Irina Guseva: Random Thoughts on CMS, WCM, ECM and Other Acronyms

dotCMS, an open source J2EE/Java Web CMS, released a new version — v1.7. The last time we saw an update was back last year, when 1.6.5 came out.

What’s new and exciting in 1.7? The answer is — plenty.

Overall, dotCMS has put in a good effort in the new version. While many more improvements can be accomplished (a more engaged community involvement and better documentation being some of them), the CMS can be an attractive option for some Java-man audiences.

Should you jump on the dotCMS train? Read on, and then decide.

More on CMSWire: dotCMS 1.7 Puts a Dot on Plugin Architecture

In a positive and delicious way, that is… In an effort to extend the reach of its regulatory compliance and document management offerings, Open Text has partnered with Lionbridge to provide joint customers with development services of the aforementioned solutions.

Led by Lionbridge, the alliance is specifically targeting the pharma industry.

Full story on CMSWire: Open Text Gives Lionbridge a Taste of Compliance Medicine

Open Text released several enhancements to its Open Text Web Solutions for Multi-Sites product — which belongs to a family of Web Content Management products and is, essentially, part of the rebranded RedDot WCM.

The focus of this release is something many customers find appealing in a Web Content Management System — globalization capabilities and management of multiple sites in multiple locales and languages.

Full story on CMSWire.com: Open Text Boosts Web Content Globalization

[updated] Heard back from Siteworx with more implementation details.

Signing a contract doesn’t necessarily grant you a seat at Tridion’s family dining table Getting fully tridionized, however, is a totally different story.

Last week, yet another biggie joined the big (more than 500 customers) and happy Tridion family via a partner-led implementation. Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group can now properly enjoy the magical beauties of SDL Tridion Web CMS.

Siteworx, an SDL Tridion partner based in Reston, VA, was leading this implementation. I had a chance to chat with Siteworx’s president, Tim McLaughlin, (thanks, Patricia!) to get the scoop on this implementation. Which, by the way, seems to be the second Tridion implementation under Siteworx’s belt, as far as McLaughlin can recall. Note that I am still waiting on Tim to get clarification on some points of this implementation, so this post may get updated as soon as I hear back from him (nudge, nudge  

The first Tridion baby delivered by Siteworx was the American Psychological Association with a total of 23 subsidiary Web sites — partially done, partially still in the worx with a goal of going live at the end of 2008.

Tridion CMS Implementation Details

A total of Mandarin Oriental’s 26 (or was it 40?) Web sites were tridionized. Most of MO Web properties are managed from various, geo-dispersed locations and have different content. The underlying code was inherited. Some of it was recoded to enhance SEO. New AJAX features were added. The inherited design didn’t change much, aka no full redesign of the sites.

• Project length: about 6 (or 8 – Tim?) 8 months, originally was planned to be completed in 4-5 months.
• Project resources: Anywhere from 4 to 6 developers at different points in time
• Product version: Started implementing in R5.2 and upgraded to R5.3
• Modules implemented: BluePrint – check, SiteEdit – check, Outbound E-mail – later, Personalization & Profiling - in the worx, Stats – check in the worx, WebForms - ? check, Workflow- ? in the worx
• Tech stuff: Java- and Microsoft-based implementation

Tridion CMS Implementation Challenges

As with many other Tridion implementations — and Web CMS implementations in general — getting the content in place on time can be tricky.

Close-to-heart understanding of Tridion and its functionality, limitations and capabilities is key.

BluePrint design can be a toughie. BP with all its parent-child dependencies is also not the easiest thing to change, once the implementation has started. Rightfully so, CMS Watch in its 2009Web CMS Report notes that SDL Tridion PS started offering a “BluePrint and Security” workshop. BluePrint Design is also on the price list as one of the more sophisticated, creme de la creme PS offerings.

As McLaughlin notes, Tridion can be very flexible with BP and workflow, as it can be complicated and not necessarily easy to get right the first time around — which is true with any CMS and honing its functionality into a good, workable solution. With the exceptionally unique Tridion BP, it may not be obvious as to how to use it best, and the the first take at it may not necessarily be the last one.

Why Tridion?

Aside from the superb skills of Tridion Sales team, why did Mandarin Oriental choose Tridion CMS? Tridion’s BluePrint is clearly something very attractive to customers with a globalization flair. Managing global content, delivering that content across multiple channels in multiple languages, and protecting the integrity of a global brand is something Tridion CMS is defo a good fit for.

SiteEdit is another way to enamor customers and they love it — especially, those falling into the category of non-techies.

