tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-124692652011-12-14T21:37:32.829-05:00This blog is written by Stephan Beauchesne, President of Web Presence Architects. WPA is a consulting firm that helps clients create a Web strategy and establish the right governance model for their Web site. This blog shares insights into best practices in Web site management. The blog author is also the creator of WebRadar, the portlet for IBM WWCM users.Stephan Beauchesnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00271150232771310172noreply@blogger.comBlogger451100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12469265.post-38396102514692424962010-01-26T21:13:00.000-05:002010-01-26T21:13:27.907-05:00

Official Google Enterprise Blog: Enterprise developers: See you at Google I/O!

Stephan Beauchesnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00271150232771310172noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12469265.post-2629067554232956532008-03-10T22:09:00.000-04:002008-02-26T22:12:32.655-05:00

We are launching a new community site dedicated to users of IBM WCM (aka WWCM or LWWCM or even Aptrix if you have an old version of the application). http://www.wcmportal.orgIt is operated by my firm, Web Presence Architects.

Stephan Beauchesnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00271150232771310172noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12469265.post-25405669637381258392008-02-26T22:02:00.000-05:002008-02-26T22:08:14.714-05:00

We're getting great feedback from WebRadar. The portlet for users of the IBM WCM (aka WWCM or LWWCM) was officially launched at Lotusphere in January 2008. We're working hard in incorporating new ideas for future release, but in the mean time you can download the latest version at the WebRadar Web site: http://www.webradarwcm.com

Stephan Beauchesnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00271150232771310172noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12469265.post-29293239039660364782007-10-22T20:23:00.000-04:002007-10-22T20:31:02.383-04:00

You've heard of Web Content Management, which has to do with tools and processes to manage the creation, approval and publishing of Web content, now Id like to introduce a new term for an old problem: Editorial Content Management. This has to do with managing the quality of the Web content as it goes through its life cycle. Once content is published, its often left to its own demise. I'm arguing

Stephan Beauchesnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00271150232771310172noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12469265.post-1139931287242961132007-05-30T10:31:00.000-04:002007-05-30T13:46:04.255-04:00

Let me start by saying that I'm not trying to get credit for adding a new acronym to our vocabulary, but I think WPM is important enough to at least address it in this space. WPM is a new(er) way of looking at managing your Web site. There's a lot of emphasis on Web Content Management (WCM), but Web managers need to look further at the big picture and acknowledge the relationship that exists

Stephan Beauchesnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00271150232771310172noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12469265.post-43770682285098090472007-04-18T13:25:00.000-04:002007-04-18T13:31:39.374-04:00

There is a conference going on in San Francisco about Web 2.0. Very interesting technologies are being discussed. Sometimes I look at this and think that this is another Internet bubble. Lots of young entrepreneurs, with grand ideas, and lots of VC ready to invest in the next Google (remember when we said the "next Microsoft?"). I think this is different this time. Many have learned that the

Stephan Beauchesnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00271150232771310172noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12469265.post-1163299162648466442006-11-11T21:32:00.000-05:002007-01-30T13:18:26.710-05:00

Podcasting is a great way to ensure you keep your radio (or tv in the case of video podcasts) audience interested in your program. Afteall, does it really matter to NPR that you listen to their news a few hours later? But can you say the same for corporatations? Before you start a podcasting initiative, you must look at the cost-benefit very closely. In fact, this is an exercise you should do

Stephan Beauchesnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00271150232771310172noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12469265.post-1153161154841652202006-09-24T13:32:00.000-04:002006-09-24T16:50:43.640-04:00

You have surely encountered Web sites that show "what's new" items and upcoming events dating from 2 years ago. Or that show a copyright year of 2002. These sites do not generate much confidence. Is the company still in business? Do they still sell the products and services they claim to offer? Hard to tell. Most site visitors faced with such questions will usually click the back button and try a

Stephan Beauchesnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00271150232771310172noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12469265.post-1153161188372988412006-08-19T14:32:00.000-04:002006-08-21T21:40:32.776-04:00

Web sites that stay stale lose their audience. This is obvious, but needs to be repeated again and again. A Web project, whether it is for a new site or the re-vamping of an existing site requires that you build a schedule for maintaining the site content. If you site is small (less then a few dozen pages), the best way to do this is to create a spreadsheet with the list of pages, what content

