Website governance

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Website governance is an organization's structure of staff and the technical systems, policies and procedures to maintain and manage a website. [1] [2] [3] [4] Website governance applies to both Internet and Intranet sites. [5] [6] [7]

Contents

Areas of responsibility

Governance of a website may include a wide variety of responsibilities, including online strategy, budgeting, systems and software administration, hosting, online marketing and communications, e-commerce, customer service, business development, online community and social media, web content development and workflows, content strategy, translation, website graphic design, user experience (analysis/design), information/data architecture, website analytics, security, archiving, outsourcing, accessibility, legal issues (for example, copyright, DRM, trademark, and privacy), information ethics, and training, among others. These areas may be the responsibility of several or single staff within an organization, depending on available resources and infrastructure, organizational needs and objectives, website size, and how content is managed and delivered. [8] McGovern [9] argues that there is a limit to the number of web pages that can be professionally managed by one person, although he does not set the outer limit, either in number of pages (in a centralized model of website governance) or in number of publishers (in a decentralized model of website governance).

Website management team

A website management team (WMT) can be defined as an authorizing body of a website responsible for setting and achieving high-level goals for a site. This body includes content owner stakeholders and site production staff. [10] In some organizations, a chief web officer leads the WMT.

Website management team: An example of a tactical steering team organized primarily by production roles. Website governance roles.png
Website management team: An example of a tactical steering team organized primarily by production roles.

Responsibilities and authorities of website staff may be grouped by strategic, tactical and operational roles, and may be organized as a cross-functional web team. A strategic site sponsor articulates the high-level vision of the site, and determines if the vision is adequately fulfilled; a tactical-level staff translates the vision into detail by prioritizing projects, specifying site design and negotiating placement of content. [11] The tactical staff may be a group serving on a website governance board or steering team representing the main constituencies as defined by the organization's overall business plan. [12]

Governance models

Several models of website governance exist. Authors have focused on the content lifecycle; [13] primary components, such as people, process, and standards; [14] attributes, such as accountability, accessibility, participation across business areas, and standards; [15] and type of governance structure (centralized, decentralized, or federated). [16]

Through the Federal Web Managers Council, Federal agencies in the U.S. government collaborate to share common challenges, ideas, and best practices and improve the online delivery of U.S. government information and services. [17] Harrison, the first co-chair of the Federal Web Managers Council, has proposed the 5 "R's" of web governance: Roles, Responsibilities, Relationships, Rules, and Review. [18]

In a 2008 report, [19] the United Nations Joint Inspection Unit reviewed the management of websites in United Nations system organizations and made eight recommendations to improve a website presence. These included website governance, strategy, and policies and guidelines; content management systems; and staffing, training, and funding. [20]

In 2011 Jacoby introduced the Website Governance Functional Model. [21] [22] Based on a business reference model within Davenport's [23] information ecology, the Website Governance Functional Model included at least 16 functional areas within an organization, along with the principles of project, information, and knowledge management. In this article he also introduced the concept "the website is the organization."

In 2012 Jacoby introduced the Website Governance Modeling Tool, "designed to help Web managers and their stakeholders conceptualize and assess their organization's website governance." [24]

The Website Governance Modeling Tool provides space and structure to illustrate functional areas of website governance. It as a pre-populated "drawing board", a place to process through Web work areas and strategies. Each work area and strategy is in an expandable, movable, writable box, with more named work areas to the side. Website Governance Modeling Tool.jpg
The Website Governance Modeling Tool provides space and structure to illustrate functional areas of website governance. It as a pre-populated "drawing board", a place to process through Web work areas and strategies. Each work area and strategy is in an expandable, movable, writable box, with more named work areas to the side.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Intranet</span> Network of private resources in an organization

An intranet is a computer network for sharing information, easier communication, collaboration tools, operational systems, and other computing services within an organization, usually to the exclusion of access by outsiders. The term is used in contrast to public networks, such as the Internet, but uses the same technology based on the Internet protocol suite.

A web portal is a specially designed website that brings information from diverse sources, like emails, online forums and search engines, together in a uniform way. Usually, each information source gets its dedicated area on the page for displaying information ; often, the user can configure which ones to display. Variants of portals include mashups and intranet "dashboards" for executives and managers. The extent to which content is displayed in a "uniform way" may depend on the intended user and the intended purpose, as well as the diversity of the content. Very often design emphasis is on a certain "metaphor" for configuring and customizing the presentation of the content and the chosen implementation framework or code libraries. In addition, the role of the user in an organization may determine which content can be added to the portal or deleted from the portal configuration.

