We just completed the first phase of a major open source content management implementation for Harvard Business Publishing. Using leading open source software that included Alfresco and JBoss, we helped launch two new sites — the online edition of Harvard Business Review at hbr.org, and Harvard Business Digital at harvardbusiness.org.
In a note to their visitors, Eric Hellweg, Editorial Managing Editor of HarvardBusiness.org, highlighted some of the new site features:
“At HarvardBusiness.org, here are some of the new elements:
A sharper focus on the topics you care most about. You’ve told us a lot in the last couple years and have helped us hone our editorial focus on the topics of most interest to you. You’ll find expanded coverage in the core areas of Leadership, Strategy, Innovation, and a new section we’re calling “You at Work,” that will help you advance your ideas, your career, and your team.
Easier navigation through our full range of product offerings. We’ve organized the site with a more intuitive layout so that you will be able to see more of what we are creating on a daily basis. The new design makes it easier to access all of our offerings at Harvard Business Publishing including books, expert voices, interactive tools, case studies, video interviews, and podcasts.
Faster and more comprehensive search. Our new search functionality should allow you to find what you want a lot faster and more intuitively than before. By placing the search field front and center with an additional drop down menu we’ve streamlined the ability to narrow your search, eliminating a couple clicks.
Richer graphics. We’ve created room for richer graphics on the site that we hope will bring out the human element found in most management ideas.
Here’s what’s new at HBR.org:
Easier, faster access to more content. The “shuffle deck” navigation and “Current Issue” index front and center on the home page should make it easier to navigate the site and discover the content that’s most useful to you. Improved search functionality and new article collections will make it easier to tap into HBR’s 2,500 + digital article archive and new interactive elements.
More up-to-date content. You’ll see more timely and frequent updates to the site that will help you apply HBR concepts to your daily business and management challenges. Regular perspectives from the HBR Editors’ Blog, podcasts, and videos will help you stay current–even when you’re short on time.
New features to help you use HBR ideas more effectively. In the redesigned article pages, you’ll find In Brief summaries that help you grasp key ideas quickly and apply them in your own company or career. Interactive tools and video interviews give additional perspective and guidance.”
In the months ahead, we plan on rolling out additional improvements to both HarvardBusiness.org and HBR.org. These will include a streamlined shopping and checkout process, a further enhanced search, community offerings, and more.
Another major victory for enterprise-grade, commercial open source software.
