Content Management System
533985271 1f28804553 m Content Management System Basics
I found an interesting article on the Content Management System Basics and I have re-published it below for your convenience.
The Basics of CMS (Content Management System)
By Jeremy Gislason
Before CMS… the task of uploading files and images to a website and updating the content was a tedious process. You either had to transfer everything manually using a browser-based uploading tool or an FTP program, or you could download the file you need to edit, update it, and then re-upload it to your server.
It’s hardly an efficient method for handling website content and all the files you work with tend to take up a lot of storage space. That’s why a content management system (CMS) is sometimes called the best friend of Web developers.
Wikipedia defines a web content management system as “a software system used to manage and control a large, dynamic collection of web material.”
Content management systems for websites make site management easier because it allows you to perform updates without having to upload or re-upload your files.
They also allow non-technical individuals to manipulate the contents by using WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get) editors that are usually installed in many content management systems. Using it is fairly simple.
Once it has been set up and is fully functioning, all that’s left to do is for the content editors to upload the necessary documents and that’s basically it.
Making use of a CMS also saves you a lot of space on your server and allows you to display dynamic content on your website. Apart from allowing people to easily organize the files and images in a website, content management systems are also used for streamlining business processes and enabling safe and secure file sharing within a company.
Features of content management systems
A CMS makes content organization and publishing very simple thanks to several features. With a CMS, you can easily schedule when your content will be published online, set permissions for each file in order to control access, and allow you to edit web-pages using rich text editors even if you don’t have any knowledge of HTML.
An important feature of a content management system is usability and how you can quickly integrate it in your system to work well with your existing website and its layout. Most content management systems have plug-ins that you can install in order to improve your site’s functionality.
You will also find that some available systems can already create an editable template for your website and others also go as far as allowing you to build your site structure and layout.
The interface also tends to be simple and user-friendly with a lot of simple tools that make it easy for everyone to work with website content.
How to choose the right CMS
Before buying, downloading, or creating your content management system, think about why you need one and what kind of website you intend to set up.
Do you plan to set it up for your business?
Is it for a webzine that would require you to publish articles regularly?
Maybe you want to set up an online store or a forum, or perhaps you’re simply setting up a website as a hobby.
Whatever kind of website you need, you have to select the CMS that will be capable of handling your needs. You also need to determine if your server supports databases such as MySQL or Oracle, which are needed for your CMS to function and other hosting requirements.
Presently, there is a lot of CMS software available. Some of them are used for commercial purposes and retail for thousands of dollars. But there are also many others that are available online. There are open source software providing a powerful set of features and capabilities, but which are free to use and can be easily installed on your server. The downside to using open source is that everything is basically helter skelter and trying to put all the pieces together to run your business can cost you weeks or even months of wasted time and resources.
It might require a little extra knowledge about how to set up a database and how it will work with your CMS platform, so it would be best to enlist the help of a programmer. If you have already tested various content management systems and found them lacking in the features you are looking for, you can also hire a programmer to create a system that is fully customized according to your specifications and your site’s requirements. Be prepared to spend thousands or even tens of thousands of dollars with this route though.
In choosing the right content management system, you have to determine your needs as well as consider several factors. If you want regular software updates and good solid tech support, you might want to shell out more for a commercial CMS.
The downside of commercial CMS is usually the cost, which really works against companies with a budget. Open source CMS, while usually reliable, provide a bit of a challenge when it comes to product support; product stability and security can be uncertain especially since this kind of CMS doesn’t usually have a regular team of developers devoted solely to its development.
A custom CMS, meanwhile, scores big on the fact that it was built to accommodate your specifications; but developing and improving its features, as well as installing additional updates in the future, may use up your resources and take a lot of time to implement.
It’s always best to choose a content management system that is customizable from your admin panels and can be readily updated.
That way, your website can freely develop and expand and have a good working CMS that will be able to accommodate and manage all possible changes.
If you can’t decide which content management system will best suit your needs, it’s always wise to run one from a test site and check its functionalities.
That way, you would be able to fully explore its features before attempting to integrate it with your website.