More Tridion to Come to Mandarin Hotels

Siteworx plans to continue fine-tuning the MO implementation by adding new Tridion modules and stand-alone features like mobile-friendly gadgets.

In Lieu of a P.S.

Not the Professional Services PS, but the Post Scriptum kind of a P.S. As I mentioned earlier, am still waiting to get more info from Siteworx on things like how the main home page is being managed and delivered, as not all of it (to my unskilled eye) seems to be done through Tridion. Are images and Flash (/images/corp_homepage_movie.swf) being stored in Tridion CM? Where’re the tcm id’s? If not, why are they stored elsewhere? Doesn’t look like this page is available for editing in SiteEdit either. Just curious…

[updated] The home page is assembled with a page template.  Page is being published from Tridion and all assets for the page are managed in the Tridion CMS. Tridion id’s are not part of binary assets because they are removed at publish time to make it more SEO.

Originally, 25 English site were migrated into the initial Tridion CMS implementation.  Currently, there are 28 English plus 3 localized sites managed in the Tridion CMS.  The original look and feel of the site did not change much.  However, the html and css was rebuilt for SEO and 508 compliancy.  Some sections were given a more updated look with the addition of some AJAX features.

There’s also an official, press-released version of this announcement here and here. Quoting one of them (although, they’re identical): “We are proud that Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group decided to partner with SDL Tridion and Siteworx for its new global web presence,” said Erik Aeyelts Averink, president of SDL Tridion.

I am proud, too, Erik.

Aww, this is by far my most favorite piece of writing and, not to mention, my *glorious* entrance into the world of CMSWire.com.

I heart Tridion WCM. I think it’s magical. I love Tridion people. Great company and a WCM vendor. However, no one said everything was perfect. It’s not a *friendly* stab in the back, no (and, no pun intended). As someone who you’ve used as a customer reference on so many occasions, I am not the enemy.

It was just an attempt to put several years of working with Tridion into a journalistic perspective that is honest, direct (just like Dutch people are — at least that’s what I heard from Tridion folks) and, hopefully, packed with useful information (beyond the marketing fluff) to help those poor souls who are in the process of selecting a CMS Vendor. Been there myself a number of times and I know that any help is welcome.

All that aside, it was just sooooo much fun )

What is Tridion? Or is it Trillian, Trideon or Tridian? What can we say, it’s tough being a Euro web content management vendor in the U.S. market.

After conquering most of Europe, SDLTridion started its Web CMS quest in the U.S. in 2006 with their flagship CMS product — Tridion R5 — an offering that has received accolades from such critics as analyst firm Gartner. R5 comes with a myriad of standard Web CMS features, like inline editing using SiteEdit and some unique functionality such as the Translation Manager.

Here’s a summary table of the review:

While it may seem like this review brings up many of the SDL Tridion R5’s weaknesses, the goal here is to provide information otherwise unavailable to potential customers. All the praises and accolades can be found on SDL Tridion’s web site, where the agenda is understandably different from mine.

In the development world, if we were to hold a contest on the most annoying Tridion error message, we probably wouldn’t be able to decide between the wonderful in their randomness “null is null and not an object” and “object doesn’t support this property or method” messages. Some developers working with R5 are often disappointed with the (un)available developer tools.

R5.3 — the latest product release — shines with its Modular Templating, Visual Studio integrations and beefed-up workflow.

Another thing to keep in mind is that for developers learning the product it will be a steep learning curve and very little support. SDL Tridion’s Achilles’ heel in the U.S. is clearly the fact that knowledgeable Tridion experts in the U.S. are rare and hard to find. Having said that, be prepared for a possibly long and stormy implementation route.

To SDL Tridion’s credit, the company’s Customer Support and Professional Services divisions in the U.S. are constantly expanding. But, realistically, it takes about 2 years to ramp up a new consultant to the point where he/she is billable and useful to customers.

Aside from the fact that a web-browser based and very PC-centric CMS that is only compatible with Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.0+ and 7.0+ (and even then, it requires substantial configuration), Tridion R5 is a great Web CMS product, especially when it’s compatible with your IT infrastructure and business goals. No, R5 doesn’t work on Mac’s — don’t even try. Firefox is out of the question as well. It’s IE and IE only, and don’t forget about Trusted Sites

Overall, SDL Tridion R5 is a well-rounded Web CMS. This is especially true, if you have time to devote to a proper deployment and good acquisition and implementation budgets in addition to a team of dedicated IT folks who are quick learners. It can be pure magic, when implemented properly.

Full article on CMSWire:

Quick Take Review: SDL Tridion R5 Web Content Management System