The Winnowing Oar

It has been just over 5 months since the first web site was launched in the Ag Content Management System (Ag CMS), a system for creating and managing Agriculture & University Extension web content. In that time, the Ag CMS has undergone a series of improvements, most of which were invisible to Ag CMS users. But this week, the system will undergo its most significant improvements to date, and these improvements will be clear to Ag CMS users.

First, the Ag CMS "Manage Portlets" permission is now available for logged-in users. "Manage Portlets" allows logged-in users with the proper rights within a given folder to add to and edit the "portlets" in the left-side and right-side columns on an Ag CMS web site. These "portlets" allow users to add a variety of content to their site, including recent news, updated events, feeds from other sites, and more. This permission has been in the works and we have included it in our Ag CMS training in the past. A special training session, "Managing Portlets in the Ag CMS," is scheduled for Tuesday, October 27, at 10 a.m. (CT). The session will be held using Wimba webconferencing. To sign up, go to http://www.ag.ndsu.edu/AgCMS/training .

Another change is the addition of a new content item type in the Ag CMS. The "Article" content item type allows Ag CMS users to associate multiple images with text to create an alternative to the standard "Page" content item. The "Article" content item was designed for displaying images and links as additional resource in news articles, but it can be used to add visual interest to any Ag CMS page. The "Article" content item type is now available. Training on using this item will be provided Monday, October 12, at 10 a.m. (CT) in the session, "Adding Visual Interest to Your Ag CMS Site." The session will be held using Wimba webconferencing. To sign up, go to http://www.ag.ndsu.edu/AgCMS/training .

Finally, the Ag CMS will undergo a significant design change very soon. Since the Ag CMS was launched, we have been working with Ag CMS users on designing a header image for each Ag CMS site. The design of these header images has been a point of contention. Ag CMS users are sometimes unhappy because they feel the header images do not completely reflect their organization. Ag CMS users have also expressed concern over the static nature of these header images. Ag CMS users do not have control over their header images, and any change in a  header image would entail a re-creation of the image by Agriculture Communication. These are two of the reasons we have decided to make a change.

Within the next two weeks, all sites on the Ag CMS will have the same header image. The name of each particular site will still be displayed in the black bar above the header image, but the image itself will be the same for all sites. This change will have a number of benefits. (Remember, this change affects only Ag CMS sites. There will be no change to the header images of sites in the TYPO3 Content Management System managed by NDSU ITS.)

First, the new header image will take up less space on the screen. The current header images take up a lot of screen space and draw attention away from site content. The new header image will allow site visitors to focus their attention where it should be, on the content.

Second, Ag CMS users will have more control over the major visual elements of their web site. The current header image is one of the most prominent, if not the most prominent, visual element on an Ag CMS site. The new header, because of its design and reduced size, will be much less prominent on each site. Ag CMS users can then use existing tools, like the new "Article" content item type, to create visual elements that catch a visitors eye and best reflect their organization. Ag CMS users will be in control of the images they create, allowing them to change those images whenever they would like.

Finally, the new header will eliminate the time spent by Ag CMS users and Agriculture Communication on discussing, designing, and creating header images. This means Ag CMS sites can "go live" more quickly and more time can be spent by Ag CMS users and Agriculture Communication staff on things that will make a greater impact on Ag CMS sites.

To see a current Ag CMS header image, go to http://www.ag.ndsu.edu/AgCMS and click on one of the "live" Ag CMS sites listed on the right. For an example of the new Ag CMS header image, go to http://miv.ext.nodak.edu:8010/Plone/agacademics/ (Note: This site also provides a demonstration of the "Article" content item type).

We will continue to look for ways that we can improve the Ag CMS. To stay up-to-date on all Ag CMS changes, visit http://www.ag.ndsu.edu/AgCMS or join the Ag CMS Users Group at http://agcmsusers.ning.com.