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A Content Management System or CMS is software that can be loaded onto your web hosting server. Many web hosting providers offer free installation and set up via Fantastico. When this software is installed, you have the ability to log into the administration panel via any web browser and create, edit or remove content. Most offer a WSYWIG (what you see is what you get) editor that resembles Microsoft Word. If you want to add text, images, links, etc… it’s quite simply done without the need for knowledge of HTML code.
Most content management systems have many other features that require just a few clicks to implement. Want to offer a newsletter? Do you sell widget and need e-commerce? How about a section of your website that is only viewable to registered users? Feel like blogging? Photo galleries are very nice, indeed. Surveys, polls, questionnaires, request a quote, quizzes, no problem. You could even add a forum to discuss your favorite topic. The list goes on and on.
Q. Why Choose A Content Management System Over A Static HTML Website?
A. CONTROL
A content management system gives you – the website owner—total control over your site and your content. At anytime, day or night, the ability to update your site is at your fingertips.
If you get tired of the look of your website after a few years, you need only have a new template designed. Because content management systems are database driven, all of your content and data remains.
Bells and whistles abound. At this writing there are 1267 add-on components/modules available for Joomla! Here are just a few:
- Corporate websites or portals
- Online commerce
- Small business websites
- Non-profit and organizational websites
- Government applications
- Corporate intranets and extranets
- School and church websites
- Personal or family homepages
- Community-based portals
- Magazines and newspapers
- the possibilities are limitless…
How To Choose A Content Management System:
Four things you must consider when choosing a content management system are these:
- Price: You can spend thousands or you can spend nothing. In my personal experience there is an inverse relationship to the price of the CMS and the quality of the product. Meaning the best CMS I’ve found (Joomla!) is release under the GNU/GPL license and is TOTALLY FREE!
- Product: Is your CMS constantly in production? Yes, is the answer we want to hear. With emerging technology your CMS should always be cutting edge. Does your CMS offer you the ability to grow your site with add-on components and modules? Again, yes is what we want the answer to be. Today you may only want 5 or 6 pages, but tomorrow you may decide to add e-commerce or a photo gallery.
- Security: Hackers love nothing more than to find a security hole in your site and exploit it. Your CMS developer should stay ahead of this challenge. In about 12 months Joomla! has release 12 versions. Many of these updates are to fix potential security issues. Joomla! is a living breathing software developed by a community of volunteers.
- Support: If you have a problem or need to know how to accomplish a task it’s important to have technical support. A commercial CMS provider may offer technical support for a time or for a fee. The beauty of open source software is the community of developers is available worldwide and 24/7. At this writing there are 85,000+ members registered on the Joomla! forum and help is always nearby.
How To Choose A Website Designer For Your New Content Management System:
RELIABILITY! Look for a website designer who can provide references and offers consistent and reliable service. I’ve lost count of the times I’ve heard a version of the story—“I hired my neighbors son to do my site and he’s just not available when I need him.” Or “When I need to update my site it takes my designer 2 months to get back to me.”
SERVICE! Building your website is a collaborative project that will require your input. Find a website designer who will listen to you and understand your goals. You should never feel like you are asking a stupid question.
KNOWLEDGE! You need a designer who is not only knowledgeable about the technical end of web design but business and consumers as well. A designer who can understand your goals as a business owner and your target market will be able to design a site that will attract and retain clients.
CREATIVITY! Most CMS come with one or two standard templates that look like what they are—templates. It’s imperative that your designer understands who your clients are and designs a site that is attractive to them. Check out your designer’s portfolio. If all of their sites look the same, odds are your site will look that way too.
PRICE! You’ll notice this is the last item on the list because reliability, service, knowledge and creativity are substantially more important than price. However, the fee is still very important. Design/development fees are all over the board and you can’t judge the end result by the agreed upon fee. I’ve seen sites developed by the “big boys” that look just horrid. I’ve heard of brick and mortar firms building sites for $7,500 for a 5-page website up to $150,000 for custom applications. There are some freelancers who charge $500 to $1000 for a 5-page site, but they don’t provide reliability, service, knowledge or creativity.
What is Joomla!
Joomla! is an award-winning Content Management System (CMS) that will help you build websites and other powerful online applications. Best of all, Joomla! is an open source solution that is freely available to everybody.
Joomla! is used all over the world to power everything from simple, personal homepages to complex corporate web applications. Here are just some of the ways people use Joomla!:
- Corporate websites or portals
- Online commerce
- Small business websites
- Non-profit and organizational websites
- Government applications
- Corporate intranets and extranets
- School and church websites
- Personal or family homepages
- Community-based portals
- Magazines and newspapers
- the possibilities are limitless…
Joomla! can be used to easily manage every aspect of your website, from adding content and images to updating a product catalog or taking online reservations.
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