CMS Migration Information

Content Migration Update Posted Feb. 15, 2013

Migration Meetings

The Office of Marketing & Communications and Library and Information Services will be scheduling a series of meetings in March 2013 with individual departments to discuss the current status of the Web site redesign and CMS transition. See the meeting slideshow. These meetings will include:

Overview of project and timeline: Why are we doing this and when is it going to be done?
Content Migration Plan: How are we going to move all this content?
Pre-Migration Preparation: What each department needs to do to prepare for content migration
Training Operations: What is Jadu and how do I use it?
Next Steps and Resources: What's next, where do I find project information, and how do I get help?

As the college prepares to transition from our current content-management system (CMS), Ektron, to our new CMS, Jadu, the project team has been tasked with developing a plan and timeline for migrating content between the two systems. The first step in developing this plan is to understand the type and amount of content that is currently housed in Ektron. To support this effort, we have developed a Content Management Inventory and Tracking Tool for academic and administrative departments to identify pages that should be migrated and to record page attributes and content types that may affect the level of effort for migration. Below is a list of the content types defined thus far in our analysis.

Basic Web Content

This is content that uses basic HTML and uses very few basic images. Examples of basic Web content include:

Complex Web Content

This is content that uses not only basic HTML but also Web scripting languages. This content also may include image carousels, large numbers of images or other multi-media content. Examples of complex Web content include:

Dynamic Content

This is content that is stored in a database and rendered on-demand through the CMS and Web scripting languages. Examples of dynamic content include:

The project team has been analyzing the current Dickinson Web site and classifying pages based on content type. This information is essential in order for us plan resources and develop a realistic timeline for content migration. The findings to date suggest that the majority Web content that is maintained by users outside of The Office of Marketing & Communications (MarComm) is either basic Web content or dynamic content. The analysis of quantity of content by department (administrative or academic) shows that the majority of academic department have fewer than 30 pages of basic Web content. The content quantity analysis is still ongoing, and more details will be provided at the conclusion of this effort.

The second step in the migration plan development is to identify owners of content. Initially, owners of content will be identified based on who has access to maintain content through Ektron. This will be refined as the content-migration project plan is reviewed and finalized.

What can you expect over the next few months?

The analysis of our content and identification of content owners will be completed in March 2013. The content-migration plan and timeline will be presented to the Web Advisory Committee (WAC) and college leadership for approval and then communicated to content owners. The plan and timeline will also be accessible to the college community on the WAC Web site.

The content-migration plan and timeline will take into account the academic and administrative calendars. Training opportunities will be identified, and assistance will be available from MarComm and Library and Information Services (LIS) as we work together to migrate content from Ektron to Jadu.

What can you do now?

This is the time to begin assessing your current site in preparation for the move to Jadu. The WAC has compiled a list of assessment tips. Community members are also invited to ask questions about the migration and can receive hands-on training at the series of open workshops, listed to the right, provided by MarComm and LIS.