How to get started with CMS if you are a new user

From ground zero

Need to get started with CMS from scratch, for a group/workspace that doesn't already use CMS?

If you don't know about CMS yet, step zero is to learn about CMS features. If you're ready to use CMS, continue on.

  1. Request a workspace
    Workspaces are available for campus departments/business units and individual faculty members
  2. Monitor your NDSU email account for messages regarding the status of your request. The messages from "NDUS Help Desk <ellucian@service-now.com>" will provide information about what to do next, after the workspace is created
  3. Make a plan for the page including
    1. the purpose for your page
    2. the intended audience
    3. information that must be included (by department, division, NDSU, state and federal guidelines)
  4. Attend training or read documentation in the CMS online knowledge base and watch video tutorials
  5. Join the CMS user group
    The user group meets periodically to discuss CMS changes and needs, and covers CMS how-tos
  6. If you already had access to another workspace in CMS, switch to the new workspace to add content. If this is the first workspace you will have access to, it will appear by default when you log in
  7. Populate the new page with content
    Publish the content when you're nearing go live status
  8. When you're ready to go live, 
    1. review the go-live checklist
    2. and submit a go live request
  9. Continue with the pages in maintenance mode.
    Once the page is live, you do not need to contact NDSU IT to make additional page content changes. You can update content and publish on your own

Join an existing workspace

Are you a new CMS user but you need to join an existing CMS workspace?

  1. Request access to the workspace/group
  2. If you already had access to another workspace in CMS, switch to the new workspace to add content. If this is the first workspace you will have access to, it will appear by default when you log in
  3. Discuss the page content plan with the page manager(s)
  4. Attend training or read documentation in the CMS online knowledge base and watch video tutorials
  5. Join the CMS user group
    The user group meets periodically to discuss CMS changes and needs, and covers CMS how-tos
  6. Evaluate the status of the page content
    • If the page is live and available under www.ndsu.edu, you can author and publish content on your own
    • If the page is not live yet, you can author and publish content but will need to request to go live before the content is available under www.ndsu.edu

Next steps

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