Information architecture (IA) is the structural design of shared information environments; the art and science of organizing and labelling websites, intranets, online communities and software to support usability and findability; and an emerging community of practice focused on bringing principles of design, architecture and information science to the digital landscape. Typically, it involves a model or concept of information that is used and applied to activities which require explicit details of complex information systems. These activities include library systems and database development.

Content management (CM) is a set of processes and technologies that supports the collection, managing, and publishing of information in any form or medium. When stored and accessed via computers, this information may be more specifically referred to as digital content, or simply as content.

In library and archival science, digital preservation is a formal endeavor to ensure that digital information of continuing value remains accessible and usable. It involves planning, resource allocation, and application of preservation methods and technologies, and it combines policies, strategies and actions to ensure access to reformatted and "born-digital" content, regardless of the challenges of media failure and technological change. The goal of digital preservation is the accurate rendering of authenticated content over time. The Association for Library Collections and Technical Services Preservation and Reformatting Section of the American Library Association, defined digital preservation as combination of "policies, strategies and actions that ensure access to digital content over time." According to the Harrod's Librarian Glossary, digital preservation is the method of keeping digital material alive so that they remain usable as technological advances render original hardware and software specification obsolete.

Enterprise architecture (EA) is a business function concerned with the structures and behaviors of a business, especially business roles and processes that create and use business data. The international definition according to the Federation of Enterprise Architecture Professional Organizations is "a well-defined practice for conducting enterprise analysis, design, planning, and implementation, using a comprehensive approach at all times, for the successful development and execution of strategy. Enterprise architecture applies architecture principles and practices to guide organizations through the business, information, process, and technology changes necessary to execute their strategies. These practices utilize the various aspects of an enterprise to identify, motivate, and achieve these changes."

Enterprise content management (ECM) extends the concept of content management by adding a timeline for each content item and, possibly, enforcing processes for its creation, approval, and distribution. Systems using ECM generally provide a secure repository for managed items, analog or digital. They also include one methods for importing content to bring manage new items, and several presentation methods to make items available for use. Although ECM content may be protected by digital rights management (DRM), it is not required. ECM is distinguished from general content management by its cognizance of the processes and procedures of the enterprise for which it is created.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">DNN (software)</span>

DNN Platform is a web content management system and web application framework based on the .NET Framework. It is open source and part of the .Net Foundation.

Software as a service is a software licensing and delivery model in which software is licensed on a subscription basis and is centrally hosted. SaaS is also known as on-demand software, web-based software, or web-hosted software.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alfresco Software</span> Information management software

Alfresco Software is a collection of information management software products for Microsoft Windows and Unix-like operating systems developed by Alfresco Software Inc. using Java technology. The software, branded as a Digital Business Platform is principally a proprietary & a commercially licensed open source platform, supports open standards, and provides enterprise scale. There are also open source Community Editions available licensed under LGPLv3.

Micro Focus Content Manager is an electronic document and records management system (EDRMS) marketed by Micro Focus.

An enterprise portal, also known as an enterprise information portal (EIP), is a framework for integrating information, people and processes across organizational boundaries in a manner similar to the more general web portals. Enterprise portals provide a secure unified access point, often in the form of a web-based user interface, and are designed to aggregate and personalize information through application-specific portlets.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">SharePoint</span> Web application platform

SharePoint is a web-based collaborative platform that integrates natively with Microsoft 365. Launched in 2001, SharePoint is primarily sold as a document management and storage system. However the product is highly configurable, and its usage varies substantially among organizations, mostly spacing from sharing information through intranets to internal apps implementing business processes through workflows.

Content strategy is the planning, development, and management of content—written or in other media. The term has been particularly common in web development since the late 1990s. It is a recognized field in user experience design, and it also draws from adjacent disciplines such as information architecture, content management, business analysis, digital marketing, and technical communication.

Information governance, or IG, is the overall strategy for information at an organization. Information governance balances the risk that information presents with the value that information provides. Information governance helps with legal compliance, operational transparency, and reducing expenditures associated with legal discovery. An organization can establish a consistent and logical framework for employees to handle data through their information governance policies and procedures. These policies guide proper behavior regarding how organizations and their employees handle information whether it is physically or electronically created (ESI).

