>> Products >> CollabWeb >> Common myths of business user authoring
Myth: Business users need to have HTML knowledge and experience.
Reality: If business users have experience with today’s word processing packages, then they have the basic skills needed to use the CollabWeb editor. Familiar commands with graphic icons (e.g., bold, left justify, insert table) mean that business users without any HTML knowledge and experience can be up and running in minutes. Not days or weeks!
Myth: It will take many hours of training to learn.
Reality: When business users learn how to use CollabWeb, they are presented with familiar user interfaces and simple intuitive menus. The word processor-like editor for authoring and updating content is easy-to-master and quick-to-use.
Myth: Users will need FTP access to upload files.
Reality: FTP access is NOT needed for business users! When adding new Web pages from within CollabWeb, business users simply click the “New Document” button. The new content is saved into a database. From within the editor, users can easily upload images and files to the repositories—ready for display or linking from within anywhere in the software.
Myth: The Web developer loses control over the site’s standardized design style.
Reality: The developer maintains control in two ways.
First, developers design a web site template to include a content block (i.e., area of text and/or graphics to which authorized users have editing and publishing access). This leaves non-content, critical areas (e.g., navigational, e-commerce) out of reach from business users so they cannot accidentally change navigational links or break critical functionality.
Second, by enforcing the use of style sheets, developers can easily maintain a site’s standardized look and feel and design.
Myth: Integration will take weeks to complete.
Reality: In fact, many customers say how surprised they were at how short a time span it took to integrate. They had expected days or weeks, yet in some cases it only took several hours or a few days, at most. Just a handful lines of code need to be added to an existing page in order to display the dynamic content.
Myth: Converting Web content into content managed pages will take months.
Reality: Most content can just updated in a matter of seconds using drag and drop. More complicated pages with multiple graphics can be converted in a number of minutes.
Myth: It will be difficult and time consuming to update new software releases.
Reality: Since CollabWeb is 100% browser-based, the version update process is painless. Once the Web administrator or developer upgrades new software to the server, all users’ client machines will automatically inherit the new software. No more running from office to office trying to update users with a CD-ROM.
Myth: The Web team will have to convert ALL Web content and other assets.
Reality: There are two big misconceptions about converting and managing Web content:
First, is the belief that content management systems MUST manage every aspect of a Web site, including resources and assets (e.g., applets, JavaScript code, template code). CollabWeb focuses ONLY on managing content (e.g., text, graphics, files, hyperlinks).
Second, not all of your site’s pages will need to be converted. Many organizations have benefited from integrating business user authoring functionality into just 5% of their pages! These are typically pages with critical information needing to be kept current at all times (e.g., press releases, product updates, calendars, urgent customers notices).
