XML in the Content Lifecycle

The process of creating content — information meant for human consumption — is almost always extremely effort-intensive. People must spend time organizing information prior to creation, constructing the content, and laying out the information so that it is easily read. With so much time, cost, and effort invested in content, it makes sense to reduce costs by reusing content as much as possible. Furthermore, content-oriented processes involve a complex set of interactions that progress in a “Content Lifecycle” consisting of five major stages: content creation, management, publishing, syndication, and protection. Each of these phases requires different technologies, processes, and resources.

By rearchitecting content representation technologies to treat content as another asset in the corporate IT infrastructure, businesses can realize the benefits long promised to us by reusable and agile content. But first, we need to move from ad-hoc content creation to content componentization, and then to content services. XML and Web Services are the key to this transition that can help organizations maximize the value of their content.

ZapNote: XML Cities

In order for any of the advantages of XML technology to be applied, XML documents must first themselves be created — either from scratch or converted from "legacy" document formats. The XMLCities’ solution provides automated and "non-intrusive" conversion of paper and legacy documents requiring minimal manual operation.

“XMLCities Unveils ‘Non-Intrusive’ XML Publishing Package”

“XMLCities has a unique and valid approach to XML publishing that sets them apart in the industry,” said Ron Schmelzer, senior analyst at ZapThink, Inc., an XML consulting firm. “Particularly effective for highly unstructured content like news, education, financial, and legal information, XMLCities’ non-intrusive XML-conversion approach makes XML publishing an extremely beneficial solution for many organizations looking to integrate XML into their operations without requiring an overhaul of people.”

Read more at: Information Today

“All the News That’s Fit to XML”

News content providers would not be the only organizations to benefit from such a tool, according to Ron Schmelzer, senior analyst at ZapThink, Inc., the Boston-based XML analyst and consulting firm. He says it would be “particularly effective for highly unstructured content” in other verticals including education, financial and legal.

Read more at: Application Development Trends