Case Study: How DigitalGov University Turned Events into Open, Structured Content

What It Is

A case study on how the DigitalGov University (DGU) training program is planning to create structured content of its training events.

The Challenge

Currently, DGU’s Course Catalog and On-Demand Webinar pages are static, updated manually, and not easily searchable. The event content is static, so it can’t be re-used by other sites via APIs.

The HowTo.gov team wanted a structured and open way to deliver DGU event content so that the content was user friendly and could reach new audiences.

The Solution

The HowTo.gov team decided to use the capabilities of its content management system (CMS)—Drupal—to create a new content type for DGU events. By using pre-defined fields, all future events will be structured the same way. Content managers will no longer need to worry about how the content “looks”; they can focus on the content itself.

Extending the usefulness of the DGU event content will be an important part of the strategy, too. The development team wants to make the content not just structured but open, and available to anyone who wants to use it. So a new Drupal module (Content API) was plugged into the site to make the DGU event content even more user friendly.

The solution is under development.

Results

The HowTo.gov content managers will no longer create and manage event content across multiple pages; they will create once, and the event content will be displayed in multiple areas in a structured format. Site visitors will have a better experience finding DGU events they want. And because the DGU event content will be both structured and open, developers anywhere will be able to “grab” the DGU event content and use it on their applications.

Lessons learned include:

• Look for content on your site that can be converted into open, structured content.
• Bring together your development team and your content team early on; each brings unique views on content, and together they can achieve more for your site visitors.
• Think “open” and “structured” when it comes to your site’s information. Content no longer has to just “sit on a page”. CMS and developer tools can help you deliver your information to your relevant audiences—and new audiences!
• Think “COPE” (Create Once, Publish Everywhere)

Examples

• FCC upcoming events page (see how event content in multiple categories across multiple offices can be structured in Drupal)
• Department of Education Press Release page provides structured, searchable content for all its press releases, with an RSS feed

Resources

• Drupal’s Content API module (drupal.org)
• List of Drupal sites in government (see how other agencies and countries are using Drupal)
• Structure Guide at drupal.org
• National Public Radio's COPE strategy - blog post
• White House developer resources
• FCC developer resources
• USA.gov developer resources 

Content Lead: Rachel Flagg
Page Reviewed/Updated: November 23, 2012