Content Management Retiring Content

The decision to retire a piece of content is one that every Editor will inevitably be forced to make. The continuous running of every piece of content that has been created, over an endless period of time, is just not feasible. Besides the time constraints involved in updating, organizing and storing older materials, cost effectiveness issues would be sure to arise.

Once a piece of content has reached the point where the financial benefits of keeping it available are outweighed by production and distribution costs, it is time for that piece of content to be retired. While it can be difficult to know exactly which documents should be retired, and when that should happen, every individual who manages content, as well as every content management team will need to have a standard in place to guide them in making this decision.

Before retiring a piece of content it is wise to consider how your readers/viewers will respond to your decision. A piece of content which is still accessed by a few die hard fans may be able to make a come-back in its popularity. Consider other options, before retiring such a piece. Running a special promotion or raising prices by a small percentage, may be more advantageous than removing the content entirely from public access.

Once a piece of content has been retired it should still be kept in the archives, regardless of age. It is always wise to keep even the most unwanted materials in a back-up location, in case there should be a sudden demand for that content.