Understanding your website

Foundational Knowledge on running a messagepac site, includes overviews of the site structure and Brower based text editor.

Setting the scene

Your Messagepac™ website is a clever combination of design and information.  Traditional websites are constructed using pages that are fixed, the information that they contain and the way that the information is presented is held in the same fixed place. In this traditional world of websites, adding, changing or removing a page can be something of a black art.

With Messagepac™ you provide the content, the information, for your website and the website manages the presentation independently. You focus on the messages you want to give your target audience and the website presents the messages to them just as soon as you decide.  You can change your website content when you like, as often as you like so that you can interact with your audience in as dynamic a manner as you choose.  You are creating value and credibility through being relevant and interactive and so your website works for you.

Understanding your site

Your website is all about presenting relevant information to your audience.  To make a successful website you must create a structure or a hierarchy for that information so that the most important points are easily available to your audience.

Messagepac™ helps you to create a flexible organisation for your website information, encouraging you to structure the information in a hierarchy that is logical and at the same time allows that information to be presented in a number of ways to your audience.

The hierarchy that Messagepac™ uses is described below.

• Content Groups

Messagepac™ uses the concept of Content Groups to begin organising your information.  Messagepac™ groups your content together around the type of information it holds.  For example, you may publish white-papers that are of interest to your audience. Messagepac™ would hold  information of that type in a content group called White Papers. A second content group may hold items of news about your organisation.

• Categories

Messagepac™ uses the concept of Categories to sub-divide your content groups.  For example you may have White Papers that relate to one subject, such as “Trade with Third World Nations” and other White Papers that relate to a second subject of “Sourcing Raw Materials”.  Each of these could have their own category to further organise your bank of articles.

• Articles

Messagepac™ uses the concept of Articles to provide one item of information that you might like to present, such as a White Paper or an item of news.  However an article can have structure in its own right and Messagepac™ allows for both significant structure to your article or as much freeform text as you choose. 

As standard Messagepac™ articles will have a title, an introduction and a freeform text component as this allows greatest flexibility and simplicity in presenting information to your audience, but the requirements of your website may dictate an alternative structure and your Messagepac™ implementation may reflect this.

Whilst this creates a clear hierarchy for your information Messagepac™ does not restrict the presentation of your information to that hierarchy. You may choose to display lists of “latest content”, create groups of specific articles or even share articles across content groups.

and categories so that, for example,  a news item is available when looking at general news but also when looking at product specific news too, and all without duplicating your effort.

Next article: Administration system
 

Article Date: 28th July 2006

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