The rest of the iceberg: supporting an internal community of Web site content creators and reviewers

Abstract

Many websites attempt to provide reliable (e.g. peer-reviewed) and timely information in difficult and dynamic content areas. In such cases, the visible public site is only the tip of the proverbial iceberg. In addition to the design and delivery of content on the public site, there needs to be a reliable and effective system (which may include other linked websites) by which content creators and reviewers work together in the development and review of site content. In addition, this system may have to provide an efficient method for approved content to be formatted appropriately and posted on the public site. There can be many challenges to establishing and maintaining such a system in support of an internal website community of content creators and review board members. These challenges can be caused or exacerbated by: geographical separation, multiple disciplinary perspectives, differing levels of technical expertise, and the need to coordinate across organizational boundaries. The website of the Multiple Sclerosis Centers of Excellence (MSCoE) is such a site, facing challenges like these in support of an internal community of website content creators and reviewers. This work describes the system we have implemented to address these challenges and support the work of this internal community, as well as to link the results of that work seamlessly to public website delivery. This system combines technical tools for managing and facilitating content and publication tasks with both informal and formal methods of interpersonal and team communication. The lessons learned in developing and supporting this internal operations community can be applied to other website projects with similar goals and issues.