Dynamic Web Content

Static Web Sites

• Same All the Time

• Changes When WebMaster Updates It

• Seen it Once, Seen All There Is

• Seldom Visited

Dynamic?

1. a. Of or relating to energy or to objects in motion.b.Of or relating to the study of dynamics.

2.Characterized by continuous change, activity, or progress: a dynamic market.

3.Marked by intensity and vigor; forceful. See Synonyms at active

4.Of or relating to variation of intensity, as in musical sound.

Dynamic Content

• Easily Updated By Owner– Content Management – Blog

• Updated by Others– Forums– Wikis– News Feeds

From Waterfalls of North Georgiaby Jack Anthony

Fluid Content

Why Dynamic Content

• Easily or Automatically Updates Site Content

• Always Something New and Hopefully Interesting

• Encourages People to Return

• Drives Web Traffic

Typical Static Site

Design ProgramDesign Program

BrowserBrowser

httpftp

Webmaster End-User

Webserver

Typical Dynamic Site

BrowserBrowserBrowserBrowser

DatabaseDatabase

Design ProgramDesign Program

Graphic Designer End UserContent Master

Webserver

CM Program

Content Management

• Allows Webmaster to Add/Edit/Delete Website Content via Web Interface

• Keeps Overall Graphic Look Set By Graphic Designer

• Dynamically Generates Web Pages for End User Reflecting Current Content

Simple Example

• Web Master Enters Events into CM Calendar Months in Advance

• User Views “Upcoming Events” Web Page

• CM Program Calculates Which Events are In Future

• End User Sees Future Events, Not Past Ones

CMS Applications

• Blog• Chat• Classifieds• Contact Management• Database Reports• Discussion/Forum• Document Management• Events Calendar

More CMS Applications

• FAQ Management• Graphs & Charts• Groupware• Help Desk/Bug Reporting• Job Postings• Link Management• Mail Form• My Page/Dashboard

More CMS Applications

• Photo Gallery

• Polls

• Site Map

• Surveys

• Syndicated Content

• User Contributed Articles

Content Management

• Mamboserver.com

• Plone.org

• Postnuke.com

• Joomla!

• Artiloo

• Drupal

Blogs

On-Line Diaries and Journals

Blog

• Short for “Web Log”

• Usually Thoughts of One Person

• Usually In Chronological Order

• Most Recent First

• Find them at blogsearch.google.comTerms at:

http://www.quickonlinetips.com/archives/2006/06/the-giant-blogging-terms-glossary/

Blog Features

• Single/Multiple Users

• Response or Comments on Posts

• Easy Linking to Posts via permalink

• Joining Comments of other Blogs via Trackback and Pingback

• Syndication Via RSS

WordPress

• Wordpress.org

• PHP and MySQL

• Easy Installation

• Lots of Plugins

• Single-Blog

Forums

Building Community

Forums

• Similar to old “Bulletin Board” Systems

• Group of Users Commenting on a Common Topic

• Often Used for Community-Based Tech Support

Example Forums

• woot.com/Forums

• flyertalk.com

• opentravelinfo.com/forum

• fordors.com/forums

• tripforums.com

• cruisingtalk.com

Forum Software Features

• Threaded Discussion: Follows a topic

• User-Selectable Visual Theme

• Ability to Attach Image to a Post

• Calendar

• Multi-Language

• Administrative Options

Control Consideration

• Location/Event Forum?

• Chamber or Members-Only?

• Be Prepared for Good and Bad

• Policy for Unflattering Posts?

• Hint: Monitor and Promptly Resolve

Free Products

• Phorum

• phpBB

• Web Wiz Forum

• miniBB

• Vanilla

Wikis

Collaborative Sites

Wiki

• Hawaiian for “fast” or “quick”

• Collaborative Software

• Shared Web Page

• Pages Easily Created and Edited

• Example: wikipedia.org>1,775,000 English Articles

Wiki Uses

• Community Publishing

• Project Communication

• Internal Shared Discussion

• Policy and Procedures Documentation

Common Wiki Features

• Easily Editable Pages

• Automatically Creates New Pages As Needed

• Simplified Markup of Text

• Version Control to Revert to Previous Versions

• Attaching Files to Pages

Popular Wiki Engines

• MoinMoin• MediaWiki• PhpWiki• OddMuseWiki• UseModWiki• TwikiClone• TikiWiki• PmWiki

RSS

Syndicating Pure Content

Pure Play

• All Content, no Graphics

• Add Graphics to Exactly Match Existing Site

• Total Separation of Content and Presentation

Just the facts,m’am

News Feeds

• Major News Services– BBC

• News Web Sites– Slashdot

• Blogs

• Weather Services

RSS 2.0

• Web Content Syndication Format

• Really Simple Syndication

• Dialect of XML

• http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss

RSS Format

<rss>

<channel><title><link><description><language>

<copyright><pubDate><category>

<item><title><link><description><author>

<category><comments><enclosure>

<guid><pubDate><source>

RSS Use: Podcasts

• Podcasts Use RSS 2.0

• Apple’s iTunes Music Store Extended RSS 2.0

• Many, Many Podcasts Available

• Podcatcher Software Downloads New Episodes When Available

More RSS

• CM Systems Can Generate RSS

• Blogs

• Forums

• Can Generate Traffic Back to Originating Website

Conclusion

• Dynamic Content Makes Sites More Interesting and Up-To-Date

• Encourages Return Visitors

• May Allow Interaction Among Users

• Most Popular Sites Are Dynamic

• Doesn’t Have to Cost a Lot of $$