The Information School at the University of Washington
LIS 549 U/TU: Intro to Content Management
Fall 2003 * Bob Boiko * MSIM Associate Chair
Content and Management
The Information School at the University of Washington
Data vs. Information
Data is:
• Raw (unprocessed)
• Discrete (small
chunks)
• Non discursive
• Out of context
Data Type
Meaning
Bit
Either 0 or 1 (minimum 1
byte)
Char
One character
Int
A whole number
Float
A decimal number
Text
A string of letters,
numbers,a nd punctuation
LIS 549 U/TU: Intro to Content Management * Fall 2004 * Bob Boiko * MSIM Associate Chair
The Information School at the University of Washington
Data vs. Information
Information is:
• Processed
• Continuous
• Discursive
• Context laden
LIS 549 U/TU: Intro to Content Management * Fall 2004 * Bob Boiko * MSIM Associate Chair
The Information School at the University of Washington
What is content?
Something contained
• Information put to use
• Information plus metadata
• Information for a purpose
LIS 549 U/TU: Intro to Content Management * Fall 2004 * Bob Boiko * MSIM Associate Chair
The Information School at the University of Washington
Information Put to Use
• Information corralled and marshaled for a
reason
• Information gathered
up and made to do
work
• Information chopped
into usable chunks with the less useful
parts discarded
LIS 549 U/TU: Intro to Content Management * Fall 2004 * Bob Boiko * MSIM Associate Chair
The Information School at the University of Washington
Information Plus Metadata
• Metadata boils down the
meaning and context of
information into a form the
computer can handle
• Metadata contains the
information and makes it
useful
• Database and XML
technologies manage
metadata
LIS 549 U/TU: Intro to Content Management * Fall 2004 * Bob Boiko * MSIM Associate Chair
The Information School at the University of Washington
Content and Purpose
• To make info useful you must organize it
• There are an infinite number of ways to
organize
• The one you choose depends on your purpose
–
–
–
–
What types of audiences?
What types of information?
What sorts of staff?
What aspects of each piece of information
• To each audience?
• From each staff person?
LIS 549 U/TU: Intro to Content Management * Fall 2004 * Bob Boiko * MSIM Associate Chair
The Information School at the University of Washington
What Content is made of
Format
Structure
•What it looks like
•What each part “is”
•How it lays out
•How it relates to the other parts
LIS 549 U/TU: Intro to Content Management * Fall 2004 * Bob Boiko * MSIM Associate Chair
The Information School at the University of Washington
Management
The Information School at the University of Washington
The essence of management is control
• Control
– In the sense of predictability and
standardization.
– Not in the sense of arbitrary power
• Control of
– The process
– The significant players
– The infrastructure
LIS 549 U/TU: Intro to Content Management * Fall 2004 * Bob Boiko * MSIM Associate Chair
The Information School at the University of Washington
The process of CM
LIS 549 U/TU: Intro to Content Management * Fall 2004 * Bob Boiko * MSIM Associate Chair
The Information School at the University of Washington
The players of CM
LIS 549 U/TU: Intro to Content Management * Fall 2004 * Bob Boiko * MSIM Associate Chair
The Information School at the University of Washington
The infrastructure of CM
LIS 549 U/TU: Intro to Content Management * Fall 2004 * Bob Boiko * MSIM Associate Chair