 |
|
|
|
|
|
Gathering and Maintaining Content |
<Back |
|
Devolved content and clustered information |
|
|
|
| |
| |
Portal Constructor uses a unique method of encouraging the contribution of content from the very people who have an interest in insuring that content is accurate, relevant and current.
Funnels and Sponges
To date most web sites use the 'funnel' method of content acquisition. Information is poured in at a single point at the top. It then has to be processed by a central resource (often the webmaster) and tends to become a choke point. This can lead to delays, an increased requirement for resources right where it is most expensive and probably worst of all, distances content from its owner, preventing a sense of 'ownership'.
Portal Constructor's methodology for content acquisition is closer to a sponge than a funnel. It assumes that content exists from a wide and disparate community of content owners. By providing an easy to use system of absorbing this content into the site from many sources, the choke point is removed and there is no limit to the growth of the site.
Devolution
If there is one thing that is certain about the Internet it is that it stimulates the production and desire to publish copious amounts of information. At the last count over 3 million new pages are added every day to the Internet. This growth is reflected in community web sites and often leads to congestion if content is handled centrally.
The answer is the devolution of the acquisition, editing and managing of content to groups or individuals who have an interest in its generation or publication. Portal Constructor provides all the tools and facilities needed to encourage this sense of 'ownership'. Devolution can be set to a level determined by the site administrator. For organisations it tends to be to team leader or manager level. Subordinates would actually generate material but it would only be authorised for publishing by the designated owner.
Clustering vs Linear
First generation web sites tended to use a hierarchal model for the presentation and navigation of content. Although this would seem the obvious approach it does bring a number of drawbacks that become more apparent as a site grows.
The hierarchal model forces a site administrator to predetermine the number and names of the various content categories needed at the outset. It also necessitates a topic's level of detail to be guessed at when the site is designed. A hierarchal approach also leads to an unacceptable number of levels of navigation clicks to get to a particular piece of content. Evidence as shown that most people find that more than three clicks stretches patience too far.
Clustering and Growth
In contrast web based information tends to be seen as clusters. A cluster can be various levels of detail, or 'granularity'. For example supposing that it was decided to have a section on sport in the local community. This might be at a very general level and could include top-level issues such as why sport is good for you, various types of sports available, the council's support of sport etc. This stimulates an information cluster on 'sport'.
As time moves on various people may have more detail to contribute which in effect reduces the size of the granularity. For example it may be decided to have a Weblet on football. This could be managed by somebody who has a specific interest in this sport. Later it is decided that the women's football team want to have their say and this could be done either by contribution to the football Weblet or by the creation of another Weblet with its own owner.
It can be seen from this example that this approach encourages the support of people who have knowledge of specific issues within a community. It also enables a virtually unlimited degree of detail to be handled, without the need to predict the amount of detail at the outset.
Information clusters spawn more clusters in a way that would be impossible to predict at the outset or handle in a linear site. It is this spawning effect that leads to an almost exponential site growth.
Weblets
Weblet is a term coined by Portal Constructor to describe a micro web site, that form the building blocks of the overall portal. It is the use of Weblets that enable the clustered content approach to work. Weblets are generated and assigned to their 'owner' by the site administrator.
An owner can use the Weblet to add, edit and generally manage their content without further reference to the site's administrator. Unlike simpler 'content management' systems Portal Constructor enables a Weblet owner to have a very free hand in the design and general running of the Weblet. It is up to the administrator to determine the amount of flexibility permitted. A Weblet, for example can be set to completely adhere to the overall 'branding of the site', or on the other hand have a completely different 'look and feel'. This might be appropriate if it is owned by a partner organisation
A Weblet can be set up a number of ways but the most common is a home page consisting of abstracts, images, and articles. An owner can also put on internal and external links, polls and document references.
Contribution
Encouraging the public to 'have their say' is an important way of stimulating community involvement in a portal. A Weblet owner can mark his Weblet accepting public contributions, which are then made by a simple to use 'point and click' form. Any contribution made this way is automatically sent to the owner for checking and publishing authority.
Return to Successful Websites |
|
| |
|
|
|
