CMS Jam Content Management Systems: News and Resources

Over time, definitions of web-based applications tend to change. In many cases, what were once separate systems tend to be combined in mashups and how we define such systems must necessarily change. I believe we are at a crossroads in which various types of systems and sites have undergone enough iterations that we now become confused with what each means.

Although CMS stands for “content management system”, and that in itself seems like a simple thing to define (a system that allows us to manage our site content), it has historically evoked some sort of complex system that cost many thousands of dollars and could only be managed by a team of uber-geeks. I think we’ve finally begun to realize that a CMS doesn’t have to involve high costs or a team of IT uber-geeks to manage it. Many options now exist to enable the average Joe or Jane to “simply manage web site content”. That, after all, is the goal of a CMS, and everything about the CMS should reflect that goal.

1. The installation should be simple.
2. The initial setup (design and structure) should be relatively simple.
3. The adding/editing/publishing of content should be simple.

If each of these steps are not simple, then we’ve lost the entire point of even using a CMS. If you are the head of the IT department of a large, multi-national corporation, you may have good reasons to justify the use of complex, geek-controlled systems, but if you are a CMS Jam reader, you aren’t looking for that kind of system. You are the average Joe or the average Jane webmaster who wants to be able to publish a kick-ass web site without having to be an uber-geek. To do that, you need simple solutions that deliver just what you need in a search-friendly and user-friendly way, and that is best delivered by a Content Management System.

In this mashup Internet world in which we now live, however, other types of applications and sites could also be considered content management systems. What, after all, is a portal? What is a wiki? What is a blog? All of these types of applications allow you to manage content, right? So why aren’t they all called CMS’s, and which should you choose?

Yes, they all manage content, so in that respect, they could all be considered CMS’s. However, each type of system generally displays a site’s content in a very specific way, and that final display of content to the user is what generally makes them a separate entity from a standard CMS.

A portal is designed to be a gateway to various services such as news, email, discussion groups, shopping, resources, etc. and is very likely able to be customized by the users, so that each user has some level of control over which content modules are displayed on his/her page, where on the page each is displayed, and what theme or color scheme is used for the page. More often than not, a portal is designed to be an interactive community site of some sort. This interactive, customizable gateway to various services is usually managed in the same way on the backend (the actual content management part), but the display and user front end is different from most standard web sites.

A wiki is a site in which the users (everyone, generally) contribute the content, and anyone can add, edit, or delete content. This collective collaboration is what sets a wiki apart from a standard CMS. Again, although the back-end content management is similar, the open nature of authorship is what sets it apart.

A blog is probably closest to the definition of a CMS, but its most defining feature that sets it apart is that it usually displays content in reverse chronological order, and is focused on creating date-based content. In addition, it strives to create conversation between blogger and readers, by allowing and encouraging visitors to comment on each post.

Which you choose depends upon the goal of your site. You may choose a CMS that focuses primarily on creating a standard web site, but can also create a separate blog, wiki, or portal as well. You may choose to create a site that actually uses more than one system, with one controlling the main site, one controlling a separate blog, one controlling a wiki, etc. Some systems are better at combining different modules than others.

If you are planning on having a large site, with many different modules, and lots of community interaction, you’re probably going to want to look at Drupal, Joomla or Xoops. Each of these systems is powerful, but the learning curve is fairly steep.

If you want to keep things simple and have the least amount of learning curve, focus instead on the type of site you want to end up with and find a CMS that does that one thing, and does it well. Examples would be WordPress for blogs, CMS Made Simple for standard sites, and MediaWiki for wikis.

What you choose should be determined by what type of site you intend to produce, and what the requirements will be to most easily create that site. No doubt, two years from now, we will be facing an entirely new set of definitions and which applications we choose will depend heavily upon those new requirements.