Stephan Beauchesnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00271150232771310172noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12469265.post-1153160997781891112006-07-17T14:25:00.000-04:002006-07-17T14:31:44.516-04:00

This blog is about advances in web strategy, information architecture, development (to a certain extent) and other Web related. It seems like so much has happened since my last entry (way overdue now), that I do not know where to start. First, we had a few new clients with tight deadlines which focused all our energy. These projects have passed, so we're back to our "routine". We'll be trying to

Stephan Beauchesnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00271150232771310172noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12469265.post-1139931111354516672006-02-14T10:30:00.000-05:002006-03-02T11:59:07.976-05:00

The most important step in developing or enhancing a Web site is to have a brainstorming session between key stakeholders and Web developers. Too often I see that people jump right into discussions on how to organize the content they have and what the site should look like. We advocate a different approach: Focus on business goals and objectives first. Next, we brainstorm scenarios: What do you

Stephan Beauchesnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00271150232771310172noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12469265.post-1139234046001647992006-02-06T08:49:00.000-05:002006-02-06T08:55:38.090-05:00

I have been thinking recently about how difficult it is to sell the concept of site architecture before design. Most clients are more interested in the design aspects of the Web project. While I try to focus the discussion on Web strategy, site architecture, and web publishing tools, they inevitably want to see what their sites will look like. While I do not blame them for wanting to look good on

Stephan Beauchesnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00271150232771310172noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12469265.post-1138052202851409522006-01-23T15:35:00.000-05:002006-01-23T16:36:42.923-05:00

In retail and real estate, these are the three most important words (Well, it's actually one word, but you know what I mean). What puzzles me is the fact that even though the same rule basically applies to the web, people ignore it. The difference is that on the Web, the first "location" is Web strategy tying in business goals. The second "location" is a great information architecture that

Stephan Beauchesnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00271150232771310172noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12469265.post-1127576416632986442006-01-04T11:40:00.000-05:002006-01-09T10:50:42.943-05:00

A client was recently asking me to discuss the merit of having a corporate taxonomy when recent trends seem to be favoring folksonomy or tagging. As a reminder, a corporate taxonomy is a categorization system that all staff must use to classify documents they file online; wheras a folksonomy is an ad-hoc categorization system where staff choose their own words to classify their documents. I

Stephan Beauchesnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00271150232771310172noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12469265.post-1133922277985814112005-12-15T09:24:00.000-05:002005-12-15T10:08:53.186-05:00

In this business, what gets clients excited is design. Unfortunately, that's usually one of the least important part of a Web project. The difficulty is to convince the client that the more time and effort spent on strategy and information architecture, the better the Web site. Obviously, good design is important to entice the reader, but without a good navigation system, site visitors will click

Stephan Beauchesnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00271150232771310172noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12469265.post-1132756468921049542005-12-07T05:34:00.000-05:002005-12-14T12:49:41.910-05:00

People tend to prefer nice designs over bad designs. That's obvious. But they rarely would put esthetics over practicality (except for fashion, obviously). If a toaster is designed as a beautiful piece of (industrial) art, but it burns toasts every time you use it, it's not going to be a big seller. For Web sites, this means that beauty remains second to usability. Clients often are interested in

Stephan Beauchesnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00271150232771310172noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12469265.post-1132756451326777002005-11-30T09:34:00.000-05:002005-12-06T21:21:06.600-05:00

DO NOT assume that your internal department org chart is a way to organize the site content. In fact, this is rarely the case. Your site visitors don't care how you're organized, and may even find it confusing anyway. Every corporation organizes itself differently and usually reflects the corporate culture. As a Web manager, you will be often coerced into creating content navigation to satisfy

Stephan Beauchesnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00271150232771310172noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12469265.post-1132756484154899842005-11-23T09:34:00.000-05:002005-11-30T10:20:15.566-05:00

The key word is obviously "enabler". Too often people focus on the esthetics of a design, and although it is important to have an appealing Web layout, all design elements have to have a purpose: Trigger action from the visitor. For e-commerce sites it could be to add items to a shopping cart; for non-profit sites it could be to entice someone to donate to a cause; for a commercial site it could

