CUADIG211

Maintain interactive content This unit describes the skills and knowledge required to maintain interactive content for websites or social media channels using a content management system. It involves confirming content requirements, checking links and media assets are valid and functional, updating applicable content and testing content functionality on the server. The unit applies to those, working under direction, who upload media assets and change text content.

STUDENT RESOURCE ivet.edu.au

1300 00 IVET

IVET Institute: RTO ID: 40548

CONTENTS

Elements and performance criteria.........................................................................................................................................3 What is a content management system?............................................................................................................................5

What is a static website?........................................................................................................................................................................................................ 6 Why choose a dynamic website.................................................................................................................................................................................... 6 Organisational guidelines.......................................................................................................................................................................................................7

Using safe work practices............................................................................................................................................................8 Ergonomics........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 8 Exercise breaks................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 12

Structure of a website.................................................................................................................................................................. 13

Folder structure and websites..........................................................................................................................................................................................13 Types of content management systems.............................................................................................................................................................14 How does a content management system work?......................................................................................................................................16 Impact on usability of web pages of outdated links................................................................................................................................. 17

Copyright........................................................................................................................................................................................... 19

How to check copyright clearance on an image....................................................................................................................................... 20 Procedures for using metadata and tags to classify content.......................................................................................................22 Web accessibility guidelines.............................................................................................................................................................................................23 Social media marketing for business..................................................................................................................................................................... 24 What is the most effective social media channel for business?................................................................................................ 25

Checking content......................................................................................................................................................................... 26

Confirm frequency of content updates and production deadlines with required personnel..................... 26 Obtain, access and review content and confirm versions meet content requirements...................................27 Confirm existing content to be retained or deleted with required personnel.............................................................. 28

Using WordPress........................................................................................................................................................................... 29

Managing menus.........................................................................................................................................................................................................................32

Checking links and media assets......................................................................................................................................... 35

Checking existing links are valid and source replacement links as required................................................................ 35 Confirming assets are functional and in a file format and size that meets content requirements...... 35 Document technical and content issues according to organisational policies and procedures........... 36

WordPress and plug-ins............................................................................................................................................................ 38 The purpose of meta tags.................................................................................................................................................................................................. 39 Meta tag manager.................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 39 Blocks in WordPress.....................................................................................................................................................................................................................41 Layout and formatting........................................................................................................................................................................................................... 42 Archiving content........................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 42 Testing and previewing changes................................................................................................................................................................................ 43

Conclusion....................................................................................................................................................................................... 43

Suites 210 – 212 189E South Centre Road Tullamarine VIC 3043 © IVET Created: 25/7/22 Version: 1.0

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Elements and performance criteria

CUADIG211 Maintain interactive content ELEMENT

PERFORMANCE CRITERIA

Elements describe the essential outcomes.

Performance criteria describe the performance needed to demonstrate achievement of the element. 1.1 Confirm frequency of content updates and production deadlines with required personnel

1. Check content

1.2 Obtain, access and review content and confirm versions meet content requirements 1.3 Confirm existing content to be retained or deleted with required personnel 2.1 Check existing links are valid and source replacement links as required

2. Check links and media assets

2.2 Confirm assets are functional and in file format and size that meets content requirements 2.3 Document technical and content issues according to organisational policies and procedures 2.4 Confirm with required personnel that copyright clearance has been obtained on all new content 3.1 Access content management system and upgrade content 3.2 Import and change content material as required and specify metadata and tags according to content requirements and organisational policies and procedures

3. Update content

3.3 Make heading, typographical, caption and image revisions, applying applicable style sheets and alt tags as required 3.4 Add pages and screens as required, applying applicable templates or themes 3.5 Submit edited files to server and confirm upload was successful 3.6 Advise required personnel if new interface designs are required to incorporate additional materials

4. T  est and confirm

changes

4.1 Check all content is displayed and functions on server as required 4.2 Confirm with required personnel that all changes have been made 4.3 Store original content according to organisational policies and procedures and file using standard industry conventions

3

Performance evidence The candidate must demonstrate the ability to complete the tasks outlined in the elements, performance criteria and foundation skills of this unit, including evidence of the ability to: y

maintain interactive content for five different websites and social media channels.

In the course of the above, the candidate must: y

undertake interactive content maintenance procedures, including: y

checking links and media assets

y

updating text, media assets and pages

y

assigning correct metadata or tags

y

checking that changes have uploaded successfully

y

use a content management system according to organisational policies and procedures

y

document technical and content issues according to organisational policies and procedures

y

adopt safe ergonomic practices when using equipment

y

store content according to industry conventions.

Knowledge evidence The candidate must be able to demonstrate knowledge to complete the tasks outlined in the elements, performance criteria and foundation skills of this unit, including knowledge of: y

impact on usability of web pages of outdated links

y

procedures for checking copyright clearance

y

procedures for using metadata and tags to classify content

y

purpose of alt tags and how they relate to accessibility standards

y

safe work practices in relation to working on computers for periods of time.

For more information on this unit of competency visit: https://training.gov.au/Training/Details/CUADIG211

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What is a content management system? Two key types of websites populate the internet – static and dynamic, but you need to know the difference, and how you can tell which is what. This can get confusing when certain parts of a site might include dynamic components, and other elements might be static.

When we think about the nature of static versus dynamic, we need to understand some basic principles. With static code, the content and information are hard-coded onto the web page. With dynamic pages, the content and information on a web page are controlled externally with either a content management system (known as CMS) or a database.

When a static web page is delivered to a browser, it has exactly the same code. This means that if you load the page and I load the page simultaneously, we will see the same thing, factoring that potential layout differences may occur. A dynamic page, or a page with dynamic elements, however, can customise certain components of a web page that the server generates to load into your browser. Dynamic sites make use of server-side languages such as PHP to process requests. These scripts produce and generate the page that is distributed to your browser dynamically, whereas static pages are simply loaded and delivered to the end user.

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CUADIG211 - Maintain interactive content

What is a static website? A static web page is baked with HTML code, meaning that when the browser calls the URL, the server always distributes the same file. This can be handy in a corporate environment where the information you need to be seen by the end user is the same each time. The website designer can also adjust the page layout because they know how many paragraphs of text will be in the layout and the number of images. Good examples of static pages for an organisation’s web page might include: y

About Us

y

Contact Details

y

Services

y

Departments.

