You didn't sign up for this: supporting non-webby Web Editors
At our university, over 200 people update the website throughout the year. Most of them aren’t web editors. They’re researchers, coordinators, administrators—people with a full time job already, who just happen to have been also have been given the job of updating info on the website associated with their division or department, 30 minutes of training and editor access to the CMS, and away you go for something you know little about and you didn’t sign up for.
“Over the years, I’ve had more than one phone call from someone in tears. Not because of a system crash or a furious stakeholder — but because they were asked to update a webpage. For many of our accidental web editors, the CMS is unfamiliar territory, and the fear of making a mistake can be overwhelming. They didn’t sign up for this when they applied to be a receptionist, a student support adviser, or an events coordinator. And yet, here they are — expected to be confident digital publishers with minimal training last year some time, limited capacity, and even less clarity.”
We have the whole rainbow of editors—from those who update website content each semester to some who only update a paragraph or a set of dates once a year (if they remember).
1. Web Editor’s reality
They log in only occasionally or even rarely
The CMS interface always feels foreign
Web writing isn’t a core skillset
They’re busy—editing web content is just another thing on the list, and not very high on their list at that.
2. What we think they need
A giant training manual (nope)
An hour-long workshop (maybe, but only if it’s timely and relevant)
“Just Google it” (definitely not)
3. What Web Editors say they need
Task-based guides ("How do I update my team’s staff page?" not "Learn the CMS")
Plain-language templates for pages like events, research papers, or qualification details
A non-judgy space to ask questions
Validation: “Yes, that content does matter. Yes, you’re doing a good job.”
An easy way to know when content needs updating (e.g. audit tools, calendar reminders)
4. How I propose to help
Create a community of practice
Content guides and checklists
A “strategy on a page” to ground editors in purpose of caring about the website
How to use tools like Copilot lighten the load if possible
What I know about the current cohort of editors I work with is based on previous experience. I haven’t actually talked to many of these editors at my current university at all yet. From the work I’ve seen they’re not terrible, they’re actually not bad at all most of the time.
To ask them how they feel about the editing work they do, or in fact, the freedom we’ve removed from a lot of their work (no more HTML access, they can’t publish their own work, can’t edit landing pages, can’t remove staff profiles) but I’ve not heard much in the way of complaining as yet.
I am considering opening weekly Office Hours via Teams and invite them along when they want to or have time to so they can ask for support and I can test to see if there is any appetite at all for a community of practice.
