Content Management Systems
Boy, there’s a lot of them out there! The last time that we were at OpenSourceCMS they listed 50 different content management systems and thier list is in no way exhaustive. We didn’t even bother to count the blog tools, image galleries, wikis, ecommerce systems, etc.
Overkill is the word that comes to mind.
From an end user’s point of view, a content management system should be there for you when you want to easily update your site. That means adding/editing pages, creating users, sending newsletters, etc. Every single one of the fifty above do this in their own way, and with their own logic. We at Carroll Engineering think that quality accompanies simplicity. Your software should do exactly what you want it to do – not more, and not less – so that you can keep in touch with your customers and then get on with the business of making money.
Carroll Engineering would like to offer a few tips for solving your CMS crisis.
- Make a list of the tasks you want to use your CMS to accomplish. Make it concrete: “I want to publish a list of trade shows where my company has a stand. When the tradeshow is over, the entry should remove itself automatically from the list.”
- Consider the frequency of changes and the nature of these changes.
- Do you add pages daily? weekly?
- Does content expire and you need to replace it with new content? How often?
- What happens to old content does it belong in an archive (press releases) or is it time-based (events).
- Think about and write out your workflow for each of the tasks in #1 above.
- Call your professional web developer and give them your lists and paperwork. Ask them to finish the research process you have started here, and to give you recommendations. Now is when a good developer can save you a bundle of time by already knowing which of the CMS in his/her toolbox will help you to reach your goals with the highest degree of usability and economy.