Technology evangelists feel that technology can change the world.  Perhaps like their religious equivalents, it’s not that there isn’t any truth in what they say, it’s just that they omit to provide the whole truth.  In the context of the web, it seems that too often internet agencies preach the power of the software, without talking about the importance of the content which it will manage.

Nowadays businesses are creating more and more content.  Managers, particularly middle managers, often feel they are spending their lives reporting rather than doing.  The web has exacerbated this situation – over the past years managers have found that they have to provide content for the web and for their corporate intranet.  Crucially web content should not be historical record like a internal report, it should be a vibrant call to action, with up to the minute detail.

Too few organisations are taking the content challenge seriously.  It is easier to buy content management software, believing it will solve all ills than it is to resource, train and identify those who can write stimulating relevant content.  Many corporate websites resemble content wastelands, with users having to rummage through masses of irrelevancy before finding what they want.  Some intranets I’ve seen are worse still, with the IT team, or one keen devotee deluged with requests, and with no structure or thought to getting it right.

The production of content remains an underestimated challenge in many internet projects, even though content is a site’s single most valuable asset.  It shouldn’t be an afterthought.  It shouldn’t be a hindrance.  Rather it is the foundation for the success of your web or intranet site.  It is the difference between getting the online sale and missing it, it is the difference between motivating your staff and frustrating them, the difference between staying close to your clients or ignoring them.

Your organisation’s content will have value associated with it.  It will reflect the expertise and experience of you and your people.  It is only when you give consideration to the value of what you know that you can begin to think about return on investment for your web and intranet investments.  And that should be the key driver for all online, as well as offline decisions.

Choosing a good content management system to publish on the internet is an important process, but it’s only the start.  Thereafter you must place a value on the content and begin the process of training the right company employees to produce quality content to the correct place.  Only then will they feel empowered to create, structure, edit and publish your organisation’s content to the right people in the right place at the right time.