Building a static website can be more economical as it doesn’t require the coding and debugging required as well as the setup for database or content management integration. However, building a static website for an organisation with hundreds of thousands of individual pages could become very costly as each page needs to be templated and then built from scratch. The downside of static websites is that the bigger they get, the more difficult they can be to manage. If, for example, you needed to update a detail on all of your pages, you would need to open each page and make the changes individually, and then save them. This makes scalability difficult, especially if you had a catalogue of items or inventory that you wanted to list, as you would have to produce a website for each and every item.

Why choose a dynamic website A dynamic website is powered by a database that allows you to customise and deliver specific pieces of content. This can be handy when you have similar pieces of content that need to be delivered by user selection, such as items in a catalogue or by dates so that the latest news appears first. Dynamic websites require the installation of server-driven code and a connection to either a database or the content management system. This isn’t an overly complicated process but does still require following logical steps and debugging to make sure it works correctly.

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So what format do you chose for your website; static or dynamic? Let’s take a look at some possible scenarios. Situation Personalisation Login

Functionality Scalability CMS Web Application Multiple

Languages Brochure site Blog Landing Page

Description

Static or Dynamic?

You want to be able to customise what content the end user sees based on who they are.

You want to be able to restrict content based on who the user is.

You recognise that the framework for the website will likely grow and require multiple additional pages.

You need team members to be able to manage, edit or update content without breaking the code.

You want to have custom code or a stand-alone application connecting to the server.

You need to be able to provide content on the site in multiple languages.

A traditional website that doesn’t require regular updates.

A simple static blog that you’ll manually add pages to. Building a single-page website with straightforward content.

Dynamic Dynamic Dynamic Dynamic Dynamic Static or Dynamic –

depending on how many

pages you need to duplicate Static Static or Dynamic – again depends on scalability Static

Organisational guidelines Unless you are asked to scope out a platform and framework for your organisation’s website, it will likely already be chosen for you. You will need to have an understanding of the policies and procedures in place. These will include details of: y

where source files are stored

y

procedures for correcting existing content

y

login details and security of passwords

y

editorial and style guides for content

y

procedures for updating or overwriting existing y content

y

procedures for deleting or removing content

what type of content is appropriate for the website and what isn’t.

These policies and procedures will provide information and guidelines on how content should be proofed, uploaded and edited, as well as archived when off-lined. If information isn’t readily available within these documents, then consult with a supervisor or management.

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CUADIG211 - Maintain interactive content

Using safe work practices Before you commence any work in an office environment, you should be aware of safe work practices and how they influence and affect your working conditions. To do your work efficiently and effectively, you need to ensure that you have a comfortable and safe work area or environment. This can be done by making sure that the area is ergonomically safe and making sure you follow any requirements concerning your work organisation’s policies or procedures.

Ergonomics Ergonomics is focused on confirming that the workplace, products and work systems are suited to the people that use them. Whether it’s within an office environment, a sports activity, or in designing cars, all products and systems created need to be done so in a manner that allows the user to handle and use the products or services in question with ease.

Photo by James McDonald on Unsplash

In terms of office, computer or desk work, several ergonomic requirements should be considered to help employees work to their best ability and to keep them safe from potential risks.

Chair height, seat and back adjustment The best chairs that an employer can give their staff are those that have the ability to adjust, as each individual will require a particular chair height and back adjustment. The provision of adjustable chairs will help in allowing each individual to find the most comfortable position for them, based on their size and body shape. To adjust your chair’s height, seat, and back accordingly, follow these steps: 1.

To adjust the chair height, stand in front of the chair and adjust the height until the seat is resting just below your knees.

2. Sit on the chair and adjust the backrest until it fits into the hollow of your back. 3. If your chair has armrests, bend your elbows (90 degrees) and adjust the armrest till there is a limited amount of contact with your elbows. 4. Tilt the seat either forward or backwards until you have found your level of comfort. 8

The figure below can give you a guideline as to what your work desk should look like if you want it to be an ergonomic workstation; this should be the aim for anyone working in this environment.

Document holders

Footrest

Document holders allow for the easy visualisation

If required, a should be

of information that you have recorded on paper. Placing the paper on the document holder allows you to refer to it as you work on your computer. Document holders can be placed directly behind your keyboard (just below your computer screen) for easy reading of paperwork, or to the side, whatever you find most comfortable.

footrest placed

underneath your desk at a certain distance from your chair. A footrest is best used once your chair has been adjusted and positioned most comfortably for the user, but whilst their feet are left unsupported. Unsupported feet can lead to poor blood circulation in the legs as a result of too much pressure on the back and thighs. In some cases, lower back pain may occur due to the continual need to get foot support, and the occurrence of leaning forward in the chair, thus losing back support.

Document holders that are placed behind the keyboard may be adjustable; this allows the user to raise or lower them to a height that is appropriate for them so they can avoid straining. Document holders designed for attachment to the computer screens can be adjusted in terms of viewing angle. Using document holders can also be useful in reducing paper clutter around your desk, contributing to a clean workstation and work environment.

A number of footrests have been designed to allow for height adjustment, although fixed height footrests may also be purchased.

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CUADIG211 - Maintain interactive content

Keyboard and mouse positions The incorrect positioning of a keyboard and mouse, i.e. height and angle, may lead to users bending their wrists or straining their arms. If this is the case, then the workstation should be adjusted. A sliding platform may be attached to the bottom of the desk, allowing the keyboard and mouse to be brought down to a slightly lower level, reducing potential harm to the body. Chair height adjustments can be another option to allow for proper access to the keyboard and mouse. Always ensure that your keyboard is not too close to you. It must be at a length that allows for your arms and hands to be straight and not bent. Furthermore, the mouse should be at a close enough range, one which does not lead to any unnecessary stretching or over-stretching of the arm.

Lighting Sufficient lighting in the workplace is another element that needs to be given consideration. Lighting must be neither too dim, nor with too much glare. Lights should not flicker, and there must be an even distribution throughout the workplace. Poor lighting can lead to poor visualisation, straining of the eyes, headaches, and irritated eyes. Lighting emits not just from the fittings up on the ceiling, but also from your computer. Tablets and iPads may emit even further levels of light. These pieces of equipment have a brightness function, and each user will have their own preference on how bright they want their screen, so necessary adjustments must be made to suit the user. Caution must be exercised as over-bright screens which cause too much glare may lead to eye irritation.

