AUTOMATED MANAGEMENT OF INTERNET AND/OR WEB SITE CONTENT

• US 20080098030A1
• Filed: 12/18/2007
• Published: 04/24/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 06/01/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: McGuire, Timothy, Lambert, Terry, Edd, Linda, Shore, Thomas
• Granted Patent: US 8,132,092 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/958 Organisation or management of web site content, e.g. publishing, maintaining pages or automatic linking
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface

Abstract

An apparatus, program product, and method manage content from a content-controlled database (e.g., web pages or other files maintained in a web site) using a content management record linked to each content-controlled content item in the database. Each content management record is utilized in conjunction with a multi-stage content management process, where at least one stage is a review stage during which approval of an associated content item for a content management record is obtained. As a result of receiving appropriate approval, such an associated content item may be promoted and made available to users of the content-controlled database, with the content management record updated to reflect such a status of the associated content item. Multiple language and/or country versions of a content item may be linked together, such that changes made to one language/country version of a content item may automatically prompt a review of other versions to ensure that the changes are propagated to the other versions when necessary.

Claims

1. An apparatus, comprising:

at least one processor; and

program code configured to be executed by the at least one processor to manage content in a content-controlled database by;

linking a content management record to a content item to be incorporated into a content-controlled database, the content management record storing content management information associated with the content item;

processing the content item through a plurality of stages of a content management process, including updating the content management information stored in the content management record during each stage of the content management process, wherein the plurality of stages includes at least one review stage during which approval of the content item is obtained;

promoting the content item as a result of the content management process such that the content item is user accessible from the content-controlled database, including updating the content management information stored in the content management record to indicate that the content item has been promoted; and

initiating an update review process after the content item has been promoted, wherein initiating the update review process includes initiating demotion of the content item a time period after the update review process has been initiated if the update review process has not yet been completed.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the content-controlled database comprises a web site accessible via the Internet.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the program code is configured to update the content management information stored in the content management record during each stage of the content management process by updating a status in the content management record that is associated with a current stage of the content management process.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the plurality of stages includes a draft stage during which an author inputs content management information into the content management record.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the plurality of stages includes a topic review stage during which at least one topic owner associated with a topic reviews the content item based upon such topic.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the plurality of stages includes a legal review stage during which at least one legal entity reviews the content item based upon legal requirements.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the plurality of stages includes a country review stage during which at least one country-related entity reviews the content item based upon country-specific requirements.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the plurality of stages includes an approval stage during which a content manager having responsibility for all of the content in the content-controlled database reviews the content item.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the plurality of stages includes a develop stage during which the content item is formatted for inclusion in the content-controlled database.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the program code is configured to process the content item through the content management process by returning the content item to an earlier stage in the content management process in response to non-approval of the content item during the review stage.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the content management process is performed by a group of entities, wherein selected entities are responsible for various stages of the content management process, and wherein the program code is configured to process the content item through the content management process by, at each stage in the content management process, notifying the entity responsible for such stage.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the program code is configured to notify each entity by sending such entity an electronic message.

13. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the program code is further configured to, after approval of the content item, defer promotion of the content item until a predetermined date identified in the content management record.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the program code is configured to defer promotion of the content item until the predetermined date identified in the content management record by:

periodically comparing a current date against the predetermined date identified in the content management record after approval of the content item is obtained; and

promoting the content item when the current date matches the predetermined date identified in the content management record.

15. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the program code is configured to initiate the update review process by notifying an author associated with the content item.

16. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the program code is further configured to, after promotion of the content item, periodically compare a current date with an update review date identified in the content management record, wherein the program code is configured to initiate the update review process in response to the current date matching the update review date identified in the content management record.

17. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the program code is configured to initiate the update review process by reminding the author a time period after the update review process has been initiated if the update review process has not yet been completed.

18. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the program code is configured to initiate the update review process by reminding a reviewer a time period after the update review process has been initiated if the update review process has not yet been completed.

