core elements:

  1. Web is composed of Resources.
  2. Resources are identified with URIs.
  3. Representations of Resources are created upon User Agent's request.

Architecture of the World Wide Web

Core Technologies

These are in use in all Content Management System implementations 
  • HTML - Hypertext Markup Language
  • CSS - Cascading Style Sheets
  • JPG/PNG/GIF - images
  • HTTP - Hypertext Transfer Protocol
  • Javascript

CMS - Quick Intro to Key concepts

What is content?

ContentWatch:
"What is 'content'? Raw information becomes content when it is given a  usable form intended for one or more purposes. Increasingly, the value of  content is based upon the combination of its primary usable form, along  with its application, accessibility, usage, usefulness, brand recognition, and  uniqueness."

See e.g. WordPress instructions for writing a Post.

Content. Management. System.


Boiko (2002): 
”Content, therefore is information that you tag with data so that a computer can organize and  systematize its collection, management, and publishing. Such a system, a content  management system, is successful if it can apply the data methodologies without squashing  the interest and meaning of the information along the way.”

Title

http://www.contentmanager.eu.com/history.htm:
"A CMS is a tool that enables a variety of (centralised) technical and (de-centralised) non technical staff to create, edit, manage and finally publish (in a number of formats) a variety of content (such as text, graphics, video, documents etc), whilst being 
constrained by a centralised set of rules, process and workflows that ensure coherent, validated electronic content." 

Example Systems

Plethora of options exist for implementing a Content Management System.

Let's have a look on some open source & free options first.

Three Examples

WordPress is a Content Management System
Drupal is a Content Management Framework
Django is a Web Framework


Comparing popularity

 

Stepping up to enterprise scale?

Gartner CMS Magic Quadrant

Adobe Marketing Cloud


Scale-free resources

"t’s no secret that Adobe CQ is the most expensive CMS. Adobe said during their recent partner summit that the average CQ deal is $450,000 in license with the total implementation cost of over $2m USD. - See more at: http://www.acquia.com/blog/why-are-mid-market-companies-still-looking-adobe-cq#sthash.5Kc4XqL9.dpuf"


Title

Developing a Content Management solution: where to start?

Lean startup

 

Case Verkkokauppa.com

Hänen mukaansa verkkosivujen tekeminen ja ylläpitäminen on yhtiön ydinbisnestä, jota ei voi ulkoistaa. ”Ulkoistaminen ei tule kysymykseenkään. Emme ylipäänsä voi erottaa it:tä ja liiketoimintaa toisistaan. Ilman it:tä homma ei pyöri lainkaan. It on meille tärkeä kilpailutekijä asiakkaiden tarpeiden ymmärtämiseen.”

 Tietoviikko (2011):

Vuoden it-innovaattori on koodaava CIO


Case Verkkokauppa.com

"Me ollaan aloitettu puhtaalta pöydältä, ja pöydän rungoksi on valittu verkkokauppa", Seppälä sanoo. [...]

"Me tulkitsemme asiakaskäyttäytymisestä kertovia lämpökarttoja samalla, kun he vasta miettivät varastojaan."

Helsingin Sanomat (2014): Verkkokauppa.com takoo tulosta

Alternative Approaches

SAAS – licensing – outsourcing – in-house 

standalone CMS – system integration

client-side – server-side (RESTful)

waterfall – agile – lean startup

responsive design – multichannel publishing – one size fits all

Discussion

  • Depending on the type of the business, CMS can be "only a CMS" or at the very core of the business
  • CMS can provide a way to keep in touch with the customer and the demand, existing or new, through analytics
  • During the age of social media, CMS is only one part of the equation
  • Build, Measure, Learn 
    • What is the most important thing we need to implement into the CMS next? 
    • Did we succeed?
  • Many of the major media companies, e.g., run an in-house development team that specifies functionalities and serves as a product owner

Conclusions

  • The CMS thesis: every (Web-based) MIS is a CMS – but ready-made options are available in most cases
  • Selecting the approach to introduce a new CMS may be more difficult than ever
  • If online engagement with customers is a core part of business, in-house development is still an option
  • Build-Measure-Learn – no excuse to take this approach, right?
  • Your conclusions?

Further information

Jukka Huhtamäki, @jnkka
Intelligent Information Systems Laboratory (IISLab)
Hypermedia minor and major,
in particular Ohjelmallinen sisällönhallinta (Programmatic Content Management
Made with Slides.com