Noise minimisation It is common sense that a person cannot generally work well in a noisy environment. It affects concentration and thus affects your productivity. The noise controlling procedures used in your organisation will depend on what type of environment it is. Is it an environment where loud and heavy machinery is used? Is it an environment where telephones are continually ringing? Measures that could be taken in a workplace that has a lot of loud machinery or equipment could include: y

Separating the offices from the areas which have noisy machinery.

y

Ensuring buildings have noise-proof insulation built into their walls as well as soundproof work booths; alternatively, less noisy machinery or equipment should be used where possible and training provided to employees in the use of earmuffs or earplugs.

y

If noisy work is to be carried out, it should be organised to be done at a time when there aren’t many people in the work area, such as out of hours.

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Posture The posture you maintain when working will be influenced by how well you adjust your chair, whether or not you choose to use a footrest, and the computer screen’s distance, which accommodates your comfortable reading distance. An indication that you may have a bad posture is back pain; this back pain is a result of muscles in the back being strained in one way or the other. Perhaps it’s due to leaning forward to try to get foot support on the floor, as a result of not using a footrest to support your feet. Perhaps your chair has not been adjusted correctly, and the back support is not resting in the hollow of your back. Whilst it is important to make sure that you use ergonomic equipment and furniture, as well as adopting various ergonomic methods to create a healthy and safe environment, another method that may be adopted to help keep a good posture is that of stretching and exercises. These will be explained in greater detail later on. It is important to remember that doing simple exercises is directly linked to a good posture. Be aware of sitting straight and keeping your spine well-aligned when you are sitting at your desk. Avoid hunching, crossing your legs unevenly, and stretching to reach pieces of equipment. Continually check to see that your shoulders and hips are aligned. Once you begin doing this regularly, it will become a habit. Posture, however, does not only relate to the position you should hold when you are sitting. It is also relevant when you are standing. Ensure that you put equal weight on both your legs when standing as you do not want to strain any part of your body. If you generally stand for long periods of time, make sure you wear shoes that will give you the support you need, both muscular and postural.

Screen position The first thing that you need to remember with your computer screen is that it must be placed directly in front of you. In some instances, however, where employees interact with many people or customers, their computers may be placed to the side so that the front area of their desk allows for face-to-face interaction. Their work desk will be designed in a way that allows them to sit directly in front of their computer screen when they need to use it. Secondly, the correct distance between the user and their computer screen is an arm’s length away. The next step is to check that the top of the screen is in line with your eyes. If a screen is too low, it may result in you bending your head forward to look at it, thus leading to potential neck strains. A high screen will make you look up, and in doing so, you’ll tilt your head back which can then contribute to neck and shoulder aches.

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CUADIG211 - Maintain interactive content

Workstation height and layout Correct workstation height and layout will contribute greatly to your posture and help you in doing your work to the best of your ability. In most cases, it will be difficult for a workstation to be adjusted in height, as they are often fixed into walls and cannot be moved. The general rule is that if a desk is high enough to allow the user to write on it comfortably, then it will be too high to place a computer on it. This is because there are certain angles that users need to maintain so that they do not get any injuries. Where there is a fitted desk being used, the best way to get the correct height is to adjust the chair until you get the required height. Another option is to insert a sliding keyboard tray underneath the desk, so to allow the keyboard to be at a more accessible height for the user.

Exercise breaks If a job requires you to be sitting at a desk for up to seven or eight hours a day, even with the correct ergonomic support in place, you will find your body tired and achy. This is because your muscles aren’t getting much movement, and they are staying in the same positions for long periods of time. Muscles which are not used and are stuck in one position can get stiff, which can then lead to irritability. The solution is to integrate simple exercise routines into your work schedule. This does not mean that you have to go jogging around the office or sprinting down passageways. It is more about doing simple movements and stretches which will allow your blood to circulate and your muscles to get moving. Simple exercises can go a long way to help you reduce the onset of any muscular pains and aches. They may be carried out by simply sitting at your desk or standing. You should integrate them into your work routine a few times a day.

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Structure of a website When you enter a web address into a browser, it makes a call to the domain name based on the IP address, and then the server distributes the web page. It is important to note that the web page doesn’t contain all of the content within the page. It will, however, contain links to external elements such as: y

Style sheets that provide instructions to the browser on how to format the look of the text, the positioning of elements, and other important details. A style sheet enables a web page to maintain a look and consistency across the entire website.

y

Images that might be hosted on a local or remote server

y

Videos that might be hosted on a remote server or a remote host, such as YouTube or Vimeo

y

Links that could be internal within a domain name, or external.

Folder structure and websites Websites are structured with links to files that come from the web page. Images, for example, might sit in one folder and videos in another. These folders might sit under the source web pages. Therefore, it is important to make sure that when you upload images, they are inserted into the correct folder and link back to the web page correctly. There are two ways of linking an image file; they are absolute or relative. An absolute web address includes the full domain name with http://www. Absolute links are essential for linking to an external website. A relative link is relative to the source file, so a link to an image folder underneath the current folder would be /images/imagefilename.jpg Understanding the correct pathing to your elements is essential for making the website display correctly. Within a content management system, this is managed and maintained by the system itself with the pathing being recognised by the management system.

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CUADIG211 - Maintain interactive content

Photo by monticellllo - stock.adobe.com

Types of content management systems The benefit of an organisation using a content management system is that it allows a variety of team members to edit, update and make alterations to a website’s content without having to have an advanced understanding of coding web pages or accidentally breaking the site. It can make the process simple and more akin to using Microsoft Word or another standard web application. The CMS manages the creation and publishing of the website and then provides the team members with a login interface and front end that they can then enter their content into. This may be updating details of an event, uploading photos, or entering new product data for an item that is being added to the catalogue. The design of a Content Management System should be built around reducing the time required to learn how to use the platform. This often means that the front end will utilise some type of drag and drop interface or drop-down menus that allow a user to quickly add or edit different elements within a page. Templates within a Content Management System help to determine the overall look at feel of a website. The organisation should have the ability to build upon or edit an existing template and customise it to suit their specific needs. There may also be additional extensions or add ons that allow additional functionality to the Content Management System; this could enable shopping carts for online purchases and transactions to widgets that allow for custom functionality, such as an appointment booking system for clients. The cost an organisation pays for a Content Management System may also determine the type of backup and support they have. Many systems are available free, with and without external support. This may mean that the onus is on the organisation to find solutions to potential problems along the way. An organisation needs to factor in where the content sits; is it on the Content Management System’s server, or on their own secure one? If you have sensitive information stored within the system, you need to consider how safe it is.

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Let’s take a look at some common Content Management Systems.

