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Using Adobe Contribute to Maintain Your Website

This tutorial was put together to aid the Society for Technical Communication-Rocky Mountain chapter in redoing their website. The tutorial can, of course, be used by anyone using Adobe Contribute. If you prefer, you can download a PowerPoint presentation instead.

Adobe Contribute permits users to change website content for any website or blog without knowing any CSS or HTML code and without that user being able to change the page layouts. Users can also add multimedia by dragging-and-dropping the file into place via Contribute's WYSIWIG editing features.

Software programs

Purchase or download a copy of Adobe Contribute (a five-man license is available) to get started maintaining and updating your own website using Adobe Dreamweaver and Microsoft Word and Excel.

You can also work with PDF documents.

Security features

Website designers designate the areas where the user can make changes by customizing a Contribute connection key which defines who is allowed to edit and what type of content they can edit. The designer can also choose whether the Contribute user is allowed to publish his/her edited results or if the user is required to send the changes for a review before publishing. Still another safety features allows the primary editor (administrator) to revert to previous versions.

Your connection key

The primary editor sets up the connection key files and sets the permissions before forwarding the connection key with all the necessary information to the contributor.

Once you receive the key, set it up immediately as it will expire.

Setting up your connection key

This section discusses establishing a connection between your website and the web host.

  1. Download the key file (from the email sent you by the system administrator)
  2. Open Adobe Contribute
  3. Under Create New

    Figure 1. Opening dialog box in Contribute.
    1. Click on the text link , Website Connection, Figure 1


Figure 2. Create Connection dialog box allows you to set up your Connection Key or create a connection manually.

This opens the Create Connection dialog box, Figure 2, with two choices:

  1. Double-click the connection key file sent by the site administrator
  2. Click Continue


Figure 3. My Connections dialog box opens if you have a Key.

In this example, we have the connection key, which opens My Connections dialog box.

  1. Click:
    1. Macintosh OS:
      1. Contribute
      2. My Connections
      3. Create
      4. In Downloads:
        1. Right-click the key file Open
      1. Windows OS:
        1. Edit
        2. My Connections
        3. Create
        4. Double-click the key to set up your connection


Figure 4. Import Connection Key dialog box opens. Your administrator should provide you with the connection key password.

This opens the Import Connection Key

Type in your:

  1. name
  2. e-mail address
  3. connection key password
  4. Click OK
  5. The key has a SHORT shelf life; install it as soon as you receive it

Figure 5

Figure 5. The original dialog box should open automatically. If it doesn't re-open it yourself.

Re-open Contribute, Figure 5:

  1. Click Society for Technical Communication (or the name of your particular website!)


    Figure 6

    Figure 6. The homepage will appear.

    1. This opens the STC/your homepage inside Contribute, Figure 6

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Questions about some of the terminology used in this tutorial? Get more information (definitions and links) on key computer terms by going to our Glossary of Terms Relating to Art, Computer, Therapy ++.

Kathy Davie is an artist, educator, and author of the arts marketing series, Your Portfolio & You, aimed at helping artists survive (and thrive) at the business of being an artist.

As a self-taught artist, Kathy was frustrated by the lack of information on taking her career to a more professional level while meeting legal guidelines and learning about legal hiccups. Her drive for information fueled her to interview numerous professionals and compiled the information into a monthly news column. She now leads workshops and is converting the news columns into this continuing series of how-to books.

Kathy has a BS in Technical Writing & Editing with minors in Digital Media and History from Metropolitan State College, Denver, CO and is the author of Accounting for the SMALL Businessperson, How Copyright Applies to the Artist, the Buyer, the Employer/e, the Sold Artwork, Dealing with Photographs, Slides, Digital Images, and Surviving the Outdoor Arts Festival.

Visit her writing or arts websites or reach her by email.