The proliferation of web content management platforms promises to put content creation rightfully into the hands of subject matter experts, but the editing experiences of many of these platforms remains a mixed bag. Microsoft’s SharePoint platform, which is becoming a major player in the WCM arena since its release of SharePoint 2010, provides seemingly endless opportunity for creating and publishing content. However, it still presents some significant adoption obstacles to content contributors.{"id":202,"date":"2012-09-04T16:48:04","date_gmt":"2012-09-04T16:48:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.webcritik.com\/?p=79"},"modified":"2012-09-04T16:48:04","modified_gmt":"2012-09-04T16:48:04","slug":"why-sharepoint-wcm-contributor-adoption-matters","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.suddenmischief.com\/site\/2012\/09\/web-design\/why-sharepoint-wcm-contributor-adoption-matters\/","title":{"rendered":"Why SharePoint WCM Contributor Adoption Matters"},"content":{"rendered":"

Originally published on the Miller Systems<\/a> blog.<\/em><\/p>\n

The proliferation of web content management platforms promises to put content creation rightfully into the hands of subject matter experts, but the editing experiences of many of these platforms remains a mixed bag. Microsoft\u2019s SharePoint platform, which is becoming a major player in the WCM arena since its release of SharePoint 2010, provides seemingly endless opportunity for creating and publishing content.\u00a0 However, it still presents some significant adoption obstacles to content contributors.<\/p>\n

Most interface designers do an excellent job creating a terrific user experience for site visitors.\u00a0 But the user experience for content contributors is often neglected, usually because out-of-the box editing experiences are deemed \u201csatisfactory\u201d and budget and\/or time constraints are limited for \u201cspecial\u201d customizations.<\/p>\n

SharePoint has out-of-the-box editing tools \u2013 so what\u2019s the problem?<\/p>\n

Well\u2026eventually it\u2019s time for content contributors \u2013 the subject matter experts \u2013 to provide the content of the new site.\u00a0 But they often dislike using unfamiliar tools, especially if they perceive them as technically complex.\u00a0 While SharePoint might actually allow them to edit just about anything on any given page, the presence of unlimited editing\u00a0options<\/em>\u00a0do not necessarily make for a good editing\u00a0experience<\/em>. The myriad choices available in SharePoint is one of many legitimate reasons why \u201cout of the box\u201d SharePoint WCM often confuses and frustrates contributors, causing many to simply give up. \u00a0When that happens, the shiny new web project is in suddenly in big trouble.<\/p>\n

So, how do we steer clear of these adoption issues?<\/p>\n

There\u2019s actually a lot that can be done to improve adoption of SharePoint as a WCM solution \u2013 both during and after development. Content contributors just need a little structure, some simplified experiences, and appropriate guidance to transform that overwhelming sensation into something clearer and focused.<\/p>\n