WordPress WordPress is the world’s most popular Content Management System platform. It is used on approximately 35% of all websites. It is important to note here that we are talking about WordPress.org, the free and open-source CMS which was originally designed for blogging, but is now used by a variety of websites and online stores. WordPress.com, on the other hand, is a blog hosting platform. Some facts about WordPress: y

It allows you to design a flexible and functional website that can include: x an online store x an auction site

Photo by IB Photography - stock.adobe.com

x memberships and logins. y

It does not require technical skills or coding knowledge to use it.

y

It has a block editor that makes it easy to design great looking pages.

y

It can receive financial transactions and payments online from a variety of different mediums.

y

There are literally thousands of WordPress themes and plug-ins available, giving you a great starting point to build your website.

y

The platform is designed for search engine optimisation (SEO).

y

There is a large community supporting and providing resources for the platform.

y

It does require your own hosting and domain name.

In this unit, we will be working within a WordPress environment.

Joomla Joomla has been around since 2005 and is designed for the intermediate to the advanced marketplace. It has a wealth of features and functionality. It is designed for the building of communities with login and account setup features, as well as being able to restrict and limit access to content based on user profiles. It is designed for developers and experienced website designers, and as such, it is not an ideal option for beginners.

Photo by monticellllo - stock.adobe.com

Some features of Joomla: y Provides lots of flexibility and options for customising content. y It is scalable and has a strong framework if you’re building a shell for larger content.

y You can edit the code and make custom changes. y It’s open-source, and there is a large community supporting it. y It has full e-commerce functionality.

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CUADIG211 - Maintain interactive content

Drupal Drupal is a good option for developers. It is an open-source CMS platform and is used by a large number of academic websites and business platforms. It is designed with a more technical approach to website design and may be limited in its visual layout and designs. Some features of Drupal:

Photo by monticellllo - stock.adobe.com

You can easily add content – the custom content type provides flexibility.

y

Like WordPress plug-ins there are a variety of different modules available.

y

Community support is good.

y

User management is simple, and comes with a built-in system which allows you to define new roles and specify permissions. NG ACT NI

ITY IV

LEAR

y

1

Research and class discussion - content management systems

Spend some time exploring Content Management Systems online. y

Which ones are you aware of or familiar with?

y

What website examples can you find that have been built with those you’ve discovered or already knew about?

As a class, discuss how using a Content Management System might be different to traditional website development and production.

How does a content management system work? If you weren’t using a CMS and needed to produce a web page, you would create a static HTML file and upload it to your server. Instead, with a CMS like WordPress, you enter your content inside an interface that resembles a software application like Microsoft Word that is accessed by what is referred to as the Dashboard.

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To insert images, you upload them to your media library and then insert them onto your page from there. This then dynamically creates the link on your page.

There are two parts to the Content Management System; the CMA, and the CDA. The CMA is the Content Management Application; this is the front end that you see, allowing you to add, edit, and manage the content within the site. The CDA or Content Delivery Application is the back end. This takes the content you’ve entered and stores and manages it properly. It then produces the HTML page when a user accesses the website.

Impact on usability of web pages of outdated links Imagine you’re meeting someone for the first time. You get introduced to them, and the first impression is okay, but then they do something weird or unusual, and you wonder whether they are trustworthy. This is similar to the way a website works when a user engages with it. The website should be an extension of the business or organisation and a professional and engaging

environment. A user should be able to navigate through an organisation’s website and find the information they require with ease. Now, there are many elements to factor when thinking about good website design and the layout of the user interface. What we should also factor is problems that can occur from outdated links and how they can affect the functionality of a website. An outdated link on a website might imply several things, including: y

The content it was linked to is no longer relevant

y

It has been replaced by newer content

y

The content has been moved or deleted.

Each of these would result in a broken link.

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CUADIG211 - Maintain interactive content

So what is outdated content? In short, it is content on a website that could be inaccurate, lack value, or potentially doesn’t reflect an organisation’s current brand positioning. It could include: y

Discontinued products listed in the gallery or on view

y

Pages for services that the organisation no longer offers

y

Advice or information that is outdated or no longer current

y

Information that is time-sensitive, such as an event that has already occurred, or position vacancies

y

Former employee profiles.

Your organisation may have policies and procedures about the routine checking and reporting of outdated links; you should always be diligent in checking that content is accessible and correct when it’s live on the website. One of the advantages of a Content Management System is that you can set expiry dates on articles. For example, if you were hosting an event, any articles relating to this would expire after its conclusion so that they are no longer displayed in the Upcoming Events section of your website. Broken links are another form of outdated content. These may be a result of pieces of content that have moved, been renamed, or deleted. This can result in an error occurring in the browser. Broken link errors will be visible, normally as an ‘Error 404’ on the page saying ‘Page Not Found’. This is the industry standard return that a server will send to a browser if it cannot find the file, element or page requested. It is important to note naming conventions on links, especially if you are manually entering links into a Content Management System. URL’s can be case sensitive and must not have spelling errors or deviations from the filename. It MUST be the same, or else the server won’t find it. It is important that when you are creating files, you make sure that they are spelled accurately; always preview your pages and click on the links to make sure that they connect correctly. You also need to be aware that if you are linking to external sites and, in particular, specific pages within a site, that they might update or change their links from time to time. Government departments, in particular, when new information is made available, might take the old information offline and replace it with the new content. If you are browsing within their website, you may not know the difference, but if you are coming in from an external file, then the link may not work correctly.

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Copyright Copyright law protects someone when they design something; this might be a logo, a product that’s manufactured, or the production of a photograph, either by shooting it or creating it digitally. The instant someone shoots a photograph, it becomes an entity protected by copyright. The same goes for a manipulated or composited image produced in Photoshop, as long as they hold right to the original elements. In most cases, by default, the ownership of the image belongs to the photographer or the digital artist. This means that you cannot simply go and grab images off the internet to use in your work, especially if it is commercial work. This is classed as copyright infringement. Therefore, you have three options when producing a digital image. They are: y

shoot the photographs yourself

y

purchase the rights to stock images

y

source an image that is either public domain or released under a creative commons licence.

Shooting the image yourself can work, especially if, for example, you are producing a website for a business, and you need images of their location. Depending on your skills as a photographer, you could take them with a DSLR camera or shoot them on your smartphone. However, it may be more professional to commission a professional photographer to undertake the task. A lot will depend on your budget and level of experience. Suppose you cannot produce the image yourself or afford to pay someone professional. In that case, you can explore licencing a stock image photograph and then manipulating it to complete the client’s needs. The basic concept of image licensing is that you are paying for the right to use the image but not buying the image itself. This means that multiple people can use the same image; they retain the right to manipulate the image, crop it, or layer text over the top of it. However, the Some examples of commercial stock image original copyright holder – whether it be libraries include: the photographer or the website that licences the images – owns the exclusive iStock http://www.istockphoto.com/ on the image’s intellectual property rights. Getty Images https://www.gettyimages.co.uk/ This is why it is important with any stock images that you licence to check the permissions of what you can and can’t do with the image. You might be granted permission to use it on a website, but may not be allowed to attach it to a product branding.

