海角社区

A decision guide to the different platforms and options

There are three types of websites at 海角社区:

1. WMS websites, which use 海角社区's central website-building platform
2. Custom-designed websites that are built from scratch
3. Websites or web applications based on licensed products

In this article, we'll explore all three types of website. You'll learn each option's strengths and weaknesses, and how to get the most out of what you've chosen.

WMS websites

The WMS is a centrally-managed site building platform that lets 海角社区 community members quickly and easily build a brand-aligned site. (Think of it as a 海角社区-flavored Wix!) The WMS is great for any public-facing 海角社区 website.听

Advantages of the WMS

The WMS has many advantages! It's usually the best choice for building a 海角社区 website.听

• It's free.
• It's the easiest way to build a 海角社区-branded website.
• It's fully supported by 海角社区 IT and the Web Services team. That means you get:
  • Free training to show you (and anyone who works on your site) how to use the system;
  • Support from the for any problem you have with the website;
  • Customized support for planning, building and optimizing your website through our consultation service;
  • to get live, hands-on support for questions or challenges with your site;
• It can be customized easily, and you can request new or updated features.
• It uses the 海角社区 brand (and can accommodate your unit's brand alongside). With their consistent appearance and widespread use, WMS sites are easily recognized as official 海角社区 websites.听
• It's compliant with our Digital Standards, and remains compliant over time.
  • This includes legal requirements around security and accessibility which evolve over time, can be costly to address, and may require specialized knowledge to implement.
  • You'll still need to make sure your content is aligned with the standards, but we offer WMS-specific training and support for this.
• WMS sites integrate well with each other, making it possible to conveniently promote content like news and events across WMS sites.
• The WMS integrates with a variety of other 海角社区 systems, including our student recruitment CRM and course catalogue. You can also request new WMS integrations for approved cloud services.听
• The WMS is a self-serve system, so anyone with access (including you, your team, and 海角社区 support) can update your website at any time.

Disadvantages of the WMS

There are a few drawbacks to the WMS:

• The WMS is designed to be a self-serve tool, so you'll need to learn, delegate, or hire someone to build your website.听
• Since the WMS is a flexible tool with many features, you might need some support to determine how to adapt those features to meet your specific needs.
• There are some features the WMS can't accommodate, such as payment processing.听
• The WMS uses 海角社区's branding. In some cases, you can request to remove the 海角社区 logo, but the site will still use 海角社区's colors, fonts, and a 海角社区.ca URL. This may not suit independent projects or initiatives where multiple institutions are equal partners.

Who can use the WMS

The WMS is the official 海角社区 platform, accessible for:

• Any 海角社区 employee or faculty member, as well as students, vendors, or others who are sponsored by an employee or faculty member.听
• Any websites that concern official university business. (Personal websites or hobby websites aren't eligible for the WMS.)

Importantly, using the WMS is the easiest way to use the 海角社区 brand on a website. Eligibility to use the 海角社区 brand on other types of site is limited.听

When not to use the WMS

• Websites that aren't sponsored by a 海角社区 employee (for example, student-, alumni-, or retiree-led websites) may not be eligible.听 to see which options are available for these websites.
• Websites where the 海角社区 brand (with or without the 海角社区 logo) would be inappropriate. For example, initiatives where multiple institutions are equal partners may prefer not to use 海角社区 branding, even though they're eligible.听
• For content that doesn't need to be publicly accessible, or content that should be restricted to members of the 海角社区 community. is a better platform for internally-facing content, and it allows you to restrict access to members (or segments) of the 海角社区 community.听

聽How to get started with the WMS

1. Staff who will work on the site must complete the required training courses. See Web Services training & events for our training schedule and registration details.
   • Site Editor(s): WMS 300, WS 100 and WS 101
   • Site Administrators/Site Managers: WMS 300, WMS 301, WS 100, WS 101 and WS 102
2. 罢丑别听Site Sponsor and all Site Administrators, Editors and Managers must complete 海角社区鈥檚 .
3. A Site Sponsor or Site Administrator should complete the聽.
4. Complete the Web Services consultation request form if you鈥檇 like to receive guidance and recommendations for building your website.

Custom-built websites

Custom-built websites are built to measure for your particular needs. Custom websites may be built by 海角社区 employees, students, freelancers, or agencies. They're usually based on a CMS like WordPress or Drupal, and can be hosted at 海角社区 or independently. We discourage building custom websites unless there's a strong need.

Advantages of custom-built websites

Custom-built sites offer few advantages, but these may be critical for some projects:

• The website can offer features and integrations which aren't possible in the WMS (such as event management);
• The design of the website can be fully customized to your unit's needs and brand.