Stephan Beauchesnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00271150232771310172noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12469265.post-1127576426428784742005-11-16T08:40:00.000-05:002005-11-21T21:06:46.016-05:00

Collaboration has always been a mainstay in corporations, especially ones that value knowledge sharing and have a distributed workforce. To be able to work on the same documents while not being in the same office generally improves productivity. I say "generally" because it often requires a corporate culture change. Email is usually serving as the means to share documents: People create their

Stephan Beauchesnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00271150232771310172noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12469265.post-1127576473115342842005-11-09T11:40:00.000-05:002005-11-09T16:17:25.303-05:00

It seems to me that the focus recently has been a lot of emphasis on content management and very little on Web project management. After many years of managing a very large Web team composed of developers, administrators, content providers and editors, I have come to the realization that the key to success is to treat the Web site as a project. Because of the fast pace of Web publishing, people

Stephan Beauchesnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00271150232771310172noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12469265.post-1126065679529171922005-10-30T00:01:00.000-04:002005-11-03T10:23:39.800-05:00

Much has been said about the 3-click rule. Many articles have been written, especially by Web gurus Jacob Nielson and Jared Spool. Let me try to bring my perspective on the topic. A little background: Since the early days of the Web, designers and developers tried to make all their content available within 3 clicks. The rationale was that visitors would browse away from your site if they couldn't

Stephan Beauchesnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00271150232771310172noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12469265.post-1126466198474875332005-09-11T15:15:00.000-04:002005-09-13T05:15:30.610-04:00

As much as I like to use blogs to write, I'm actually not sure I like to read them. There are very few well-written, usable blogs. For those who have read my previous postings, you will already know that by usable I mean that a blog is easy to navigate and intuitive. The main problem with blogs is also their main advantage: They are sorted chronologically. This means that unless I follow the blog

Stephan Beauchesnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00271150232771310172noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12469265.post-1126187009722140482005-09-08T09:42:00.000-04:002005-09-11T15:15:40.906-04:00

Let me be a contrarian for a moment. Even if I'm using a blog to say this, I'm arguing that blogs, wikis and podcasts are simply new Web publishing methods . They are tools, no different than content management system, streaming video, discussion boards, etc. that have been around for many years. The difference is that they do bring the Web to the masses. It's easy to set-up a blog, to register

Stephan Beauchesnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00271150232771310172noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12469265.post-1126065642573967742005-09-07T00:00:00.001-04:002005-09-24T11:39:51.926-04:00

In my early years as a Web manager I was getting a lot of resistence when I proposed we adopt standard look and feel. It seemed logical to me to spend our precious few resources on improving our Web content, not hiring Web designers every time a department wanted to have a Web site. Obviously, people that had aspirations as Web designers where the most vocal and would argue to their department

Stephan Beauchesnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00271150232771310172noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12469265.post-1126065660276166012005-09-07T00:00:00.000-04:002005-09-15T20:15:57.680-04:00

A company's home is where most Web visitors end-up. It's normal to want to load the page with as much information as possible, to make sure we don't miss anything important. However, this could backfire at you. Information overload is unfortunately a problem that plagues too many home pages. The trick is to achieve the right balance of information and white space. Often, Web managers are

Stephan Beauchesnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00271150232771310172noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12469265.post-1126063231117695692005-09-06T23:19:00.000-04:002005-10-03T21:59:46.323-04:00

How much freedom should departments or units of a corporation have in developing their site? The answer is... It depends. Usually, a corporation with a strong brand will not have to worry about this problem. All sub-sites will actually want to be the same look and feel because it is to their advantage. The same cannot be said about organizations that have a culture of decentralization, where the

Stephan Beauchesnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00271150232771310172noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12469265.post-1126063179659704362005-09-06T23:12:00.000-04:002005-09-06T23:19:39.660-04:00

It seems that every Web developer or Web designer will talk about ad nauseum about the importance of Web usability. Now, don't get me wrong, I'm a firm believer that a site that does not adhere to basic usability principles will not be offering its full potential ROI; however, the conversation should be focused on Web strategy. I have a few posting son this blog about the importance of a solid

