The editorial model
We no longer manage our own 'websites', but work from a single platform in which content is shared. This means that in principle anyone can modify the content of all content types for which they have editing rights. This requires good editorial agreements and places greater responsibility on the editors.
The editorial model describes the functions and responsibilities of employees who deal with online content.
The editorial model clearly separates between:
- subject matter/content experts
- content writers
- content managers
We distinguish between employees who have substantive knowledge of matters about which information must be provided online, and employees who have knowledge of how information can be properly communicated online. The first group provides the input for the content, the second group ensures that the content gets published online in the right way. Within the second group, there is a distinction between employees who make content suitable for online publication and employees who actually put the content online. This means that not everyone needs access to the CMS anymore. Based on their editorial role, an employee may or may not get an account in DrupalCMS.
Not only do we distinguish between content specialists and online specialists, there is also a division of labor within the group of online specialists based on desired competencies and skills. The tasks assigned to the employee determine which editing rights are granted to the Drupal account.
Editorial role division
The product owner platform is ultimately responsible for the content of the complete platform and monitors the alignment of the content with the user and organizational objectives at an overarching level. The product owner platform monitors policies, guidelines and agreements for both content and metadata. He directs the taxonomist. The product owner platform ensures coordination with the product owner technology when it comes to new functionalities.
Communication managers supervise (the quality of) the work of communication specialists and communication support staff. They are responsible for the quality of a specific part of the platform. The communication managers research customer needs, ensure an optimal customer journey within the platform and assess requests for new content. They can create forms and may manage some decentralised parts of the menu. They determine who within their team gets which task with regard to online communication and can propose new users for the CMS. They also periodically develop initiatives to analyse and improve the performance of the website with regard to their target group (viewing web statistics, optimising conversions, increasing visitor numbers, etc.).
- The target group team leads (working at the Division Marketing & Communications) are responsible for the content and customer journeys that are aimed at a specific university-wide target group (such as students, potential students, employees, potential employees, or alumni).
- The key users (working at a faculty) are responsible for the content for the target groups of their faculty.
Communication specialists are staff members working at communication departments. They work together with the content experts to ensure that content remains up-to-date. They check new content provided by content writers, enter it into the CMS, and publish it.
They ensure that the correct content types are used, the correct meta data is assigned, related content is linked, etc. They check for dead links, etc. and keep an eye on other aspects of the quality (user-friendliness, conversion orientation, etc.) of the web pages.
They also have an advisory role towards the communication managers and content experts: they signal what customers need by means of periodic analyses (via statistics, etc.) and make proposals for new content where necessary.
- Senior communication specialists: they are responsible for a specific part of the platform. They work together with the communication managers to ensure that the parts remain well-coordinated. Senior communication specialists may set up customer journeys in decentralized places in the platform and create new landing pages for this purpose.
- Junior communication specialists: they perform common tasks within the platform. They do not create customer journeys, but they can manage the content on these pages.
Communications assistants are employees without a communications background, who occasionally need to update simple online content. For example, secretaries and student assistants. They perform basic tasks and keep pages up-to-date.
The communications manager determines which content types in Drupal they need access to based on their tasks.
The content writers are responsible for content creation. They write content for the platform based on customer questions and rewrite/edit content provided by content experts so that it is suitable for online communication: does it meet the central quality criteria, does it answer the questions of users, is it in accordance with the tone of voice and house style guidelines of Radboud University? They do not enter the content into the CMS themselves.
For each topic that has online content, a content expert is appointed. These people ensure that changes are passed on from the organization and that the current online content is periodically checked to see if it is still up to date. They also provide new content. They work closely with the content writers.
Communications officers can be responsible for a wide range of content, or specialise in creating/keeping a specific type of content up-to-date. The following specialist roles can be assigned to a communications officer on their own, or added as a supplement to the role of communications manager or communication specialist.
- Training manager: for communications officers who are involved with content for the marketing of our education. They can manage education pages and all associated content types.
- Vacancy manager: for HR officers. They can manage the Vacancy content type.
- Forms manager: for communications officers who need a form very regularly, making it too much hassle to have this run via the communications manager. Also for communications officers who act as a backup for the key user.
Training
Before an employee is allowed to work on online content, this person must follow a number of training courses. In this way, we try to ensure that all online communication employees are well-informed about the Customer-oriented Online principles and that we jointly ensure a high level of online communication, including a customer-oriented website.
The training courses that an employee must follow depend on the position that this person fulfills according to the editorial model.
- Everyone, except content experts, follows the introductory training, which covers the principles of customer- and goal-oriented online communication.
- Content writers, communication specialists and communication managers also follow two content- and writing-oriented training courses.
- Communication specialists, communication managers, training administrators and vacancy managers also follow the basic Drupal training course.
- Communication managers must also follow a training course for creating forms and managing menus. Forms administrators also follow the forms training course.
In addition, there are a number of more specialist training courses that can be optionally followed.
The basic Drupal training course, the forms training course and the menu management training course must be followed before the employee starts working in the CMS. The other training courses must be completed within 6 months.
Drupal user roles and access rights
Editing rights in Drupal are granted based on the rol the employee has within the editorial model.
User management and the distribution of rights are managed centrally. Access can only be requested via a communication manager.
Application procedure for training and CMS access rights
Is there a new employee who will be working on online content or are the tasks changing? Then follow these steps:
- The employee reports to their faculty key user or DMC team lead. Together, it is determined which tasks the employee will perform and which editorial role therefore applies. If your organizational unit does not have a key user or you do not have a team lead, then report directly to the central contact person: Yuliia Stupak.
- The employee logs in to Drupal once (if relevant) (this is necessary to be able to grant access).
- The key user or DMC team lead completes the application form, in which they state which employee is involved and what their role will be.
- The Marketing & Communications Division creates an account in Drupal for the employee with the rights associated with the editorial role.
- The employee receives a welcome email from the Marketing & Communications Division with an explanation and an overview of the training courses to be followed.
- The employee registers for the training courses and follows them. After completing the Drupal training(s), the employee reports this to their key user or DMC team lead.
- If relevant: The key user or DMC team lead provides the employee with additional explanation about the content types they will be working with and the faculty/organization unit specific agreements about completing them.