1-page Solution Brief - Posted 1/26/2007
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Music Company Builds Interactive Web Site to Support Fashionable Image
Compilations and singles record label Hed Kandi forms part of Ministry of Sound (MoS) music group. Its stylish image is reflected in the clientele who attend Hed Kandi club nights and events and the people who visit its Web site.
Hed Kandi’s close relationship with its members is key. Developing a more interactive Web site was a priority for James Bacchus, Chief Technology Officer at MoS. “Hed Kandi members are quite vocal,” he says. “We wanted to give them a site that provided more of a sense of community and belonging.”
Bacchus had recently deployed the 2007 Microsoft® Office system to support track listings management, so he knew that Microsoft Office SharePoint® Server 2007 supports blogs and forums for members and offers built-in Web content management functionality. “It made sense to use this technology to broaden the reach of the MoS Web platform, rather than try to integrate third-party blogs into the existing site,” he says.
Microsoft Gold partner cScape helped develop the new site, which went live in August 2006. Any of the 50,000 registered Hed Kandi site users can now comment on album release and events pages. They can also leave comments on DJs’ own blogs. “SharePoint Server 2007 offers registered users an enhanced experience, making it easier for them to interact or contribute content,” says Bacchus.
The IT team benefits from simplified site administration through the new Web content management features. Bacchus says: “Administrators can reuse information stored in central document repositories.” With versioning control, content editors can roll back to a previous version of the page if they make a mistake. “It’s easier to use, so they can concentrate on developing eye-catching content and let the technology handle consistency of layout and brand image,” says Bacchus.
Theresa Clifford, Business Development Director, cScape, says: “This was the world’s first ever live Web site on SharePoint Server 2007. It is already helping Hed Kandi and MoS to build closer relationships with members.”
Bacchus is confident the new site will mirror Hed Kandi’s community-based image. He also plans to take advantage of its potential for future development. “We will make other MoS products more accessible to people by integrating the site with our new downloads service,” he says.
This case study is for informational purposes only. MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, IN THIS SUMMARY.
Document published November 2006
