USM Content Management System

Smart Feature Modules:

“Front-End” and “Back-End” Examples

“What You See Is What You Get”

The WYSIWYG Web Site Editor enables your organization to update any text-based document on the site outside of the e-commerce system. The WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) incorporates a similar tool set to Microsoft Word, giving your organization the ability to easily add links and photos, as well as bold, underline or italicize text, and make other changes to the site. Brunswick School 's web site (www.brunswickschool.org) is built using the WYSIWYG, giving them the ability to update almost all the text on the site.

Here’s the actual home page of a web site.

This is the WYSIWYG Web Site Editor view of the same page. Changes made here are immediately visible online.

The Announcement Box

The Announcement Box allows you to alert visitors to new products, special promotions, new/important features. Unlike the WYSIWYG, which is page specific, updating the Announcements Box on the “back-end,” will update content on all the pages through out the site where the Announcement Box appears. Photographs, text, and links can be entered into the box. There is no word limit in the Box; it grows, shrinks or disappears depending on the amount of content it contains.

This Announcement Box gives a quick sketch of and links to what’s happening: the latest news, a progress report, a limited-time offer, etc. It is a very effective way to keep your content fresh and appealing to site visitors.

This is what the links in the Announcement Box look like on the back-end. Here, the site owner indicates which links will be activated.actual home page of a web site.

E-Commerce

To learn more about USM's e-commerce system, please click here.

This Secure Online Ordering form will look familiar to customers who regularly shop online. And for newbies, it is very straightforward and easy to follow.

Photo Gallery

The fastest and simplest way to post photographs on the site, the Photo Gallery has many uses, ranging from displaying inventory to scenic photographs. Photos appear as thumbnails with captions on your site, and can be “clicked on” for larger images with descriptions. One photo can also rotate on the front page. Visit the Keewaydin Foundation (www.keewaydin.org) to see the Photo Gallery in action.

This is an example of how the Photo Gallery can be used. Site visitors can click on the photo they want to enlarge, these photos can then be printed. Photos can also rotate to the front page for a slideshow effect.

Here’s where the images for the Photo Gallery are stored.

Searchable Product Directory

The Searchable Product Directory stores and organizes large amounts of information in a visually-pleasing and searchable display on your web site. You choose the fields that define each item (e.g. title, photograph, description, item number, price, etc). By clicking on any individual listing a detailed view of that item will appear, with a description or multiple large photographs. The Searchable Product Directory allows customers to search by specific keywords to find the product they are looking for. The entire directory is updateable anytime, so that your web site is always correct and up to date. To see a Searchable Product Directory in action, go to www.sheamotorco.com and click on “Pre-Owned.”

This dealer gives site visitors easy access to the Pre-Owned cars inventory using the Searchable Product Directory.

In the back-end, the dealer indicates which cars to activate in the Searchable Product Directory.

Calendar Feature

This feature empowers your organization to easily post upcoming events online. The Calendar Feature dynamically generates a master calendar on the front end, and can generate events on division-specific pages (i.e., separate from the master calendar, “division-specific” events can appear on applicable pages only.). Once the date of an event passes, the event will automatically be removed from the site. Initially, the calendar can be populated by uploading an excel file and individual events can be added or edited at anytime through USM’s admin system. See Gill St. Bernard’s calendar (www.gsbschool.org) and section-specific pages for an example.

The front end of the the Calendar provides useful information to site visitors, who will return time and again for more.

You will edit your calendar entries in the content management system on a page that looks like this.

Member Login

The Member Login feature allows you to password-protect any or part(s) of your website. Clubs and professional associations can have members-only pages while artists, retailers, and service providers can protect wholesaler-only information, or law firms can create a client-only section. The Member Login feature also automatically captures the email address of every member and compiles it into a bulk email subscription list. When members “join” your site, you know that your services have captured their interest. The ability to contact each member directly by writing only one email is a powerful traffic-builder for your site. See www.vtrealtor.com for an example of the Member Login feature.

Access to privileged content is controlled through the Member Login Feature.

Request More Information Form

A Request More Information Form is an easy way for your prospective clients to contact you. You choose the information you want your visitors to submit. A Request More Information Form ensures that you get the information you need from a site visitor, and adequately prepares you to respond to his or her query. Please see Contact Adam at the top of the page on www.adamdow.com for an example of the Request More Info Form.

A Request More Information Form.

Updateable Weather

With this Smart Feature, weather is updated automatically throughout the day through a direct feed from the National Weather Service. It reports the weather for your local ZIP Code. Go to www.ascutney.com to see the weather at one of Vermont’s oldest ski resorts.

The display of current weather conditions can make your site more useful to your visitors.

File Upload Feature

Gives your organization the ability to upload Movies, PDFs or other files through the content management system onto your web site. Users can easily download the information off of the web site to access it. Please see the Library on www.keewaydin.org as an example.

Site visitors can download files from this very straightforward File Upload. File sizes are given, so visitors know what to expect.

Your view of the File Upload Feature in the content management system would look something like this.

Action Alert

A powerful advocacy module, the Action Alert lets you create public or private action alerts on your site. Users can respond to your alert, edit or add comments to a pre-written letter (if you permit them to) and then send it along to a legislator or other elected official via fax or email. The tool also allows for pre-approval, so you can review posted alerts if desired before they are sent along to the end recipient. Using the legislator lookup feature, a user can send alerts directly to their state representatives or senators (requires additional setup for your legislature if not in our system). See www.vtrealtor.com for an example.

An Action Alert can be a powerful tool to call your subscribers to action. This image shows how to keep track of your action alerts in the content management system.

You’ll create content for your Action Alerts in the content management system on a page that looks like this.

Secure Form

A one-page secure order form, this feature provides users with the option to easily make donations online (To see an example of the e-form, please visit www.brunswickschool.org).

Your supporters will feel comfortable contributing to your organization’s cause using this familiar looking form.