website governance

Governance of a website may include a wide variety of responsibilities, including online strategy, budgeting, systems and software administration, hosting, online marketing and communications, e-commerce, customer service, business development, online community and social media, web content development and workflows, content strategy, translation, website graphic design, user experience (analysis/design), [[Informal11ikkcbc

tion architecture|information/data architecture]], website analytics, security, archiving, outsourcing, accessibility, legal issues (for example, copyright, DRM, trademark, and privacy), information ethics, and training, among others. These areas may be the responsibility of several or single staff within an organization, depending on available resources and infrastructure, organizational needs and objectives, website size, and how content is managed and delivered.{{cite web |url=http://www.isl.ca/en/home/enewsletter/jun09-webgovernance.aspx |title=Stewardship at the heart of Web Governance|author=Stephanie Lummis |date= June 2009 |access-date=2010-02-15}} McGovern{{cite web |url=http://www.cmswire.com/cms/web-content/how-many-webpages-can-one-person-manage-004170.php |title=How Many Webpages Can One Person Manage? |author=Gerry McGovern |date= March 23, 2009 |access-date=2010-03-09}} argues that there is a limit to the number of web pages that can be professionally managed by one person, although he does not set the outer limit, either in a number of pages (in a centralized model of website governance) or in a number of publishers (in a decentralized model of website governance).

A website management team (WMT) can be defined as an authorizing body of a website responsible for setting and achieving high-level goals for a site. This body includes content owner stakeholders and site production staff.{{cite web |url=http://www.diffily.com/articles/governance.htm |title=Why your website needs governance|author=Shane Diffily |date= April 2006 |access-date=2010-03-04}} In some organizations, a chief web officer leads the WMT.

File:website governance roles.pngResponsibilities and authorities of website staff may be grouped by strategic, tactical and operational roles, and may be organized as a cross-functional web team. A strategic site sponsor articulates the high-level vision of the site, and determines if the vision is adequately fulfilled; a tactical-level staff translates the vision into detail by prioritizing projects, specifying site design and negotiating the placement of content.{{Cite book

| publisher = Addison-Wesley Professional

| isbn = 0-201-43331-1

| pages = [https://archive.org/details/collaborativeweb0000burd/page/272 272]

| last = Burdman

| first = Jessica

| title = Collaborative Web Development: Strategies and Best Practices for Web Teams

| location = Reading, Mass

| year = 1999

| url = https://archive.org/details/collaborativeweb0000burd/page/272

}} The tactical staff may be a group serving on a website governance board or steering team representing the main constituencies as defined by the organization's overall business plan.{{cite web |url=http://www.allbusiness.com/technology/software-services-applications-internet/10621314-1.html |title=Effective Web governance structures|author=Kim Guenther |date= March 1, 2001 |access-date=2010-02-26}}

Several models of website governance exist. Authors have focused on the content lifecycle;{{cite web |url=http://www.contentmanager.net/magazine/article_785_defining_a_model_for_content_governance.html |title=Defining a Model for Content Governance|author=Randy Woods |date= September 2005 |access-date=2010-02-16}} primary components, such as people, process, and standards;{{cite web |url=http://www.levelfivesolutions.com/storage/app/media/resources/levelfiveWebGovernance.pdf |title=Web Governance|author=Level Five Solutions |year= 2009 |access-date=2010-02-16}} attributes, such as accountability, accessibility, participation across business areas, and standards;{{cite web |url=http://hurolinan.com/index.php/2008/02/13/web-analytics-governance/ |title=Web analytics governance: who's in charge?|author=Hurol Inan |date= February 13, 2008 |access-date=2010-02-16}} and type of governance structure (centralized, decentralized, or federated).{{cite web |url=http://contentology.com/docs/Web_Governance_Comparison_Chart.pdf |title=A Comparison Chart of Web Governance Models for Large Organizations|author=Garth von Buchholz |year= 2009 |access-date=2010-02-23}}

