Sent by James Robertson on 12 January 2004 15:03
> > Now CM and IA are hot topics.But the relationship between CM and IA
> > has not discuss a lot.
> > I only see three articles about this topic.I want to know more about
> > it.Can you give your opinion?
Jumping in a bit late, having just got back from
holidays...
Information architecture plays a very important role in
evaluating, selecting and implementing a content management
system, in a number of practical ways:
* You will want to structure your site based on the results
of your usability and information architecture activities
(in other words, the structure that is best suited to the users).
CMSs have different capabilities regarding the management
of site structures, so the IA of the site becomes a key
selection criteria. The new design of the site should therefore
be determined *before* selecting a product, and samples of
the IA should be included in the tender documentation.
* It is often hard to find information on large sites,
and it is the role of the CMS to support an effective
information architecture, including:
- site structure
- navigation
- metadata
* The CMS should (but typically doesn't) provide a range
of effective tools for managing the IA aspects of a
site.
eg. a facility to view the index terms across the
entire site, allowing consistency to be checked,
and global changes to be made.
* The really advanced ideas are that you should build the
information architecture (using approaches such
as topic maps, etc), and the rest of the site
is then mapped around that.
See the following articles:
http://www.boxesandarrows.com/archives/building_a_metadatabased_website.php
http://www.ontopia.net/topicmaps/materials/itms.html
http://www.boxesandarrows.com/archives/sitemaps_and_site_indexes_what_they_are_and_why_you_should_have_them.php
* At the end of the day, it is the redesigning and
restructuring of a site that delivers the greatest
business benefits, not the implementation of a CMS.
Anyway, apologies for such a long post.
Regards,
James
-------------------------
James Robertson
Step Two Designs Pty Ltd
Knowledge Management / Content Management / Intranets
http://www.steptwo.com.au/
[EMAIL-REMOVED]
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please trim your posts.
