Managing content takes many forms. In fact, you could serve up a veritable alphabet soup of acronyms that vary on the content management theme: the basic CM (content management), WCM (Web content management), ECM (enterprise content management), DMS (document management), DAM (digital asset management), KM (knowledge management), LM (learning management), PIM (product information management), RM (records management or rights management), and CRM (customer relationship management). These terms refer to different types of content, with specific business requirements and processes that drive the feature set of the particular technologies.

Not surprisingly, none of the technologies mentioned so far support the production of content for purposes of producing technical documentation. That is a specific type of content management system that has specialized functions for technical communicators doing multi-channel publishing, yet it hasn't spun off its own specific acronym. Sometimes called structured content management with XML - personally, I think XSCM would make a fine acronym for XML content management - it refers to what I hear many writers still do with "FrameMaker and an Excel spreadsheet": facilitate re-use of content across multiple output channels such as print, PDF, online help, and customer support knowledge base.

So when confronted with this jungle or acronyms, how can you tell what's what? Borrowing heavily from the glossary compiled by CM Professionals at www.cmsglossary.com, here is a quick tour through.

All Content Management systems support the creation, approval, storage, retrieval, versioning, re-use, and delivery of content objects. What differs is the type of content that being managed and the features that manipulate the content in specific ways for different purposes.

Web Content Management, usually referred to by the generic term "content management," is a system for handling content on one or more Web sites. WCM can range from an extraordinarily simple application, such as a blog, to feature-rich applications that run portals delivering personalized content, such as a "My Yahoo" page. Some WCM applications are known for their specializations, such as the handling of localized content.

XML Structured Content Management has functions that allow authors to product technical documentation and publish that content to multiple channels. These systems usually have more functions, such as the ability to generate PDFs and online help as well as Web pages, and have features that generate authorities (table of contents, index, glossary) and let authors view their content in a familiar split-pane "table of contents" format common in help authoring tools. Of the 2,000-plus commercial CM systems, only a dozen or so are intended for the power-publishing done by technical communicators.

Enterprise Content Management does both WCM and XSCM and more. Each ECM system has its own unique combination of modules that handle content that ranges from unstructured content, such as email, to records, documents, and product information for e-commerce sites-in fact, any or all of the types of content mentioned here. These are usually massive, expensive systems that often get semi-implemented. (The words "SAP implementation" and "ECM implementation" often cause the same type of hysterical laughter from staff who have survived such projects.)

Document Management is a way of controlling native-format documents (such as Word or Excel) through their creation, storage, retrieval, and versioning. A document management system does not support the re-use of content chunks within the documents. From a technical communication point-of-view, a writer manipulates content objects in an XSCM system and generates a document, which then gets managed through a document management system. Some XSCM systems include basic DM functions with their systems, but these are often not robust enough to meet the specialized needs of an organization.

Digital Asset Management is a system for handling rich media, which may include still graphics such as photos, video clips, sound files, and other types of multimedia. It is used by libraries, museums, and media outlets such as television stations to deliver content, and handles such challenges as categorizing hundreds of photos of painting called "Untitled 1" and encoding video with metadata.

Knowledge Management essentially uses content management technology for the purpose of gathering information to help with business processes, best practices, expert systems, and other information that can lead to better business intelligence. This affects the way the content is searched and retrieved.

Learning Management manages content for online courses, along with the management of supplemental information such as student information and test scores. Many LM systems use SCORM (Sharable Content Objective Reference Model) standards that specify ways to catalogue, launch, and track course objects.

Product Information Management, sometimes called Product Data Management, handles content for online catalogues and e-commerce systems. The content includes product names, images, and descriptions, part numbers, quantities and corresponding prices, and perhaps language variants. Some PIM applications are connected to "configurators" that calculate the various ways that a product can be sold. For example, a piece of equipment might come with attachment A in blue or red, or two of attachment B, one each of red and blue or both red or both blue, and a slightly different price depending on the options chosen.

Records Management handles data that becomes aggregated into a record and can be sorted in various ways. For example, all the information that makes up personnel records would be handled in a records management system. Controlling access to these records is handled by rights management.

Customer Relationship Management is a variant on records management, handling information about customers to help companies better understand customer needs. CRM resembles knowledge management in that it uses CM technology with a view to supporting certain business goals.

When sorting through the various types of content management systems, an important consideration is to determine the business needs, and then match the system to those needs, and becoming familiar with the various types of CM can open up a world of possibilities. Some organizations use multiple content management systems, connecting the databases, in order to serve diverse business needs, while others go the ECM route to have a single system to fill the needs of multiple groups. There is no perfect system-and no perfect project-so the more familiar you become with the alphabet soup, the more prepared you'll be to converse using the CM vocabulary.

About the author: Rahel Anne Bailie operates Intentional Design Inc, (www.intentionaldesign.ca) a Vancouver, BC consultancy focused on content management, content development, and user experience services. Bailie has many years as both line staff and management in technical communication and usability environments, and her perspectives, both about content use and staff management, are informed by her experience and studies. A self-identified geek, she is drawn to technology like a moth to flame, and works hard to stay current with the technical side of content management. Bailie is also a partner in Strategy A, a management consulting firm. You can reach her via email at Rahel Anne Bailie.