Having managed Web content at a university for several years, I’ve learned a few painful lessons about working with content management systems (CMS). There are many great reasons to invest in a CMS, and steering clear of these common pitfalls will save you from a lot of unnecessary headaches along the way.

1. Letting IT choose your CMS

Don’t get me wrong; your IT folks needs to be part of the CMS-selection team. Their expertise is essential in finding a solution that will work with your organization’s existing technologies– they’ll be the ones installing and configuring the software, after all. But too often IT is exclusively charged with selecting a CMS vendor, and the communications team and end users aren’t consulted until it’s time to start using the new system.

IT directors will typically choose the CMS that offers the most bells and whistles in their given budget range. The problem with this approach is that there are a lot of CMS packages loaded with every feature imaginable, but only a handful that are easy and intuitive for non-technical users (as most of your CMS authors will be). There’s no point in having cutting edge CMS features like automated RSS feeds and blogging templates if they’re impossible to find amidst cluttered tool bars and clunky menus.

The CMS that I managed for several years was confusing for most of our campus authors. It was form-based with almost no graphical cues, the workflow process was counter-intuitive, and any page layouts that went beyond basic text required HTML skills. To top it all off, the system didn’t work on Macs, infuriating a large contingency of our faculty.

Make sure that a group comprised of communication/marketing folks, IT staff AND end users are part of the CMS-selection process. You’ll benefit from the varied perspectives and input, and end up with a CMS that meets your needs and is easy to use.

2. Launching without a rollout plan

Selecting a CMS is only the first step in moving to distributed authorship. Too often, however, the new system is released to the entire community without a plan. What ends up happening is that a small group of savvy early adopters embrace the CMS, while the majority of departments simply ignore it — usually citing a lack of time or interest.Take the time to craft a strategic rollout plan for your new CMS.

Make the tool available to your heaviest content contributors first, or to the departments whose Web updates are most critical for your site. Then, over a period of weeks or months, roll the CMS out to groups that have a less pressing need for access, and that might need a bit more training and encouragement to adopt the new system.

3. Granting CMS access without guidelines

I learned this one the hard way. If you wish to remain sane, do not set your authors free without a comprehensive Web style guide mandated from the highest levels of the organization. Creating a style guide is tedious work, but it will save you much unpleasantness in the long run.

Make sure your style guide covers every aspect of Web content and presentation, from writing styles (AP, Chicago, etc) to fonts, colors and graphic standards. That way, when a faculty member uploads a 5-megapixel photo of her cat to the department Web page, you can reference the precise section of the style guide that forbids such silliness.

4. Training authors to use the CMS without teaching them to write for the Web

Providing technical CMS training without also covering Web writing standards is a recipe for disaster. Your authors will still be crafting awful copy, only now they’ll be empowered to publish it on the Web site.

Take the time to review Web writing best practices in your training sessions. Emphasize the importance of crafting brief paragraphs and breaking up text with lots of sub-headers. Demonstrate how to edit a printed document for display on the Web. Discourage your academic folks from posting 8,000 word theses when a few hundred words will suffice.

5. Becoming the “content cop”

I’ve talked a lot about enforcing CMS-usage standards and guidelines, but be careful not to become so rigid that you defeat one of the primary purposes of implementing a CMS in the first place: distributing content contribution throughout your organization. If you’re too narrow with your standards, authors will quickly tire of being told “no,” and will stop participating.

Make sure there is room for creativity, freedom and authenticity. Instead of automatically rejecting wacky content, work with your authors to bring their ideas to fruition, even if it requires painful editing and frequent reminders.

Remember, we live in a Web 2.0 world where great emphasis is placed on transparency and “realness.” Don’t be afraid to let your organization’s authors express themselves freely–through departmental blogs or podcasts, for example. You’ll find that they’ll be excited about contributing, and your site will be more compelling and dynamic as a result.