Tool Evaluations
Each tool has been evaluated for its functionality, use and user effectiveness. Use the below links to view each one.
Thesaurus Master Tool
The Thesaurus Master software tool can be implemented for an organisation to help improve the way knowledge is collected. The tool can integrate with many other tools such as a content management system (CMS) and will assist with future decision-making. As Chaudhry (2010, p. 775) explains CMS such as Microsoft Sharepoint 2010 and Frog can use this tool to share further knowledge with other content. The Thesaurus Master will guide users to save links, documents and files that can be useful for future use. The system uses an effective metadata function to save information such as title, description, definition and notes which means the source can be easily retrievable for future use (Access Innovations, 2013, para. 2; Roszkiewicz, 2010, p. 294). This means documents and files can be uploaded and retrieved easily making this an effective search system. The navigation structures are easy to use and users will be able to find information easy. It also enhances the value of integration with other users globally as it is compatible with many functions and standards. The software uses international metadata standards and can interact with other extensible mark-up language and web standards. It uses the Dublin Core metadata standard and this is easily interoperable with current web environments (Chaudhry, 2010, pp. 774-776).
The tool provides many advantages and disadvantages. Overall the tool increases the productivity of human editors and will make the system usable (Access Innovations, 2013, para. 2). It uses current metadata standards which prevents the use of an effective taxonomy management system. Files and documents will be organised in a way that create a structure to make these files easily retrievable. Also, sources can be shared through a system called WebThes which allows you to remotely find sources online (Access Innovations, 2013, para. 5). The software tool increases the user experience as the database is easy to use and can integrate with many systems. It means the tool will increase the presence of content and allow sources to be easily retrievable (Access Innovations, 2013, para. 2; Chaudhry, 2010, p. 775). However, the system has limitations with the sources it will accept and stored. Some sources require authentication which means some metadata cannot be feed accurately. In addition, it does take some time to correctly integrate the system with other products. This essentially costs the organisation and the results can be risky. The interface functionality can be confusing and this can be frustrating for users (Roszkiewicz, 2010, p. 295). Additional time will need to be spent to create a fully functional system so that users are satisfied with the tool and how it integrates with other products.
The Thesaurus Master tool can be used amongst many web based systems. It can be designed to integrate sources into the content as proper taxonomy has been managed (Access Innovations, 2013, para. 1). This means specific content the organisation owns can be integrated into the system to allow these sources to be found and accessed (Chaudhry, 2010, p. 772). Over time, the Thesaurus Master tool will be effective, as knowledge is able to be easily captured, stored and accessed using the compatible features the product offers (Roszkiewicz, 2010, p. 294). It uses current web standards which means it will be simple to implement and will satisfy users through its efficient user interfaces.
For more information about the tool click here.
Frog Content Management System
The Frog CMS offers a simple way to structure and organise an organisations content. It uses a simple hierarchal structure to manage web pages and other content. For example content could be stored in several folders for web pages, templates, images, audio and web script. The Frog CMS offers a easy way to display and maintain content via the internet. An organisation can use the CMS to display specific organisation content to their employees and use it to integrate with other systems. As the presence of the web has grown, a CMS can be easily constructed to meet user requirements (Meike, Sametinger & Wiesauer, 2009, p. 45). Navigation, content, labelling and security can be set up easily without too much technical knowledge, and will look attractive to the target audience. The CMS is constructed using PHP/MySQL. These web technologies are common and are effective to extract data entered into the database. There are several web hosting companies that specifically host Frog CMS and these companies understand the complications of this sort of website. Navigation and the look and feel can be easily edited to suit the organisations colour schemes set and the overall vision. It's important that the CMS is created based on a shared vision that everyone invloved understands to achieve the projects outcomes with good results (Simpson, 2009, pp. 124-125). In addition, simple code snippets can be added to add further functionality as required. For example, a picture gallery can be added to organise photos to create an attractive look and feel (Goodrich, n.d, para. 3). However, there have not been any other versions been developed which means the user community has not adopted this solution easily. A new version is expected to be released soon. This technically will have some complications with bugs and issues that an organisation may have to resolve. However, Archambault (n.d., para. 2) explains the Frog CMS has good support and errors are fixed quickly and efficiently.