Stephan Beauchesnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00271150232771310172noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12469265.post-1121462454743769552005-07-15T16:29:00.000-04:002005-09-06T23:11:51.543-04:00

I had an interesting discussion with some colleagues about the way Web Content Management (WCM) vendors present their product; especially, the value of their product. Basically, having evaluated and implemented a WCM at my last employer, I can safely say that we have very much gained in efficiency. However, it's also the case that we have had major challenges because of the WCM: Demands on our

Stephan Beauchesnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00271150232771310172noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12469265.post-1121458807174657002005-07-15T16:20:00.000-04:002005-07-15T16:29:12.236-04:00

An interesting dilemma facing Web teams today is that on the one hand they need to encourage content creativity while ensuring that the site remains uniform. Best practices show that you need to have policies and guidelines in place to ensure that content is developed, vetted, approved and published in a matter that reflects positivily the corporation's brand and image. However, a balance between

Stephan Beauchesnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00271150232771310172noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12469265.post-1119906298054297712005-06-27T16:50:00.000-04:002005-06-27T17:06:05.286-04:00

That is the scariest thing I hear in my business. Although the CEO may be right, it's usually a bad sign if the CEO wants to be involved in the site re-design. The site is built for a company's constituents, and that's not the CEO. Too often, a CEO will see a competitor's site, and uses that as a benchmark: "I want to have our site like xyz corporation!". Unfortunately for the Web project manager

Stephan Beauchesnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00271150232771310172noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12469265.post-1117860342557481982005-06-04T00:38:00.000-04:002005-06-04T00:50:57.503-04:00

I realize that the title of today's blog is an oxymoron. How can we have variations if we have a standard? However, even within the confines of strict standards and guidelines, we can still provide the ability for a unit, project, department, etc. to have an identity. Now, this is not something I'd encourage, but it is nonetheless an option if you are managing the site of a company driven by

Stephan Beauchesnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00271150232771310172noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12469265.post-1117741578250348362005-06-02T15:22:00.000-04:002005-06-02T15:51:12.246-04:00

Today's column is about, strangely enough, blogs and blogging. When does it make sense for a corporation to have a blog? I think the problem is that blogging is entering the mainstream media, and more and more you can read articles about blogging. The problem is that blogging seems to mean different things to different people. For some, it's nothing more then a discussion board; for others, it's

Stephan Beauchesnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00271150232771310172noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12469265.post-1116559301456347112005-05-19T23:21:00.000-04:002005-06-27T16:50:00.310-04:00

I was discussing recently with a prospective client why we couldn't talk about their site re-design before we could clearly identify their user goals. Actually, my first question to them was:"Who is your audience? Who's the site for." Fortunately, the answer was not "the CEO" as this is a recipe for disaster. I'll expand on that later.We then proceeded to draw up some scenarios that would allow

Stephan Beauchesnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00271150232771310172noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12469265.post-1116120528235415772005-05-14T21:18:00.000-04:002005-05-15T11:03:35.633-04:00

I've just read an interesting article that claimed that users do not care for links pointing to a "About us" type of section. I disagree with that. If you land on a site because you used a search engine, you may not know (hence trust) the source of the information provided on the site. This is especially true for e-commerce sites. Today, anyone can put up a professional-looking site that seems

Stephan Beauchesnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00271150232771310172noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12469265.post-1115956595704991312005-05-12T23:49:00.000-04:002005-05-12T23:57:36.393-04:00

Good traffic stats are truly hard to get. Sure, there are many stats packages available, but my biggest problem is the misconception of what information traffic stats can provide you. I will not disagree that measuring the number of visits, visitors, and page views can provide site managers with a basic view of their site usage. However, when people try to look at path analysis (how do visitors

Stephan Beauchesnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00271150232771310172noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12469265.post-1115820558718244312005-05-11T10:02:00.000-04:002005-05-11T10:09:18.723-04:00

When companies want to build their Web presence, or re-design their site, they tend to think big. In most cases, thinking big is a good idea. However, on the Web, that's usually not the right way to go. If you take on too much, and your site is too large for your team to maintain, you will be wasting resources in producing the site in the first place. In my many years of managing Web sites, I

