In this video, Michael Slater, CEO of Webvanta, explains why you should consider using a web cms or website content management system for your next website design project. Key reasons to use a web cms include rich built-in features such as blogs, calendars and photo galleries; ease of updating content; extensibility; and the ability to automate page creation.
Once you have your site coded, you need to choose how those coded web pages are going to be delivered. The first fork in the road is to choose between static web site and a content management system (CMS).
During the past few days, there has been another batch of WordPress sites getting hacked, this time with malicious code that redirects visitors to the site to a fake virus scan page, which then tries to get the user to download an "anti-virus" program that is, in fact, a virus.
As we've noted in previous posts, we're fans of the hosted CMS approach. There are times, however, when you need a self-hosted system whose code you can modify—especially if you need to add your own server-side logic.
If you're like most web designers, you may use a hosted service, such as WordPress.com, when you need a quick, simple blog. But when you are building business sites and need full design control, you either build a static site or use a self-hosted CMS, such a downloaded copy of WordPress that you manage. And if you have the budget for a large implementation effort, you may use Drupal, Joomla!, or Expression Engine.
We often hear from designers who have been building static web sites for years, and question whether they need to shift to using a content management system (CMS). They're comfortable with their workflow, typically building sites in Dreamweaver and then pushing them up to a server via FTP. We're biased, of course, but we fervently believe that the answer is an unqualified YES. Here's why.
A few months ago, we volunteered to help build a new web site for West County Health Centers, a non-profit organization that is a major provider of medical care in west Sonoma County. As with so many small businesses and non-profits, their existing site was small and, to be blunt, just plain awful, and no one knew how to update it.
Robert Scoble recently blogged about how he no longer feels safe with WordPress, after hackers broke into his site, deleted archives for which he had no backups, and added a lot of spam content. This is a painful situation that I wouldn't wish on anyone. And it is all too common.
My corner of this blog, Below the Fold, is for web designers about issues they have told us are critical to their business. I am keeping a running list and invite you to add to it right here. This first post is about whether clients really need full content management systems (CMS). Do clients need more than simple text editing? Is the cost and complication of building or buying and then customizing a CMS necessary? Are clients’ needs today just the tip of the iceberg for what they will need next year?