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RedDot Rolls Out User Improvements

Michael Pastore

3/28/2005

RedDot first made its name in the Web content management (WCM) space, and like many mid-market vendors, the company has moved on to document management, collaboration, and compliance applications. But last week, RedDot went back to its roots for a point upgrade to its Web content management system, rolling out version 6.1.

An improved user experience was clearly the goal of RedDot's work. "This latest release is very focused on usability, specifically for the content contributor and what it takes for them to do their job," said Darren Guarnaccia, director of technology at RedDot. "We're focusing very heavily on the end-user experience."

As intranets grow and workers become more tech-savvy, anyone can be a content contributor, from workers tasked with intranet updates on a daily basis, to workers who contribute or update specific content once in a blue moon. That is why RedDot, along with most of the mid-market CM vendors, are focusing on the ability to rapidly edit and contribute content.

SmartDrop is one feature new to 6.1 that allows content contributors to drag text or image files from their desktop or Windows Explorer and drop them directly onto the page. There is no need to open the files or copy and paste.

The DirectEdit feature is RedDot's answer to inline editing, which has become a popular feature of WCM applications in recent years. DirectEdit allows content contributors and editors to edit text directly on the Web page. No text editor is needed. Content can also be edited in the SmartEdit preview mode without opening text editor.

Another addition is Permanent Preview, which provides real-time site previews so users can instantly see changes made to their Web pages using any of RedDot's editing techniques.

RedDot's Web content management now offers a DirectEdit feature that allows content contributors and editors to edit text directly on the Web page.

On the backend, version 6.1 introduces Template Versioning, which allows administrators to more easily structure versions of a Web page. Administrators can use it to create several versions of a template, and store them in a version-controlled facility within the content management system. They can also compare the different template versions to see all differences, highlighting sections where code has been added and "red lining" where it has been removed.

"In an intranet environment, more than anything else, ease of use for casual contributors is important," Guarnaccia told Intranet Journal. But beyond the improvements to the WCM, RedDot's product suite has more ambitious goals for intranets.

When RedDot's WCM application is combined with other RedDot components like its LiveServer and EXCMS (Extended Content Management System), companies can add personalization and content integration to their intranets. This is what Guarnaccia describes as the intranet of the future.

Content personalization was once a feature associated almost exclusively with online retail. Then it branched to customer service. But as intranets grow in size, surpassing 5,000 pages, content becomes hard to find. Personalization provides a means for filtering content according to roles and responsibilities. Organizations also need their content to flow both ways between their public Web sites and their intranets.

It's not just content either; RedDot can use its suite to filter access to intranet applications according to the user as well.

Most RedDot customers still come to the company for WCM applications for public Internet sites, according to Guarnaccia, then look to build and include intranets, document management, and other components that large enterprise players have introduced to large corporations.

With document management filtering down from enterprise players to mid-market companies, RedDot will continue to roll out applications for its core customers. A compliance manager in on tap for the spring that will address W3C standards and Section 508 compliance. Guarnaccia says it will be a help for customers doing business with the government.

SmartDrop allows content contributors to drag text or image files from their desktop or Windows Explorer and drop them directly onto the page.

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