What is a CMS?
A CMS is a software package that is installed and configured on a web server and database. Using a CMS allows us to rapidly implement full feature dynamic database driven web sites.
What CMS do you use?
This depends on specific needs, but we prefer to work with open source systems, primarily WordPress and Drupal, which are highly regarded and heavily supported. These systems are truly dynamic, scalable and portable. Using an open source CMS allows us add features and designs to a web site at the beginning of the creation process or even years later. And since they are open source, new features are continuously built by the development community. These two CMS systems are well renowned and used by many popular brands:
Popular Brands that Use WordPress – Sony, Yahoo, eBay, Digg, Ford, CNN
Companies that Use Drupal – Warner Bros, Popular Science, Ubuntu
The President’s official website www.whitehouse.gov also uses Drupal.
So what are the client benefits of an open source CMS-driven web site?
It’s certainly helpful for us to be able to quickly build sites, add features and create new designs. There are numerous great benefits to clients, which include:
- Sites are heavily supported and portable. Even if you decide to change design firms, it’s not difficult to find people that can work with the popular CM systems we use.
- The core and developed modules are feature rich, which makes it much faster to build sites with any combination of features such as galleries, forums, blogs, social networks, membership management, e-commerce, advertising and so much more.
- The community is constantly developing features. If something innovative comes to the Internet in 2015, chances are you can add it to your site without a total redesign. This recently happened with emerging trends of Web 2.0, such as social networking.
- Designs are based on themes, so you can always create a new design without having to change the content and functionality of the site.
- It’s simple for users to add content, posts or media very quickly. If you know how to use Facebook or eBay, you are overqualified to create content in a CMS.