CMS Jam Content Management Systems: News and Resources

Image via Wikipedia Acquia just announced that they will be offering Drupal, the extremely popular free open source CMS, as a subscription-based service. In other words, for a price. What??? Now wait, this isn’t a scam, and it’s a respected way of doing things. RedHat has been offering its version of Linux [...]

I’ve been playing around with CompactCMS lately. Personally, I like it…mostly. Most geeks would probably like it as well, but it’s lacking a few features that would make it perfect for geeks and non-geeks alike. However, if you are the developer type, and you often design sites for your friends and family, [...]

This is just a really quick tip for those of you considering several different content management systems. If the CMS you are considering doesn’t have an easy way to back up the database and files (preferably automated), take it off of your short list and choose one that does. Backups are critical, and because CMS’s generally use a database to store all of your content (rather than you hard-coding the text into each page), you’ll need an easy way to backup that database. (Databases are generally not easy to backup for the non-techie). So no matter what features you need in the CMS you choose, make sure backup of the database and files is included in that list.

That’s the CMS Jam top o’ the day…

What is a hosted CMS? A hosted CMS is one in which the company that created the CMS software is also the company that hosts your site. A hosted CMS is very tempting to use because all of the installation and upgrade hassle (no matter how easy it is) is in the hands of someone else. With a hosted CMS, all you have to worry about is creating content, right? Well, not exactly. The biggest worry of choosing a hosted CMS is that of lack of control. By placing control of your site in another company’s hands, you run some very real risks.

• What happens if the company folds? Does your site and all its content simply vanish?
• What happens if the company uses inferior

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…

If you frequent social networks, you’ll have seen a fair amount of buzz in the last few months about using WordPress as a CMS. I’m here to tell you that for 99% of you out there, that would be a bad idea. Don’t get me wrong. I love WordPress. I have blogs that use WordPress, including this one. I even have one non-blog that uses WordPress - as a CMS! But that doesn’t mean everyone should run out and use WordPress as a CMS, and I’m here to tell you why.

Why should most people not use WordPress as a CMS? Because it is decidedly NOT easy to do so for the average Joe. Perhaps in time it will be, but for now…

Content management systems run the gamut from very basic and simple to extremely complex and feature-rich. Large organizations that have extensive staff members, all needing access to site editing, designing, and programming, are probably going to be using the high-end, expensive, feature-rich systems. The independent webmaster often has no need for such complexities [...]

1. Web-based access to your site’s content, so you can edit from anywhere - home, work, vacation - any place with Internet access.
2. Ability to easily assign tasks to different people. Writers can create and edit content without worrying about messing up the design. Designers can tweak designs without stepping on the [...]