Fotolia

http://en.fotolia.com/

Adobe Stock

https://stock.adobe.com/au/

RGB Stock

http://www.rgbstock.com/

Fotosearch

http://www.fotosearch.com/

Morguefile

http://www.morguefile.com/

Stock.XCHNG

http://www.sxc.hu/

To purchase the rights to a stock image, you can either have a subscription that might allow you access to a certain amount of images per month (such as AdobeStock) or pay a fee for the use of a single image.

Flickr

http://www.flickr.com/

Openphoto

http://openphoto.net/

Shutterstock

https://www.shutterstock.com/

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More recently, there are also websites that grant you free access to stock images or use creative commons licencing arrangements. These may require you to credit the photographer on the website or publication you’re using it for in exchange for allowing you to use the image without payment. A creative commons agreement is a legally binding contract that you agree to when you download the image. You should always read the agreement to make sure that it fits within the terms of what you want to use it for. Some examples of websites that offer free use of creative commons licenced images are: StockSnap.io

https://stocksnap.io/

Pexels

https://www.pexels.com/

Unsplash

http://unsplash.com/

Burst (by Shopify)

https://burst.shopify.com/

Reshot

https://www.reshot.com/

Pixabay

https://pixabay.com/

FoodiesFeed

https://foodiesfeed.com/

Gratisography

https://www.gratisography.com/

Freestocks.org

http://freestocks.org/

Picography

https://picography.co/

Foca

https://focastock.com/

Picjumbo

http://picjumbo.com/

How to check copyright clearance on an image If you have been provided with an image, but you don’t know where it has come from, the safest option is not to use it. However, if you are required to use it, then you should explore the following steps to see if you can determine the source of the image. Remember, just because someone found it on the internet, it doesn’t mean that it is free to use, and while in some instances you could use images for personal use, copyright infringement could be damaging and expensive to a business or organisation. Here are some things to consider: 1.

Does the image have credits or contact details? If the image was found online, were there details about the image creator or copyright owner from the original website?

2. Is there a watermark on the image? If so, then by default, you cannot use it; the copyright owner has put a watermark on the image to protect it. You should NEVER crop the image to remove it.

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3. Is there metadata on the image? The EXIF data on the images, which you can find by right-clicking on the image and selecting ‘Properties’, may provide you with author information on the image. 4. Use Google to perform a reverse image search. If you are trying to track down the source, one way might be to use Google reverse image search. You can do this by going to: https://images.google.com/ From here, click on the camera icon.

You can then paste the image URL or upload an image

This will then display other places a copy of the image is located, and you might be able to find the appropriate copyright information.

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If none of these mechanisms works, then as stated previously, simply don’t use the image. Find an alternative.

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Research - reverse image search

Find three images that relate to a topic of your choice. Follow the instructions in the section above (i.e. Use Google to perform a reverse image search) and see if you can find the image source via this method.

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Procedures for using metadata and tags to classify content Metadata is the data that defines data. In brief, it refers to keywords and terms that can be used to define the contents of the file, whether it be text, an image, or a video. Metadata provides us with: y

information about the data

y

a summary of basic information that can help with searching for content or categorising the content into sections.

Metadata can be created manually to allow us to specify and be accurate about how we categorise content, or automatically if we only require basic information. It is similar to searching for a subject at a library or using a keyword to search for something on the internet. By defining the metadata of an object, we can assist users and those managing the content to search, find and retrieve what they are looking for. Metadata can be used to define types of content as well as the subject matter of content itself. This can help you manage and maintain what content is displayed on a website and assist in making sure

that obsolete content isn’t shown. For example, if you worked for a non-profit organisation that provided services to the community, your content might include metadata tags for the following: y

Events – these could be for one-off events that occur.

y

Short Courses – these could be for courses that run over a couple of weeks.

y

Services – could be for permanent services that your organisation provides.

y

Affiliations – could be for external organisations that you are affiliated with.

Having these subject headings would then allow you to categorise your content when you enter it. So, if you were asked to post details about a family fun day your organisation was organising, it would be logical to tag that with the events tag, which would then mean it should appear on the events page or anytime they searched for events. Metadata can also be useful in defining the contents of images. These might include details of the location and date that the image was shot, as well as details on the contents of the image itself; this can be especially useful if you are cataloguing items for an online store and you need to differentiate between makes and models, or types of clothing or shoes. Having the right metadata can help to avoid confusion and also allow you to find content more easily.

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Web accessibility guidelines When you are producing web pages, one of the considerations you should be aware of is the W3C Accessibility standards. These are designed as guidelines so that content can be accessed across the internet on various platforms, by users who may have varying abilities. Inherently these are designed to enable accessibility support for users. For example, if a blind user was viewing a web page, then a text to speech reader would potentially read the text aloud. In the case of images, there should be tags describing what the image is, using ‘image alt’ tags. The Web Accessibility guidelines are driven by four principles of accessibility that state that anyone who wants to use the web must have content that is:

1

PERCEIVABLE Information and user interface components must be presentable to users in ways they can perceive. This means that users must be able to perceive the information being presented (it can’t be invisible to all of their senses)

2 OPERABLE User interface components and navigation must be operable. This means that users must be able to operate the interface (the interface cannot require interaction that a user cannot perform).

3 UNDERSTANDABLE Information and the operation of the user interface must be understandable. This means that users must be able to understand the information as well as the operation of the user interface (the content or operation cannot be beyond their understanding).

4 ROBUST Content must be robust enough that it can be interpreted reliably by a wide variety of user agents, including assistive technologies.

This means that users must be able to access the content as technologies advance (as technologies and user agents evolve, the content should remain accessible).

If any of these are not true, users with disabilities will not be able to use the web.

