Once a piece of content has reached the publication phase and has become easily accessible to its viewers, both the individual publisher, as well as the content management team, will have the difficult task of keeping that content updated. This is called “content maintenance”.
In the digital world of content maintenance this term covers such tasks as periodical up-dates of news, information, facts or statistics which are included in a piece of content.
When this is necessary, the person responsible for site maintenance must be able to identify what information needs updating, which facts are irrelevant/incorrect, as well as which sections or pieces of content to alter. This person may also be required to conduct research, and gather the information to complete the updating process.
Content maintenance may also involve adding or removing sections of content, as well as entire pieces of material. It can involve web-site development and redesign. It may also involve changing servers, carriers, or adding components and features to assist in accessing content. Placing advertisements or banners, artwork, photographs and other media can also be a part of site maintenance.
Content Maintenance work is typically done by an administrator or web-designer. In the case of a smaller enterprise, however, a single individual may be responsible for creating, publicizing, up-dating, and archiving all content on the web. Since maintenance of digital content must be done on a regular basis, it can often be one of the most time-consuming tasks involved in the overall content management process.