Stephan Beauchesnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00271150232771310172noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12469265.post-1115758538352976682005-05-10T16:40:00.000-04:002005-05-10T16:56:47.750-04:00

ASPs died prematurely following the dot com bust of 2000. The idea of getting your application hosted by a professional hosting company was ahead of its time. However, it's back, and with a vengeance. There is a resurgence of web hosted services, and I believe that WCM is not going to be left aside this time. The best WCMs are already Web-based, and so, it's not a difficult to see that getting

Stephan Beauchesnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00271150232771310172noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12469265.post-1115497824689077222005-05-08T16:14:00.000-04:002005-09-20T16:20:27.363-04:00

The first time I heard that expression, I thought this must be one of these crazy ideas from a consultant wanting to attract attention. However, the concept is very important. It refutes the famous, age-old 3-click rule. The belief was that all your site pages must be reached within 3 clicks from the home page. For years, I thought this was a very difficult challenge, especially because the sites

Stephan Beauchesnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00271150232771310172noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12469265.post-1115496181751742272005-05-07T15:53:00.000-04:002005-05-07T16:03:01.756-04:00

As much as people generally agree that content is king, few realize that the way this content is organized makes or breaks a site. Fresh and relevant content, free of errors cannot be viewed unless it is easily found. Although many site visitors depend on search to get to where they want to, a good site navigation will guide your visitors and help make their visit fruitful. The process one needs

Stephan Beauchesnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00271150232771310172noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12469265.post-1115217811422308392005-05-04T10:36:00.000-04:002005-05-04T12:01:23.556-04:00

It is fairly obvious to whomever I talk to that corporation Web sites should have consistent look and feel, but the problem is the definition of what "consistent" means. For some, it is a fixed C-clamp (top banner, left-hand navigation bar) throughout the site. For others, it is a constant brand within each part of the site, giving the site as a whole a series of different looks. For example, the

Stephan Beauchesnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00271150232771310172noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12469265.post-1114882750762804792005-04-30T13:37:00.000-04:002005-05-02T19:55:01.696-04:00

I'm always surprised to see how many corporate Web sites do not have standard templates for their site. I see this for small and large companies alike. A strong brand reflects a strong identity to site visitors. Because of the nature of the Web, site visitors need to be reminded that they are on the same site as they click around. If they encounter different looks, they may think they left the

Stephan Beauchesnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00271150232771310172noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12469265.post-1114814636913036242005-04-29T18:35:00.000-04:002005-04-29T21:06:19.620-04:00

Would you run your business without a strategy, or at least a set of goals everyone can rally around? Obviously, the level of planning depends on many factors, but all companies need a point of reference that will drive their efforts in the right direction (or at least the one chosen). Assuming you answered "no" to the question above, you're on your way to understanding the need for a Web

Stephan Beauchesnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00271150232771310172noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12469265.post-1114709727903341782005-04-28T08:40:00.000-04:002005-04-28T13:51:03.583-04:00

Has anyone thought seriously about Web governance? Really, this is not something at the top of a Webmaster's mind. Content freshness, new content, dead links, new design, etc. That's what we worry about on a daily basis. However, a successful site is one that is planned and resourced like any other IT or communication project.Many seem to forget that when they create a site. Information

Stephan Beauchesnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00271150232771310172noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12469265.post-1114613140649014012005-04-27T10:45:00.000-04:002005-04-27T10:51:16.160-04:00

When an industry has hundreds of players with no-one dominating, you have an indutry selling a commodity product.There has been a lot of innovation in the WCM market over the years, but I feel we have reached a plateau. It will take a whole new approach in marketing WCMs to revitalize the industry. -- Sent from my Treo 600

Stephan Beauchesnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00271150232771310172noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12469265.post-1114579399359021942005-04-27T01:10:00.000-04:002005-04-27T01:50:01.443-04:00

This is the inaugural post for the WPA Consulting Group blog.Regularly, I will be posting some thoughts about the state of what I like to call the Web presence Management world. You see, the difference between Web presence management and Web Content management (WCM) is the ability to view the forest as opposed to the trees. This seems like a new concept, but in reality it has been around since

Stephan Beauchesnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00271150232771310172noreply@blogger.com0