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For example Examples of these in action include: Perceivable

Operable

Understandable

Robust

y

Provide text alternatives for non-text content

y

Provide captions and other alternatives for multimedia

y

Create content that can be presented in different ways, including by assistive technologies, without losing meaning

y

Make it easier for users to see and hear content

y

Make all functionality available from a keyboard

y

Give users enough time to read and use the content

y

Do not use content that causes seizures or physical reactions

y

Help users navigate and find content

y

Make it easier to use inputs other than the keyboard

y

Make text readable and understandable

y

Make content appear and operate in predictable ways

y

Help users avoid and correct mistakes

y

Maximise compatibility with current and future user tools

Social media marketing for business In 2020, it was estimated that 3.5 billion people worldwide used some kind of social media network; that’s nearly 40% of the globe’s population. With those sorts of numbers, it’s clear that businesses need to put effort into their marketing on social media as it is a core tool to sustain and grow their business. Social media marketing refers to how a business’s activity on a social media platform contributes to its specific marketing objectives including: y

brand awareness

y

website traffic

y

customer acquisition

y

customer retention.

This activity occurs through the digital publishing of content which includes text, images and videos, and community engagement and paid advertisements.

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One of the core elements of social media is the user’s ability to share your content. When they do this, they become part of your channel of distribution. Whether it’s tagging a customer in an Instagram post or reposting something to their audience, content that is highly relevant and visually attractive is likely to create engagement and generate shares. Some of the other benefits that can come from businesses being active on social media include: y

Being more discoverable: If you are regularly posting content on a number of platforms that are tailored to your target demographic, then you’re more likely to be discovered by new or potential customers.

y

Having valuable conversations with your customers: It should come as no surprise that several companies use Twitter for customer support or provide Q&A’s on Instagram stories. Social media marketing provides businesses with a personal and informal way to get to know their audience.

y

Recruitment opportunities: Social media marketing allows an organisation to share its values and company culture. This not only increases customer loyalty but allows potential recruits to get a sense of the company structure and consider why they might want to work there.

y

Building a community: No matter what industry your organisation is in, social media marketing can help to connect the business with its target audience and other relevant businesses.

What is the most effective social media channel for business? Different social media platforms have different audiences and different formats. As such, you should identify what the business objective is first, and then decide upon the platform that will help you achieve that outcome. For example, a video published on Facebook might be well suited to promoting a product to individuals, but a LinkedIn article would be a more appropriate choice if you were targeting businesses. The thing to think about when you are designing your campaign is how to tailor your content for the different platforms and their various audiences. Most likely, your organisation will use a mixture of web and social media platforms to raise awareness of the products and services that the organisation provides. You may be asked to customise the content you are provided with based on the platform and the intended audience.

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Checking content If your role requires you to manage and maintain content that is uploaded onto websites and social media platforms, there will be an internal process that you need to be aware of; this may be defined in an internal policies and procedures document or via verbal instructions at the commencement of your role. Part of this process involves checking your content before you upload it. One of the advantages – and disadvantages – of the internet is that as soon as you upload the content, it is visible for all to see. While that means you can resolve problems or mistakes quickly, the wrong content can have detrimental effects on your organisation through their perception in the marketplace. Just do a search for social media fails, and you’ll find an organisation that uploaded the wrong content or posted the wrong tweet and then had to back-pedal and apologise. Remember that the internet – and any online presence for that matter – is an extension of an organisation and its values, so content should be checked and validated before uploading.

Confirm frequency of content updates and production deadlines with required personnel It is most likely that your organisation will have a policy and procedures document in place for your internet presence and the updating of content. There are a range of things these might cover. Organisations might publish blog articles or reviews of new items they have in stock to encourage new or return traffic. For example, a real estate agent might do a monthly market update suggesting the market is hot and now is a great time to sell. Frequency is an important element to understand in updating content; if you update the content too frequently, you may lose your audience, but if you don’t update your content enough, your audience may go elsewhere. Different platforms benefit from more frequent updates. Instagram for example, might be a good place for a daily post, whereas more traditional web presences – such as the organisation’s website – might only publish new content once a week. One of the key contributors in this decision-making process is how timely the information is. If it is a new article on something that has occurred today, then it makes sense to post it today, not to hold it over till a week down the track. Likewise, if a new product is launched, it would make sense to coincide your review of the product with the day the product is launched or available so that the search engines will index the site and draw an audience in.

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You may be required to source or produce the content for the update, or you may be provided with it from a third party such as a copywriter, who may be contracted to write blog articles or reviews for the website. If you are required to produce the content yourself, it is important to schedule your time so that you have the article written, edited, and proofed in time to go online. If you are unsure when to update content, then discuss this with your manager or supervisor. This may also allow you to initiate ideas on additional content that might be beneficial to post on the organisation’s website. For example, if you worked for a food manufacturing company, there might be a benefit in providing recipes or case studies where your products are used; for example, a local bakery might use your flour in their doughnuts.

Obtain, access and review content and confirm versions meet content requirements When an article is written, it will go through multiple versions, and likewise, an image may be edited and manipulated a number of times. As such, you need to make sure that the version that you upload to the internet is the correct version. An organisation will likely have a version control policy and procedure in place that dictates naming conventions on files. This will usually include having a number after the successive draft of a document sequentially from 0.1, 0.2, 0.3 until leading up to a final version which would be 1.0, which commonly represents the release version. Subsequent changes after that would be 1.1, then 1.2, then 1.3 until version 2.0 is complete. It is important when transferring content from files such as those in Microsoft Word to your Content Management System that you know the correct folder and filename to upload. If you have any doubts then you should consult with the author – it might be as simple as sending them an email to confirm the path and filename. This can help to avoid uploading the wrong version of the material and any potential disasters. While it is easy to resolve making changes to the content within the Content Management System you must understand that the original copy and the content within the system are two separate systems; so if someone updates the Word document you need to manually update the website.

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Confirm existing content to be retained or deleted with required personnel Certain pieces of content will have a limited life span to them. What that means is that they are driven by a date such as an event, or by a quantity such as an item in stock. Once that date passes or the item sells out, then the content should be removed or shifted to another section, such as ‘past events’ or ‘items out of stock’. It can be extremely disconcerting to a user to have to browse through events that are no longer relevant or to expect them to browse through a catalogue where a large percentage of the items are unavailable.

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Part of your workflow should be to seek permission to delete existing content, unless permission has already been expressly granted. This might happen during a weekly team meeting when a discussion may occur about updates that need to be made to the website. There might be a debrief on a past event, and during this you may be asked to move the event to another section so that it is still accessible for archive purposes, but isn’t visible within the upcoming events or activities section.

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Knowledge application - how often would I need to update?

Complete the table below with estimations of how often you might need to update content. A weekly basketball fixture A website for a venue that hosts bands A website that has recipes A blog An online clothing store An annual event

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Using WordPress In traditional website development, you design and produce the web page and then upload it to the server via FTP, however with Content Management Systems, you login to a web user interface via your browser and then enter or upload your content.