The Frog CMS has been designed for users who have little technical understanding and want to create a simple and effective design to suit their organisation’s needs. A CMS is created for those who want to create a workable and design quickly. Generally, a CMS are cost-effective as little time is spent on developing the functionality to ensure the product works effectively. The Frog CMS was released with basic functionality developed and meant an organisation only needs to design the content around the purpose (Archambault, n.d., para. 2). The Frog CMS integrates well with other PHP/MySQL and other web standards which means other content can be shared in one central system. However, there have been limited updates from the company who created Frog which means some bugs will not be fixed with other emerging technologies (Meike et al., 2009, p. 46). It will also impact on newer technology updates and may make some integration impossible. Additionally, to install Frog CMS on a central server you will need technical expertise in PHP as the installation is complex (Goodrich, n.d., para. 6). The documentation is detailed enough for an organisation to install it themselves. Frog can be used to enhance an organisations web presence and this can be integrated with systems that offer specific content information to its users (Goodrich, n.d., para. 7). As Frog has been built with a common web standard, other applications will be able to integrate with it as there is a lot of user support for the tool.
For more information about the tool click here.
Dashboards for Portals
Portals are a current technological solution that is used as a knowledge sharing platform. They generally are the central system that integrates many systems the organisation uses (Hadden, 2011, para. 3). A dashboard is a tool that will assist with the design and allow management systems and other tools to be integrated together. For example, executives would be able to look at business intelligence information and make decisions based on trends and specific data (Lamantia, 2006, para. 3). A dashboard is an effective design tool that can be used to create a consistent look and feel that results in an excellent user experience. This means navigation, labels and content can be structured in a way that suits the information being integrated and the overall design (Simpson, 2009, p. 156). The organisation has a choice of using numerous navigation structures (drop down and static designs) and content is easy to input and move around if needed (Nowack, 2009, p. 273). Systems that are being integrated are simple to do. The dashboard uses current web standards and these are used to extract specific information to users. However, there are sometimes issues with compatibility. Some systems require secure protocols to encrypt data and these can interfere with information needing to be feed through (Hadden, 2011, para. 11). It generally means a link is put in place, but sometimes this can be frustrating for users who would use this information frequently.
A dashboard assists with the single login place where a user can access the required information from. Dashboards can restrict particular users from viewing particular information, which is effective if sensitive data is being used (Nowack, 2009, p. 275). However, implementing a dashboard with a portal can cause some issues. There is a higher complexity to configure communication between portlets to trigger specific events and retrieve the right information (Lamantia, 2006, para. 6; Wahner, 2011, para. 5). A dashboard can have limitations to which applications it can interact with specifically as some applications use a secure protocol and is sometimes configured to refresh regularly. Sometimes there are software licensing issues and this can cause further costs to development and to be able to use the information correctly (Wahner, 2011, para. 5). Most dashboards can interact with many applications and support common web standards and protocols including hypertext transfer protocol, secure hypertext protocol and file transfer protocol (Ross, 2008, pp. 8-9). A dashboard can be useful from the start of a web project. The tool assists with the design of a portal and makes sure all interface aspects and applications integrate together successfully. It means navigation and other features are designed from the start. This increases the way users will use the system effectively as the tool ensures the design is tested with users throughout the process (Lamantia, 2006, para. 10). Additionally, a dashboard will ensure important design restrictions are thought of at the beginning and will ensure the solution is designed towards the organisations design needs.
For more information about the tool click here.
References:
Access Innovations. (2013). Thesaurus master: Taxonomy and metadata management made
Archambault, P. (n.d.). About: What is Frog CMS? Retrieved from
Chaudhry, A. S. (2010). Assessment of taxonomy building tools. The Electronic Library, 28(6),
Goodrich, R. (n.d.). Frog CMS. Retrieved from
Hadden. R. (2011). Why do Some Dashboards Succeed While Others Fail? Retrieved from
Lamantia, J. (2006). The challenge of dashboards and portals, Boxes and Arrows. Retrieved
Meike, M., Sametinger, J., Wiesauer, A. (2009). Security in open source web content
Nowack, B. (2009). Paggr: Linked Data widgets and dashboards. Web Semantics: Science,
Ross, S. J. (2008). Enforcing information security: Architecture and responsibilities. Network
Roszkiewicz, R. (2010). Enterprise metadata management: How consolidation simplifies
Simpson, M. (2009). Seamless teamwork: Using Microsoft sharepoint technologies to
Wahner, K. (2011). Pros and cons: When to use a portal and portlets instead of just java web-