A chief web officer (CWO) is the highest-ranking corporate officer (executive) in charge of an organisation's Web presence, including all internet and intranet sites. As a corporate officer position, the CWO reports directly to the CEO. A CWO will generally be very skilled with HTML, CSS, JavaScript, PHP, ASP, SQL, et cetera. It is not as common a role as the growing chief digital officer.

The web content lifecycle is the multi-disciplinary and often complex process that web content undergoes as it is managed through various publishing stages.

Elcom Technology Pty Ltd is a privately held software company based in Sydney, Australia. It provides web content management, website, portal and intranet software. Elcom's primary product is elcomCMS which is built using Microsoft ASP.NET and Microsoft SQL Server. Version 11.5 of the CMS was released on February 15, 2021.

A headless Content Management System, or headless CMS, is a back end-only web content management system that acts primarily as a content repository. A headless CMS makes content accessible via an API for display on any device, without a built-in front end or presentation layer. The term 'headless' comes from the concept of chopping the 'head' off the 'body'.

The Elcom Platform is a web content management and intranet portal software written in Microsoft ASP.NET and SQL Server by Elcom Technology.

References

  1. ↑ "Website Management and Governance". howto.gov. August 2012. Retrieved 2012-08-16.
  2. ↑ Shane Diffily (April 2006). "Why your website needs governance" . Retrieved 2010-02-15.
  3. ↑ Lisa Welchman (March 15, 2009). "Web Governance: A Definition" . Retrieved 2010-02-15.
  4. ↑ Mahler, Julianne; Regan, Priscilla (2006). "Federal agencies and the evolution of web governance". Proceedings of the 2006 international conference on digital government research. San Diego, CA: ACM. pp. 325–331. doi:10.1145/1146598.1146687.
  5. ↑ "Intranet Governance : An Introduction". Intranet Focus Ltd. April 30, 2007. Retrieved 2010-02-26.
  6. ↑ "The Framework". intranetmaturity.com. 2007. Retrieved 2010-02-26.
  7. ↑ "Intranet Framework". PebbleRoad. August 15, 2009. Retrieved 2010-02-26.
  8. ↑ Stephanie Lummis (June 2009). "Stewardship at the heart of Web Governance" . Retrieved 2010-02-15.
  9. ↑ Gerry McGovern (March 23, 2009). "How Many Webpages Can One Person Manage?" . Retrieved 2010-03-09.
  10. ↑ Shane Diffily (April 2006). "Why your website needs governance" . Retrieved 2010-03-04.
  11. ↑ Burdman, Jessica (1999). Collaborative Web Development: Strategies and Best Practices for Web Teams. Reading, Mass: Addison-Wesley Professional. pp.  272. ISBN   0-201-43331-1.
  12. ↑ Kim Guenther (March 1, 2001). "Effective Web governance structures" . Retrieved 2010-02-26.
  13. ↑ Randy Woods (September 2005). "Defining a Model for Content Governance" . Retrieved 2010-02-16.
  14. ↑ Level Five Solutions (2009). "Web Governance" (PDF). Retrieved 2010-02-16.
  15. ↑ Hurol Inan (February 13, 2008). "Web analytics governance: who's in charge?" . Retrieved 2010-02-16.
  16. ↑ Garth von Buchholz (2009). "A Comparison Chart of Web Governance Models for Large Organizations" (PDF). Retrieved 2010-02-23.
  17. ↑ "Federal Web Managers Council". howto.gov. October 2011. Retrieved 2011-10-27.
  18. ↑ "The 5 "R's" of Governance – Get It Right…Get It Done". Candi on Content. April 2009. Retrieved 2010-05-08.
  19. ↑ "Review of Management of Internet Websites in the United Nations System Organizations" (PDF). 2008. Retrieved 2010-03-05.
  20. ↑ "Eight impressive recommendations on website governance and strategy". October 2009. Retrieved 2010-03-05.
  21. ↑ Robert Jacoby (October 25, 2011). "Is Your Website Governance Functional?". CMSWire. Retrieved 2011-11-10.
  22. ↑ Robert Jacoby (October 26, 2011). "6 Concepts for the Future of Website Governance, Including a New Functional Model". CMSWire. Retrieved 2011-11-10.
  23. ↑ Davenport, Thomas H.; Prusak, Laurence (1997). Information Ecology . Oxford University Press. pp.  288. ISBN   0-19-511168-0.
  24. ↑ Robert Jacoby (May 24, 2012). "Website Governance: New Modeling Tool Puts You in Charge". CMSWire. Retrieved 2012-05-24.

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