Disadvantages of custom websites

Custom-built websites face many challenges, which is why we consider the WMS a better choice for most websites. If you must build a custom site, bear in mind:

• Custom websites usually take longer to build. They must also be acquired according to 海角社区 Procurement Policy and IT Acquisition Process,聽which can introduce additional delays in the process.听
• They can be very expensive, and often website projects cost more than the initial estimate.
• Custom websites may require specific configuration or services to be compliant with Quebec law (including accessibility and personal data protection).
  • The site owner is accountable for compliance.
  • Usually this requires a knowledgeable employee to conduct compliance audits at multiple stages of the project.听
  • A non-compliant site may lead to legal challenges or complaints.
  • The University may also initiate disciplinary or corrective procedures if we see that a site is non-compliant.听
• Not all custom websites are eligible to use the 海角社区 brand. See "who can build custom sites," below.听
• If your custom website does use the 海角社区 brand (including URL or visual identity), you're also accountable for making sure the website is compliant with 海角社区's Digital Standards.听
  • You (or a member of your team) will need to have a thorough understanding of the standards.
  • You'll need to keep abreast of changes to the standards, and audit the vendor's work regularly to make sure it stays compliant.
  • Non-compliance with Digital Standards can damage the University's reputation.
  • As with compliance with legal requirements, the University may also聽initiate disciplinary or corrective procedures聽if we see that a site is not compliant with our Digital Standards.听
  • 海角社区聽websites are also part of 聽(officially called the聽Programme de prime aux bogues du gouvernement du Qu茅bec). If a genuine bug is found on your website(s), the site owner may be responsible for paying the person who found it (up to $3,000) and is accountable to resolve the bug in an appropriate timeframe.听
• Once the site is launched, there are often additional costs for post-launch changes, hosting, training, maintenance, updates, and security. Most sites need to pay at least some of these ongoing costs to keep their site running, legally compliant, and (if using the 海角社区 brand) aligned with 海角社区's Digital Standards.
• Custom websites (even ones based on ) are unique, which means they're usually dependent on the original vendor or person who built them.
  • Most companies and freelancers consider it a bad investment to learn and support a custom website built by someone else. If they offer this service, it may be costly and success is not guaranteed.
  • If there's a problem with the vendor, or the person who built the site leaves, it may be necessary to close the site and start over.听

Who can build custom sites

Almost any unit can ask an employee, student, freelancer, or agency to build a custom website. But...

• We only recommend a custom website in cases where the WMS is clearly incompatible with project needs. For example, websites that require features that can't exist in the WMS, or websites which shouldn't use 海角社区 branding.听
• Although systems like WordPress make it easier than ever to build a custom website, we recommend working with a qualified team (this could be an internal 海角社区 team or an agency). This can reduce the likelihood of cost overruns, compliance issues, or abandonment by the original vendor.听

Using the 海角社区 brand on a custom site is a privilege. To be eligible to use the 海角社区 brand (including a mcgill.ca URL and visual identity), the website must:

• Be sponsored by a 海角社区 employee or faculty member, who is accountable for branding quality and standards compliance.
• Concern official university business. Personal websites (for example, advertising services not related to the owner's role at the university) or hobby websites aren't eligible to use the 海角社区 brand.
• Be supported by a reasonable plan to evaluate and meet all legal and institutional requirements, and maintain compliance over time.
• Be acquired through the applicable聽海角社区 Procurement Policy and IT Acquisition Process.
  • This includes completing a聽Data Assessment Form that indicates desired level of branding.
  • Based on branding intentions, your website or vendor may need to pass an information security assessment before being authorized to use the brand.
• In the case of research entities, only entities formally approved under the Policy on Research Entities (PDF) may use the 海角社区 name and logo alongside their own.

When not to use a custom site

In general, you should never build a custom site if your needs could be met by a WMS site. It's like buying a luxury sportscar when all you need is a reliable commuter! You should also avoid building a custom site if:

• Your team has limited time or money.
• You don't have someone who can audit the website for compliance (both during the initial build and after launch).
  • If you're using the 海角社区 brand, you're accountable for upholding all of 海角社区's Digital Standards. Otherwise, you might face聽disciplinary or corrective procedures.
  • Even if you're not using the 海角社区 brand, your site must be audited for legal requirements like accessibility and personal data protection. Lack of compliance can lead to legal action, and you may be personally liable.
• You have a small team.
  • On small teams, one person may handle most or all web-related tasks. If that person leaves unexpectedly, you may be stuck: unable to access or update the website, with no one at 海角社区 to help you fix problems or regain access.

