Purpose
This module was developed to distribute controls beyond the Main Site administrator to create second tier sites beneath allowing segmentation of content site-wide by 'Audience Type'. An Audience type often represents a regional office, or department within a large corporation (like Marketing or Engineering if the site is used for an organizational portal) or could represent a Channel within a large Publication (like Lifestyle or Dining).
Audience Type portals have nearly all of the functionality of the Main Site, but can only manage content at the level of the Audience Type or downstream to its' children sites (Sites). Audience Types represent the second tier family of sites, within the Three tier 'cascading' structure of sites offered 'out of the box' with Centralpoint. In this example, the Main Site represents Tier One, the Audience Types represent Two, and the Sites below the Audience Types represent Tier Three. Each tier has capabilities to support individual administrators, cascading filtration of content (as it moves downstream) segmented search (as it propagates downward). The entire infrastructure of a Centralpoint portal (out of the box) can support up to 10,000 individual websites, if needed....all with different administrators for their respective levels.
In this way all content managed within the portal has the ability to be distributed to stand alone websites (Audience Types leaving under the main site). These Audience Types (or stand alone portals) can be managed by separate individuals or teams (with their own client consoles), and may live under their own distinct URL (web address). These portals are complete stand alone sites which can be referenced by the Main Site, or linked directly to, without any relationship with the main site.
Description
These Sites have nearly all of the functionality of the Main Site, but can only manage content at the level of their site. The entire infrastructure of a Centralpoint portal (out of the box) can support up to 10,000 individual Sites, if needed....all with different administrators for their respective levels.
Another good example of Sites would be a large denominational Church. The Parent organization would represented by the MAIN SITE, the Districts would be represented by the AUDIENCE TYPS, and the local churches or parishes within a district would be represented by SITES.
How To Use
This module is found within the Sites/Adminstrators tab of your Client Console. There are many modules and site properties associated with Audience Types, and as such, we have created a Site Wizard in which to easily manage them.
Careful analysis is normally applied to how you wish to segment your audience types ahead of time. (Do these sites represent individual department or regions from the parent organization, or do these sites represent segmenteded content types within a publication, etc.). Once you have analyzed your overal portal requirements, and have obtained approval from your web committee.....simply use the Site Wizard (also found within the Sites/Administrators tab of your Client console).
This tool will allow you to quickly and easily create new audience types within your overall portal, deploying 'sub' portals or sites within your main site, which can be designed and configured to meet those specific Audience Types.
Additional Information
Audience Types can be set up to act as Online Customer Service Centers, individual dealer sites, schools, channel sites, franchisee sites or virtually anything you may need.
Typically, within a larger enterprise, Oxcyon will see Audience types created to segment individual site types. For this example, we will use a corporation.....1.) The Main site will be reserved for the parent company, 2.) The Audience Types will represent the core departments (Accounting, Legal, Marketing, Engineering, etc.). The sites beneath the Audience Types (Sites) will represent teams within those departments (Advertising under marketing, Corporate real estate under legal, etc.) In this way each group and/or team are able to manage content within just their groups, and together ALL content within the site can be searched (by main) or served filtered by individual audience type or site.
Once you have created your new Site within the Site Wizard, Your Reference URL Site Map, found within the Admin tab of your Client Console, will allow you to see ALL of the sites living in your portal, in relationship to the audience types that they relate to. These URL paths will give you the formal path to get to these sites, or use the path to manage DNS/URL information (traffic routing) to your various websites.
There is a Site Locator tool available within Centralpoint which displays all of your audience types and sites, within a search-able tool, sorting by name, city, zip region or other. This locator tool not only allows users to find and link to the respective site, but also get a map (via Mapquest) on the driving directions to each site. Ideal for geographically disparate networks, and distributor sites.