19. A program product, comprising:

a recordable computer readable medium; and

program code stored on the recordable medium and configured upon execution to manage content in a content-controlled database by;

linking a content management record to a content item to be incorporated into a content-controlled database, the content management record storing content management information associated with the content item;

processing the content item through a plurality of stages of a content management process, including updating the content management information stored in the content management record during each stage of the content management process, wherein the plurality of stages includes at least one review stage during which approval of the content item is obtained; and

promoting the content item as a result of the content management process such that the content item is user accessible from the content-controlled database, including updating the content management information stored in the content management record to indicate that the content item has been promoted, wherein the program code is configured to promote the content item by copying the content item to a web server, and wherein the program code is configured to copy the content item to the web server by copying the content item to a staging server; and

copying the content item from the staging server to a production server automatically during automatic synchronization of the staging and production servers.

20. The program product of claim 19, wherein the plurality of stages includes at least one of a draft stage during which an author inputs content management information into the content management record, a topic review stage during which at least one topic owner associated with a topic reviews the content item based upon such topic, a legal review stage during which at least one legal entity reviews the content item based upon legal requirements, a country review stage during which at least one country-related entity reviews the content item based upon country-specific requirements, an approval stage during which a content manager having responsibility for all of the content in the content-controlled database reviews the content item, and a develop stage during which the content item is formatted for inclusion in the content-controlled database.

21. A program product, comprising:

a recordable computer readable medium; and

program code stored on the recordable medium and configured upon execution to manage content in a content-controlled database by;

linking a content management record to a content item to be incorporated into a content-controlled database, the content management record storing content management information associated with the content item;

processing the content item through a plurality of stages of a content management process, including updating the content management information stored in the content management record during each stage of the content management process, wherein the plurality of stages includes at least one review stage during which approval of the content item is obtained;

promoting the content item as a result of the content management process such that the content item is user accessible from the content-controlled database, including updating the content management information stored in the content management record to indicate that the content item has been promoted;

initiating an update review process after the content item has been promoted; and

after promotion of the content item, periodically comparing a current date with an update review date identified in the content management record, wherein initiating the update review process is performed in response to the current date matching the update review date identified in the content management record.

22. The program product of claim 21, wherein the plurality of stages includes at least one of a draft stage during which an author inputs content management information into the content management record, a topic review stage during which at least one topic owner associated with a topic reviews the content item based upon such topic, a legal review stage during which at least one legal entity reviews the content item based upon legal requirements, a country review stage during which at least one country-related entity reviews the content item based upon country-specific requirements, an approval stage during which a content manager having responsibility for all of the content in the content-controlled database reviews the content item, and a develop stage during which the content item is formatted for inclusion in the content-controlled database.

23. An apparatus, comprising:

at least one processor; and

program code configured to be executed by the at least one processor to manage content in a content-controlled database by;

linking a content management record to a parent content item to be incorporated into a content-controlled database, the content management record storing content management information associated with the parent content item;

processing the parent content item through a plurality of stages of a content management process, including updating the content management information stored in the content management record during each stage of the content management process, wherein the plurality of stages includes at least one review stage during which approval of the parent content item is obtained;

promoting the parent content item as a result of the content management process such that the parent content item is user accessible from the content-controlled database, including updating the content management information stored in the content management record to indicate that the parent content item has been promoted; and

automatically initiating a review of a child content item linked to the parent content item in response to modification of the parent content item.

24. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the parent content is associated with at least one of a first country, a first region, and a first language, and wherein the child content item is associated with at least one of a second country, a second region, and a second language.

25. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the plurality of stages includes at least one of a draft stage during which an author inputs content management information into the content management record, a topic review stage during which at least one topic owner associated with a topic reviews the content item based upon such topic, a legal review stage during which at least one legal entity reviews the content item based upon legal requirements, a country review stage during which at least one country-related entity reviews the content item based upon country-specific requirements, an approval stage during which a content manager having responsibility for all of the content in the content-controlled database reviews the content item, and a develop stage during which the content item is formatted for inclusion in the content-controlled database.