What is Content Management?

Various types of information, or content, are available across the Internet. This content requires organization through several different means, depending on its type. Controlling this information in an orderly fashion is known as content management.

Also known as CM, content management includes any technologies, techniques, and processes that a company may require to maintain their content. Such systems may include publishing platforms, collection support, file publishing and sharing, and many other types of management. Some businesses may develop internal processes for these means. Others may hire specific companies that specialize in managing content, or purchase software to help them manipulate their files.

The management of each piece of content varies depending upon its type. Content can be in the form of basic words or sentence composition. This may be the case in terms of news websites, informational articles, or how-to instructions. It can also contain hypertext links that direct the reader to additional information.

Digital content can be much more complex. It may exist in multimedia files, such as video or audio files. When a business has these types of files to manage, they may require additional technical support and virtual storage space.

Usually, a content management system, or CMS, is used to control content management. Not only does such a system vary with the types of content being managed, but also with the needs the business owning the content may have. Some businesses may only have one or two employees requiring access to the content. This situation may only require simple content management tools.

Other businesses may need multiple workers to edit or view their content. These companies might need more complex content management systems to keep their information organized. If this occurs, training for the system is usually required for employees as well.

Systems for managing content may also provide other tools for companies. In addition to publishing, editing, and storing, some systems allow for collaboration between employees. This can be helpful when employees are remote or do not all work at the same location. Tasks can often be assigned through a content management system as well. Many businesses prefer a content management system that allows for either archiving or deleting old content that is no longer in use to save space and revenue.

When using this type of system, several roles are usually allowed. A creator is provided with the tools to create new content and make changes to it, while an editor can make changes as well and may have a slightly different set of tools available. The publisher may be responsible for preparing content for public viewing, while an administrator oversees the whole process and grants permissions for task and tool access. Other employees may be granted viewer or guest access in order to view, but not change, documents.