This login page will require a username and password that should be provided by your organisation. Correctly enter the username and password into the field and that should log you in and take you to the home page.

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You can make any and all changes to your content from the dashboard page. There are two key category types within WordPress. They are posts and pages. The important thing to understand is that posts have an official publish date and are displayed based on that date within the site’s blog page. Pages on the other hand, do not have a publish date and are intended to be timeless, so pages on a website that include such things as contact details and company information would be pages that don’t change. Let’s start with the simple task of creating a new page. We’ve been given a brief to add a new page called ‘Community Services’ to the main menu. The text has been provided to us in the file titled Community_Services_Text.

By clicking on Pages > Add New you will be taken to the Add Page front end. Here you copy and paste the content from the word document to the web browser.

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When you paste your content over you may notice additional lines between paragraphs; this can be due to the way the document has carried over some of its existing formatting. You will need to edit and remove extra line spaces. You will also notice that all of the text copies over without the font formatting. What you need to do here is select the text that you want to change and then adjust it in the Typography panel on the right-hand side. In this example (see below), the selected text has been changed to Large. You can also change the colour of the text as well as make it bold or italic, and convert it into a hyperlink.

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You can preview a page without publishing it. Publishing the page makes it live and viewable by everyone, whereas preview means that only you can see it; this gives you an opportunity to check for errors and test how it will look on a computer as well as a tablet. You can also save a draft for editing later which can be handy if you need to review a page or need additional content before publishing.

When your page is ready and proofed, you can click on the Publish button which will then make it live on the website.

Managing menus When you add a page you will also need to update your menu structure so that: 1.

The new page is accessible from the menu.

2. The order in which the menu items are displayed is accurate. 3. The hierarchy of the menu is logical. Menus help a user to navigate around a website based on a hierarchy. It is important to have an understanding of the relevance or relationship of the content you are categorising. You may need to seek clarification as to where the content should be located within the website. You are able to manage menus from the Dashboard.

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For example, after we have created the Community Services page, it makes sense to add it to our main menu. We can do this by selecting the Community Services page in the Pages section and then clicking on Add to Menu.

We can then shift the order of the item in the menu by clicking and dragging the item to change the order. Within this we can also create sub-menu items by dragging an item underneath and to the right of another. This means that the top layer will become the parent.

It is important that whenever we want to go back to the Dashboard that we save any changes we have made; if we click out of the page or use the arrow keys to go back, we will lose any work or progress we have made.

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Knowledge application - using WordPress

You should use the login details given to you by your Trainer/Assessor and login to the WordPress platform. Here you should use the detail from the document titled ACTIVITY 4_COMMUNITY SERVICES TEXT_CUADIG211 to add a new page called ‘Community Services’ to the main menu. We have just outlined the instructions on how this can be done in the previous section of this Student Resource. You should follow each of the steps, preview the page and then hit Publish. Once you have done this, follow the steps outlined that allow you to add it to the main menu.

Learning Checkpoint 1 1.

Give an example of content that might need to be updated regularly on a fitness centre’s website.

2. How would you confirm frequency of content updates and production deadlines? 3. Why is it important to review all content thoroughly before it is published? 4. Why should you confirm specific details about what content is to be deleted from a website before doing so?

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Checking links and media assets Links and media assets can refer to anything that is connected to your website externally via either a hyperlink or content that has been embedded. There may be instances when that content is deleted, taken offline, or moved, which causes your links to break. There may also be occasions where the existing content is replaced by updated content which means that your link is outdated.

Checking existing links are valid and source replacement links as required Unless you know when a website is being updated it can be beneficial to regularly check your links to make sure they are current and functional. If there are changes required, you should then follow your organisational policies and procedures about who to inform to ensure the content updates occur. If a website has been restructured, you may need to spend time searching for the updated content and web pages and then update the links as required.

Confirming assets are functional and in a file format and size that meets content requirements While the internet has a lot more bandwidth than it had in the past, you still need to be aware of image file sizes and formats when uploading content to websites. These formats might include: JPEG (or JPG)

Joint Photographic Experts Group

PNG

Portable Network Graphics

GIF

Graphics Interchange Format

TIFF

Tagged Image File

PSD

Photoshop Document

PDF

Portable Document Format

RAW

Raw Image Formats

A JPG file is the most common file type and one you will find on the internet or when you shoot a photograph on your phone. It uses compression to cluster pixels together; the higher the compression, the smaller the file size, but also the more visual information that is potentially lost. PNG is a lossless compression that maintains pixel integrity; with this you don’t lose information each time you save your file. Files are inherently larger than JPG’s but will be of higher quality. Depending on your final image resolution, they may or may not be suitable for distribution on the internet. GIF is a lossless compression but is limited to 256 colours. Because of this lower colour range, they have smaller file sizes. A GIF can be a single image or an animation loop.

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A TIFF is a larger industry-standard file size that retains all of the image information when you are saving. It is a suitable format, therefore, to work on when manipulating and editing images. The file sizes, however, are too large and impractical for distribution. PSD is the native file format that you use in Photoshop. It allows you to save image information and manipulation in a non-destructive format, which means you can always go back to your original version. PSD’s will enable you to save and group layers of elements within your image so that you can make changes afterwards. For example, if you wanted to type text on top of an image and then decide later that you want to reposition it, you can do that in a PSD file; you cannot do that in a JPG as the changes you make are baked into the image and can’t be undone. Files cannot be read by a web browser. PDF files are displayed with Adobe Acrobat or through your browser; they are useful for distributing documents and images in a format that retains specific layout or design choices. PDF is similar to the traditional printing of documents and is used for digital magazines and letters, or the distribution of other documents. They can be uploaded if a third party previewer is installed – which most modern browsers have. RAW image files come from shooting on a smartphone or DSLR camera. These are large files that contain a lot of additional image information, allowing you to make subtle changes to your image after you’ve shot it. These allow you to correct mistakes you may have made in image exposure or making colour adjustments. They should not be uploaded onto the internet. As well as the image format, you should be aware of the resolution. While a browser can scale and reduce the size of an image, it makes more sense to optimise the image prior to uploading. This can be helpful as well when you have a catalogue of images that are required to be the same size and aspect ratio. Always check your media to see whether it can be optimised before uploading.

