Imagine a Web site where its content is managed in a distributed and dynamic manner. Where each content owner could have secured access to their content on the Web site and, as that content changes, they would have the ability to immediately update the Web site to reflect those changes. Using Domino, the content owner wouldn't need to have an understanding of HTML or Web development whatsoever -- rather, managing content would be more like laying out a document in Word. Furthermore, Notes/Domino based workflow could be used to approve or review that content as it changed. You'd be taking total advantage of Domino functionality for site content management.

I call this Distributed Content Management (DCM) because it decentralizes the management of a Web site's content from the Web masters to the content owners. Offhand, this may seem like a dangerous idea. Content management being centralized and controlled provides a high level of security. Nevertheless, it's easy to overcome this danger by instituting processes which verify content integrity. Distributing the management of Web content is a critical step in the transition to an e-business, moving a Web site from being a glorified brochure to making it a key resource for customers or stakeholders.

DCM is not an off-the-shelf product (although it could be developed into one). It's a method you can use to take Domino and make it into a very powerful content management tool.

It's actually quite simple
Technically, DCM uses basic Notes functionality. Basically it is the merging of two separate Domino domains: Web serving/development and workflow/security. From the simplest perspective, this involves serving the site off of Domino and using Domino-created documents. The particulars of how this is executed will depend on the needs of the site. However, for the purposes of this article, I will work with the straightforward and simplistic example-detailed below.

In principle, DCM uses Notes clients to access, edit, submit and review Web site content. Content owners would have secured access to their pages via groups or author fields, they would update their pages and then the content would become live on the site. Site managers could be responsible for defining the navigational structure of the site and the general look and feel but be free of the day-to-day content updates [This is very much how DominoPower works --DG]. The DCM sites I've designed have used a framed interface to make this distinction more clear; the navigation frames were controlled separately from the content frames. Another way to do this would be by updating the form design for the content form.