How to get started with a custom website

First, to get an evaluation of the options available to you:

• We may be able to find a way for the WMS to work!聽
• We'll help you evaluate your branding requirements and URL, which will streamline the IT acquisition and setup process.听
• We can provide support for usability and performance evaluations.
• We'll provide personalized recommendations for resources, vendors, and next steps.
• A small number of strategically necessary custom sites are eligible for design, usability, and compliance evaluation services.听聽

After meeting with us, most projects follow the lifecycle outlined in the Custom and licensed project toolkit, beginning with:

• 罢丑别听海角社区 Procurement Process, and
• The IT Acquisition Process. (This includes completing a Data Assessment Form with the聽branding and URL recommendations from your Digital Communications consultation.)

You should also plan to complete required courses related to our standards and best practices, and fill out the User Access Guidelines form.

Websites or applications based on licensed products

Websites or web applications in this category are intended to provide (relatively) quick and easy solutions for common use cases. They do this by offering limited customization options over a standard template. Websites in this category are often based on applications or databases that allow them to do things normal websites can't do. They're usually offered on a subscription basis by software companies or specialized vendors.听

Advantages

Licensed products (like the Office 365 suite, our student admissions system, and others) can deliver powerful functionality with limited investment:

• Licensed products can offer highly sophisticated integrations with databases or applications which may not be possible in the WMS.
• Compared to custom solutions (which can also offer sophisticated integrations), licensed products are often more reliable and cost-effective.
• Most basic maintenance and support is included in the licensing fee, meaning costs are relatively stable over time.
• If a licensed product is truly necessary to meet a core business need, 海角社区 IT can offer support to make sure you get the most out of the product.
• Licensed software vendors may offer reporting and compliance services for common legal requirements like accessibility and security, which may reduce the effort needed to audit for compliance.

Disadvantages

Licensed products shouldn't be used if the WMS (or an existing centrally-supported option) would work. This is because they're highly dependent on the licensing vendor:

• Licensed products require regular (usually monthly or annual) subscription fees. These fees are not usually negotiable, and the vendor may modify their pricing structure at any time. If you can't pay them, you lose the service.听
• Licensed products are usually harder to customize than the WMS or custom websites.
  • Even if customization is possible, you may need to rely on the vendor to edit or change certain aspects of your licensed product.听
  • Vendors sometimes make ambitious claims about design, branding, or results - your implementation may not turn out as awesome as others in the vendor's portfolio.
  • Many licensed products have technical limitations that prevent them from using full 海角社区 branding (even if the website would normally be eligible).
• The feature set of a licensed product is usually driven by its client base:
  • If the product has a limited or shrinking client base, it may stagnate.
  • If its clients have different needs than you, it may evolve in a direction that isn't useful.
  • A licensed product may also be discontinued due to lack of demand. This can happen at any time, even if you have an active contract.听
• As with custom websites, licensed products often require you to work with a single vendor for service and support. More established licensed solutions have networks of recommended or certified vendors, which is less risky.
• Data stored in licensed products may be difficult or impossible to migrate, syndicate, or integrate with other software or websites.
  • This is common with proprietary solutions; products based on聽聽tend to be less risky.听
  • Increasingly, licensed softwares come with APIs that can pass certain types of data along - but the quality of these APIs varies widely, and they sometimes require additional costs.听
• If you're using the 海角社区 brand, you're accountable for upholding all of 海角社区's Digital Standards. Otherwise, you might face聽disciplinary or corrective procedures.听Even if you're not using the 海角社区 brand, your site must be audited for legal requirements like accessibility and personal data protection. Lack of compliance can lead to legal action, and you may be personally liable.

When not to use a licensed product

As with custom websites, you should never use a licensed product if your needs can be met by an existing central solution (like the WMS). You should also avoid using a licensed product if:

• You don't have the time or resources to participate in the聽IT Acquisition Process. Following this process is mandatory for acquiring licensed solutions.听
• You're not sure about your budget or long-term needs. It can require a lot of effort to set up (and transition away from) a licensed product, so you'll want to get more than a year or two of use.听
• The product(s) available to you seem hastily designed, clunky, outdated, unreliable, overcomplicated, or niche.
  • It may be that your needs are novel, or the products on the market aren't mature. You don't want to waste your time and money as a test subject for a fledgeling company or failing product!
  • In these cases, a custom website or web application from an established vendor may be a better investment. Although it may cost more, you'd have more control over how the website or application meets your needs, and you'd have a reputable company to support it.听

How to get started with a licensed product

As with a custom website, it's a good idea to 聽before going too far:

• We'll help you evaluate your branding requirements and URL, which will streamline the IT acquisition process.
• We can provide support for usability and performance evaluations.
• We may be able to connect you with resources, data, or other units that would be helpful to your project.
• A small number of strategically significant licensed products are eligible for design, usability, and compliance services.

After meeting with us, your project will follow the . You may also need to complete聽required courses related to our standards and best practices, and fill out the User Access Guidelines form.