Document technical and content issues according to organisational policies and procedures Your organisation might make use of an Issue Tracking Template which is used to report and make team members aware of potential issues and bugs that might occur within a website. If your role is to go through a website and validate the links and the content, then you should use an Issue Tracking

Template to record any content that needs to be edited, updated, or deleted. It is not uncommon for a website to get so large that old or obsolete content sits somewhere on the website; it may not be indexed by the main menu, but Google or another search engine may still find it. Just because a link is removed from the main menu, it doesn’t mean that the page isn’t visible on the internet.

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Group activity - the wrong content

In small groups, brainstorm what the impact of the following scenarios could be on a business. An employee’s email address was spelt incorrectly?

A picture of the boss’s cat was uploaded instead of her profile picture.

A date was incorrect on an event.

Spelling mistakes in articles.

An event that happened three months ago is still listed as upcoming.

The price is wrong on an item.

Learning Checkpoint 2 1.

Why should you check a website to make sure there are no broken links?

2. Why should you optimise images before uploading? 3. Why should you log changes that are required to be made to a website? 4. Should you use an image on your website if you don’t have copyright clearance? Why or why not?

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WordPress and plug-ins One of the core advantages of WordPress is its ability to install plug-ins. A plug-in is a piece of software that contains groups of functions that can be added to WordPress websites. They have the ability to extend functionality or add new features to WordPress websites. WordPress plug-ins are written in a programming language called PHP which integrates seamlessly with WordPress. Plug-ins make it easier for users to add website features without knowing a single line of code. At the time of writing this Student Resource there were over 58,000 WordPress plug-ins to choose from, which ensures that whatever functionality your organisation requires from their website, it will be available. Whether it’s creating custom forms, or E-Commerce style shopping carts, WordPress can handle it all. If your website requires some degree of custom content, then likely you will need to install a third party plug-in to manage that.

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You should be diligent in researching what plug-ins are most appropriate for the required task, and then report that to management as the nominated choices before installing them.

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Research and class discussion - plug-ins

You have been asked to build a WordPress website for a rock band. They want to be able to add pictures, video clips and music to the site. Do some online research to see what plug-ins may be available to customise the website to meet their needs.

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Discuss options that you find as a group.

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Knowledge application - adding to your WordPress page

Refer back to the Community Services page that you created previously. You are now to follow the details below on Plug-Ins, Meta Tags and Blocks in WordPress, and update your page accordingly. Once you have done this, again check your content for accuracy. You must remember to press Update before exiting. This should be done as a class activity.

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The purpose of meta tags Meta Tags allow a search engine to index your website and are useful in summarising the contents of the web page. You should make it a habit to include what is referred to as a tag in each page, which should summarise what the page is about in one to two sentences. This is the text that will then appear when your web address shows up in a search request.

Meta tag manager From the WordPress Dashboard, click on Plugins > Add Plugins and then enter the text meta tag manager into the keyword search field:

Then click the Install Now button. Then Activate.

Once it is installed you can manage plug-ins through the installed plug-ins tab.

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Now we can go back and edit our Community Services page and add some Meta Tags. If we go Pages > Edit Pages, then select our Community Services page and scroll to the bottom, you’ll now see a tab for Meta Tag.

Click on Add Meta Tag and then use the drop-down menus to select name and description as shown in the following image.

Then within the content Attribute you can write what your page is about.

Remember to click Update before exiting the page.

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Blocks in WordPress WordPress uses a block editor, which allows you to position pieces of content and then move them around. This can be handy for positioning images and sections of text, which can all be defined by the templates or layout that you have applied to a site. For example, let’s go back to editing our Community Services page. Say we now want to add the image below just under the title.

What we can do is click on the plus arrow where it says start writing or type / to choose a block

From here we can select image:

This will create an empty image block within our page.

We can then select Upload which will upload the image from our source folder. This will insert the image and you will see the properties panel for the Block (see right). It is here that we would write the Alt text or alternative text that gives a description of what the image is. This can be helpful when Google is indexing a page, particularly if the image is of a specific product, person, or place that can be identifiable.

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Learning Checkpoint 3 1.

How do you primarily edit, update or make changes to content through WordPress?

2. How do you make changes to the layout of your website within WordPress? 3. What is the difference between preview and publish? 4. Why should you research plug-ins before installing them? 5. Why must you ensure that changes are saved before leaving a page? 6. Why should you inform management if interface changes are required?

Layout and formatting Style sheets allow for a website to have a uniformed look and feel. Traditionally they are an external file that is linked to each page. However with WordPress you manage the look and feel of your website through the Appearance tab. WordPress is made up of themes that can overlay onto your existing content, and then you can customise the layout of individual sections or elements within the site. To change the theme you can go to Appearance from the Dashboard and then click on Add Themes. It should be noted that unless the website is receiving a major overhaul or the organisation is going through some form of rebranding, that you shouldn’t change its theme unless agreed to by management. Similarly, any changes for font or layout should come from management after consultation. To customise an individual element of a theme, select Customise from the Dashboard. Here you will see options for changing colours, header images and menu settings. Any changes you make will show up in the web browser in preview mode. Remember, to apply them, you will need to select Publish.

Archiving content It is always beneficial to make sure that you have a local copy of your text and images in case something happens to the website. This could be stored locally on a computer or, more ideally, on a network storage space. Be sure to correctly name files so that they can be retrieved if required.

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Which folder would you store the file in?

Your organisation has a storage drive to keep back-up copies and originals of image and video files. You have been given a list of files to move to this drive. Complete the table and list where you would move the file to. The available folders are: • Raw

• Web Delivery



• Video Source

• Photoshop Source

• Video Delivery

Camera Original Files – unretouched from a photoshoot Source Video Files from a social media video Compressed images uploaded to CMS Edited video sequences uploaded to social media Photoshop PSDs

Testing and previewing changes Anytime you make changes to the website, you should view them through a browser; independent of the WordPress dashboard to confirm that they are loading and displaying correctly. It may be handy to have multiple devices on hand. So, for example, make the changes on the web browser and then preview the content on a tablet or mobile device. That way you can be certain of what is ‘live’ on the site. If any changes are required, be certain to make the required adjustments straight away.

Learning Checkpoint 4 1.

Why is it essential to check that content is displayed correctly before exiting a session?

2. Why should you communicate to management that all changes have been made? 3. Why should you ensure that all original content is stored and archived in correct folders?

Conclusion Managing and maintaining content of a website using a Content Management System can remove a lot of the technical headaches relating to understanding HTML code and/or Style Sheets. While it simplifies the process, it still requires you to be diligent in proofing and checking your work. The framework for WordPress also allows for extremely customisable and functional design which can enhance the benefits of your website, and elevate it from static brochureware to a functional asset that supports your business or organisation. 43

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