Comments on: Angels in the Outfield http://webiscope.com/2008/07/angels-in-the-outfield/ Internet Healthcare Collaboration Mon, 30 Jan 2012 22:49:20 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: Neal http://webiscope.com/2008/07/angels-in-the-outfield/comment-page-1/#comment-453 Neal Mon, 28 Jul 2008 12:09:07 +0000 http://webiscope.com/?p=126#comment-453 As staff turns over and younger employees take their place, I think this problem will slowly evaporate. They are used to doing things on the Web, not intimidated by it at all, and fully understanding of it's importance. You know what they say, "Cultures change one funeral at a time." Neal As staff turns over and younger employees take their place, I think this problem will slowly evaporate. They are used to doing things on the Web, not intimidated by it at all, and fully understanding of it’s importance. You know what they say, “Cultures change one funeral at a time.”

Neal

]]> By: Seth http://webiscope.com/2008/07/angels-in-the-outfield/comment-page-1/#comment-450 Seth Fri, 25 Jul 2008 16:03:55 +0000 http://webiscope.com/?p=126#comment-450 I know exactly what you mean Neal. Traditionally our best contributors have been those updating the events calendars. But I have noticed that more and more of our new employees have some type of web authoring experience. With a little bit of guidance these people are becoming great content drivers. In one case we have a blog-type site that is totally managed and run by them as a communications vehicle for our physicians. By and large though, I "delegate" content management rights on a case by case basis, depending on the level of trust. Of course if that person ever leaves the organization then the responsibility becomes "centralized" again, that is, I have to do it. I know exactly what you mean Neal. Traditionally our best contributors have been those updating the events calendars. But I have noticed that more and more of our new employees have some type of web authoring experience. With a little bit of guidance these people are becoming great content drivers. In one case we have a blog-type site that is totally managed and run by them as a communications vehicle for our physicians. By and large though, I “delegate” content management rights on a case by case basis, depending on the level of trust. Of course if that person ever leaves the organization then the responsibility becomes “centralized” again, that is, I have to do it.

]]> By: Neal http://webiscope.com/2008/07/angels-in-the-outfield/comment-page-1/#comment-449 Neal Fri, 25 Jul 2008 12:19:42 +0000 http://webiscope.com/?p=126#comment-449 At Aurora we had two kinds of content providers, those who focused on services and product lines, and those who managed classes and events. The latter group was pretty good at keeping those things current. Probably more in their sweet spot anyway, and the system automatically deleted events that had passed, which made it easy. Of the first group, though, fewer than 1 in 10 took it seriously. Those who did were wonderful, and not surprisingly, their sections of the site got the most traffic. The rest, you'd have to remind, beg and cajole on a regular basis, usually to no effect. Why they don't get it is a mystery to me. But they would be the angriest when somebody in leadership or a doctor would complain about something in their section being out of date. Go figure. I thnk it's just a fact of life, at least until those folks get replaced by individuals for whom the Web is a way of life, and not just one more thing to do. It makes your "Web culture" all the more important! Neal At Aurora we had two kinds of content providers, those who focused on services and product lines, and those who managed classes and events. The latter group was pretty good at keeping those things current. Probably more in their sweet spot anyway, and the system automatically deleted events that had passed, which made it easy.

Of the first group, though, fewer than 1 in 10 took it seriously. Those who did were wonderful, and not surprisingly, their sections of the site got the most traffic. The rest, you’d have to remind, beg and cajole on a regular basis, usually to no effect. Why they don’t get it is a mystery to me.

But they would be the angriest when somebody in leadership or a doctor would complain about something in their section being out of date. Go figure. I thnk it’s just a fact of life, at least until those folks get replaced by individuals for whom the Web is a way of life, and not just one more thing to do. It makes your “Web culture” all the more important!

Neal

]]> By: Bart Hubbard http://webiscope.com/2008/07/angels-in-the-outfield/comment-page-1/#comment-448 Bart Hubbard Thu, 24 Jul 2008 18:21:26 +0000 http://webiscope.com/?p=126#comment-448 @Todd: we've seen the same thing here and find also that centralized editors are required to press the clients/experts to get us updates that we then make. A handful of distributed editors continue to stay active, but he majority do not. Is anyone out there having success with decentralized editors? By success I mean that they see the benefits of keeping the Web content up to date and actually do so. @Todd: we’ve seen the same thing here and find also that centralized editors are required to press the clients/experts to get us updates that we then make. A handful of distributed editors continue to stay active, but he majority do not.

Is anyone out there having success with decentralized editors? By success I mean that they see the benefits of keeping the Web content up to date and actually do so.

]]> By: Todd Stogner http://webiscope.com/2008/07/angels-in-the-outfield/comment-page-1/#comment-447 Todd Stogner Thu, 24 Jul 2008 14:32:31 +0000 http://webiscope.com/?p=126#comment-447 No doubt, this is an ongoing issue with everyone out there. We all want our sites to be fresh and shiny with new and continually updated content, but I am certainly no medical writer. That's why we have a decentralized authoring system in place. Great, we have the system in place, now how do we find our “angels?” We redesigned our site in 2005. I made it a point to sit down face to face with every hospital and service line in our system with a stake in the site. That was a grueling series of 40+ meetings. Part of our process included each stakeholder identifying a content author for their sub site. We then had to train each of these authors. It’s now three years later and wouldn’t you know it, it just didn’t take. Out of our now more than 50 sub sites I have a handful or authors, maybe 5, who actually maintain their content on a semi-consistent basis. We realized back in November that it was time to take action. We requested two new positions for our Web team, which now consists of just one, me. We are in the process of interviewing right now and I can’t wait to get them on board. We are taking a little bit of a new approach, around here anyway. We are moving towards more of a centralized content management process where our Web content specialists will be assigned specific hospitals and services lines. Those hospitals and service lines will be their clients. They will meet with them on a regular basis to help identify needs and to help them publish their content. We are looking specifically for writers. No, none of them are medical writers. We will still have to rely on our clinicians to be our content experts. No doubt, this is an ongoing issue with everyone out there. We all want our sites to be fresh and shiny with new and continually updated content, but I am certainly no medical writer. That’s why we have a decentralized authoring system in place. Great, we have the system in place, now how do we find our “angels?”

We redesigned our site in 2005. I made it a point to sit down face to face with every hospital and service line in our system with a stake in the site. That was a grueling series of 40+ meetings. Part of our process included each stakeholder identifying a content author for their sub site. We then had to train each of these authors.

It’s now three years later and wouldn’t you know it, it just didn’t take. Out of our now more than 50 sub sites I have a handful or authors, maybe 5, who actually maintain their content on a semi-consistent basis.

We realized back in November that it was time to take action. We requested two new positions for our Web team, which now consists of just one, me. We are in the process of interviewing right now and I can’t wait to get them on board.

We are taking a little bit of a new approach, around here anyway. We are moving towards more of a centralized content management process where our Web content specialists will be assigned specific hospitals and services lines. Those hospitals and service lines will be their clients. They will meet with them on a regular basis to help identify needs and to help them publish their content. We are looking specifically for writers. No, none of them are medical writers. We will still have to rely on our clinicians to be our content experts.

]]>