Through the Federal Web Managers Council, Federal agencies in the U.S. government collaborate to share common challenges, ideas, and best practices and improve the online delivery of U.S. government information and services.{{cite web |url=http://www.howto.gov/about-us/council |title=Federal Web Managers Council|date= October 2011|publisher=howto.gov|access-date=2011-10-27}} Harrison, the first co-chair of the Federal Web Managers Council, has proposed the 5 "R's" of web governance: Roles, Responsibilities, Relationships, Rules, and Review.{{cite web |url=http://candioncontent.blogspot.com/2009/04/5-rs-of-governance-get-it-rightget-it.html |title=The 5 "R's" of Governance – Get It Right…Get It Done|date= April 2009|publisher=Candi on Content|access-date=2010-05-08}}

In a 2008 report,{{cite web |url=http://www.unjiu.org/data/reports/2008/en2008_06.pdf |title=Review of Management of Internet Websites in the United Nations System Organizations|year= 2008 |access-date=2010-03-05}} the United Nations Joint Inspection Unit reviewed the management of websites in United Nations system organizations and made eight recommendations to improve a website's presence. These included website governance, strategy, and policies and guidelines; content management systems; and staffing, training, and funding.{{cite web |url=http://sm4good.com/2009/10/13/recommendations-website-governance-strategy-united-nations |title=Eight impressive recommendations on website governance and strategy|date= October 2009 |access-date=2010-03-05}}

In 2011 Jacoby introduced the Website Governance Functional Model.{{cite web | url=http://www.cmswire.com/cms/web-cms/is-your-website-governance-functional-013192.php | title=Is Your Website Governance Functional? |author=Robert Jacoby |date= October 25, 2011 |publisher=CMSWire |access-date=2011-11-10}}{{cite web | url=http://www.cmswire.com/cms/web-cms/6-concepts-for-the-future-of-website-governance-including-a-new-functional-model-013215.php |title=6 Concepts for the Future of Website Governance, Including a New Functional Model |author=Robert Jacoby |date= October 26, 2011 |publisher=CMSWire |access-date=2011-11-10}} Based on a business reference model within Davenport's

{{cite book

| last1=Davenport

| first1=Thomas H.

| author-link=Thomas H. Davenport

| last2=Prusak

| first2=Laurence

| year=1997

| title=Information Ecology

| pages=[https://archive.org/details/informationecolo00dave/page/288 288]

| publisher=Oxford University Press

| isbn=0-19-511168-0

| url=https://archive.org/details/informationecolo00dave/page/288

| url-access=registration

}} information ecology, the Website Governance Functional Model included at least 16 functional areas within an organization, along with the principles of project, information, and knowledge management. In this article he also introduced the concept "the website is the organization."

In 2012 Jacoby introduced the Website Governance Modeling Tool, "designed to help Web managers and their stakeholders conceptualize and assess their organization's website governance."{{cite web | url= http://www.cmswire.com/cms/web-cms/website-governance-new-modeling-tool-puts-you-in-charge-015776.php| title=Website Governance: New Modeling Tool Puts You in Charge |author=Robert Jacoby |date= May 24, 2012 |publisher=CMSWire |access-date=2012-05-24}}

[[File:Website_Governance_Modeling_Tool.jpg|thumb|right|300px|

The Website Governance Modeling Tool provides space and structure to illustrate functional areas of website governance. It as a pre-populated "drawing board", a place to process through Web work areas and strategies. Each work area and strategy is in an expandable, movable, writable box, with more named work areas to the side.]]

• Content audit
• Content inventory
• Design methods
• Information technology governance
• Internet governance
• Project governance
• Web archiving
• Web content lifecycle
• Web content management system
• Web design
• World Wide Web

{{Clear}}

{{Reflist|30em}}

• {{cite web |url=http://www.digitalgov.gov/2015/06/12/how-governance-supports-your-agencys-digital-government-strategy/ |title=How Governance Supports Your Agency's Digital Government Strategy |last=Jacoby |first=Robert |date=12 June 2015 |website=DigitalGov.gov |access-date=25 July 2015}}
• {{cite book|author=Lisa Welchman|title=Managing Chaos: Digital Governance by Design|year=2015|publisher=Rosenfeld Media |isbn=978-1933820880}}

• [http://www.linkedin.com/groups?home=&gid=1812891 Web Governance LinkedIn group]
• [http://www.usability.gov/ Usability.gov]
• [http://www.howto.gov/web-content/ Howto.gov Web Content channel]
• [http://www.website-governance.com/ Website Governance Modeling Tool]

{{WebManTools}}

Category:Website management

Category:Information technology governance