A Content Element fills a Content Block in a Content Template.

A Content Element is usually embedded in the template with unique delimiting Tags. All CM systems have developed their own unique tags. Generally they followed the tag style of their underlying application Frame Work.

Interoperability? efforts are directed toward tags that use XML-style delimiters and names that can be found in an XML namespace and an Ontology. The Dublin Core is the most widely used ontology.

Since a Content Block may be using a Content Template, there can be an infinite recursion of containers. These are sometimes called Portlets?.

When a Content Block contains a single piece of elementary content (a simple link, text, an image, audio, video, a piece of metadata like author, title, etc.), we call it a Content Element.

The Content Element encourages Reuse.

Editing a Content Element will change all its appearances. A new version of a Content Element for special use is called a Derivative. See Also Derivative+Reuse.

Content Element versioning and other Meta Data (e.g., scheduling information and usage permissions) can regulate Reuse.

A Content Element is sometimes called Microcontent.

UF Micro Content