Experiencing IBM Mobile Application Content Manager

IBM® Mobile Application Content Manager merges the goals of content authors, reviewers, content managers, and application developers to create a simplified, cloud-based authoring experience.

As a content author, your goal is to quickly create content for mobile applications without help from an application developer. As a content reviewer, you want an easy way to find content that needs your review and an organized view of the content that is ready for publishing. As a content manager, your goals depend on your role. You might be a developer that focuses on creating mobile applications and retrieving content for these applications. You might also be a more advanced content author or developer that manages the templates and libraries that are used by content authors and reviewers.

Get the high-level steps of how a content author uses Mobile Application Content Manager to create content. Through these steps, get a glimpse of how content managers, reviewers, and application developers achieve their goals and support the content author from content creation through publication.

1 Manager sets up libraries for content authors.

Libraries organize related published and draft content. Mobile Application Content Manager comes with libraries that managers set up for content authors to use for content. To get started, managers can rename an existing library from the Mobile Application Content Manager home page. Then, a manager can create content templates, categories, and configure notification services from library management.

2 Author enters a library after library setup is complete.

To create or view content, you must first enter a library. To enter a library, click a library card from the home page or select a library from the library menu while in a library.

3 Author creates a project or enters an existing project.

Projects organize draft content within a library for easy publishing. You must create a project or enter an existing project to create, edit, or delete content. Changes within projects do not affect published content until the project is published. You can create a project from the project menu in a library.

4 Author creates content with content templates.

Authors use content templates that managers create during library setup to create content. From the content view, click Create content to see the available templates. Templates contain simple forms with fields that guide you in content creation. Developers or content authors in the manager role can create more content templates to display in the Create Content menu.

Watch an animation to learn how quickly you can create content from templates. Go to Animation: Creating content in IBM Mobile Application Content Manager.

5 Author submits content to reviewers.

Open your content from the content view and click Submit for review. A reviewer approves or returns content for revisions.

6 Reviewer approves content and publishes the project.

From the my content menu, a reviewer can quickly find content items that are submitted by content authors for review. A reviewer can publish the content that was approved once every content item in the project is approved.

Note: Managers can also review, approve, and return content.

Once the content is published, developers can configure applications to retrieve the published content, along with future updates.

Next steps

Now that you know the high level steps, tour Mobile Application Content Manager and take part in a guided example.

Follow an example of how a marketing manager sets up a library for a marketing team. Documentation resource: Example: Setting up a library as a manager.
Then, follow another example to learn how that team uses the library after setup to create content as a service. Documentation resource: Example: Creating and publishing a promotional offer.
Go to the Getting Started library for more animation and quick tasks.

Exploring a library
Libraries organize draft and published content together in a central view. Libraries offer quick access to draft content that is stored in projects, other libraries, and more. Users in the manager role can quickly set up libraries and add other users. Explore a library, such as the Getting Started library, at the manager’s level. Depending on your role, you might not see every feature that is listed. The interface displays what you need to see to accomplish the goals for your role.
Learn more about key concepts
IBM Mobile Application Content Manager users can create libraries, store projects, and create content items. Users have a defined role and can complete various library management tasks that are defined for their specific roles. The following topics help you learn more about the key concepts of IBM Mobile Application Content Manager libraries and projects, user roles, and library management.
Example: Setting up a library as a manager
Your goal as the manager at Greenwheels Travel is to set up the library with the IBM Mobile Application Content Manager for your marketing team to use for promotional offers. Use the Samples library that is included on the home page as a starting point for the library that you plan to use for promotional offers.
Example: Creating and publishing a promotional offer
Learn how to create and publish content by following an example. Angela, a digital marketer from Greenwheels Travel, is ready to use the IBM Mobile Application Content Manager to create a promotional offer titled 20% off Summer Cruises. The promotional offer is stored as a content item separate from the rest of the content on mobile applications. As a result, Angela and her marketing team can work together to create, review, edit, and publish content, without concern about how it is retrieved or displayed by mobile devices.
Accessibility features
Accessibility features help users who have a physical disability, such as restricted mobility or limited vision, to use software products successfully.

Parent topic: IBM Mobile Application Content Manager