Florida State's Information Technology Services provides a Web Content Management System (WCMS) for the university departments to easily manage their web presence.
Why would you want to use this centralized resource?
Lowered Costs
Centrally supported WCMS should be lower due to economies of scale in IT resources allowing smaller departments to have an easily managed web presence. The result should also be more reliability and security due to specialization of central IT staff. Staff moving from one department to another can use their WCMS skills in their new department.
Content Owners Can Be Responsible for Updates
Using the WCMS allows content owners to make their own web page updates quickly, relieving the webmaster of this burden. This frees up resources for more technical staff, allowing them more time for complex design and coding activities. Also, roles can be assigned to content owners, limiting their permissions. This includes, but is not limited to, updating sliders, images and text. This will free up resources of more technical staff, who will have more time for more complex web design activities while allowing updates needed quickly to be added in a timely manner. Content can be run through a process where the editor may not be the same person who will approve the edits, using workflow. A WCMS will also allow for viewing prior revisions and restoring a page from an older version.
Coherence of Web Presence
The WCMS will help achieve Florida State University's goal of continuity across all departmental web sites. With more centrally maintained templates, the WCMS will enable smaller units to create and maintain their own sites and content without having an internal design staff. Smaller and larger departments have the same features available to them, without duplicating the cost.
Future Design Changes
With a redesign, the WCMS site templates can be changed quickly, leaving the navigation and content for each departmental page in place. ITS will also plan for a mobile friendly template where your site will be viewable on phones and tablets with such a design change.
Secured Websites
Florida State's WCMS offers secured sites using https: protocol to encrypt sites to protect the privacy and security of your users as well as the integrity of your website.
Responsive Design with Mobile First
Having a site that adjusts to the size of the device screen, so you don't have to pinch and zoom to read the content, is a must. While the desktop experience is still important, the mobile experience is growing and must be considered in your website design.
Accessibility Support
When the university website is accessible to people with a diverse range of hearing, movement, sight and cognitive ability, it works for all people. With a WCMS, some of the basic requirements of accessibility are managed at the web template level to make each site at Florida State more accessible.
Flexibility of Content and Views
The WCMS offers a variety of content types, such as people and articles, as well as the ability to create custom content types. The content can be displayed in a variety of ways, such as a single page, as an RSS feed, or in a small part, or “block,” of a web page.
Website Analytics
From the first day your site goes live, analytics are gathered as they are part of the overall university account. When ready to view them, just ask and you will have access, and we can show you how to segment your unit's data.
Calendaring System
As an added benefit, using the calendar.fsu.edu university events calendar enables the FSU community a single place to view public university events. To bring these events into FSU WCMS, a Florida State branded widget is available to view your unit's calendar on your webpages.
Added Bonus... Disaster Recovery
With the FSU WCMS in the cloud, there is less worry about disaster recovery. We can be more confident that we will be able to recover from a disaster caused by hardware or electric failure on property, and expect no downtime at all. Websites in the cloud mean FSU sites are available 24-7. As storms approach and we have other worries we cannot control, control what we can.
As new functionality is introduced to the WCMS, your unit will have access to the latest developments. Communication through the FSU WCMS listserv will help you keep up with what's new! Support and training are offered as well, just put in a case with the ITS Service Desk and make the request.
