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Why You Should Spend Extra For Content Management
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26-Dec-2008
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We all know the importance of keeping your Web presence up to date, however, that doesn't mean you need to shill out a design consultant fee every time you have a change to post. This is made possible by Content Management Systems.
Content Management Systems allow even the laymen to update the various facets of your Web presence, be it simple content, advertisements, graphics, et cetera. Some even go so far as to allow changes to the overall structure of the site (although I personally do not advocate this ability for the novice, as a professional site is a plan, not something to wing). They aren't particularly anything new, however, up until now they have been a lot less used and somewhat difficult to manage.
This Is Not Your Father's FrontPage
We all remember the days of FrontPage. When everyone and their brother would make Web sites to show just what the cat did...and again, lather, rinse and repeat. Although not completely direct, one could easily argue that early Web content editors, FrontPage in particular, led to the ridiculously popular blogs that we all know and love (...riiight) today. And for that alone, FrontPage will go down in history as a truly great thing. It opened the Web to the layman.
Unfortunately, FrontPage had many limitations. For starters, it provided functionality that required specific server settings and updates that, if not present on the server, made your hours/days/weeks of effort completely useless. You didn't have to take advantage of these built in functionalities, but Microsoft really sold the product with that in mind. This is why I classify it as a content editor, and not a true design platform (such as Visual Studio, which is like FrontPage, on waaay too many steroids and not really user friendly). So it certainly created its fair share of frustration.
That being said, it did allow for the average person to make a good, plain, html page that, for its' time, was very much a standard across the board. It is also worth mentioning that the Netscape Navigator also provided this functionality, and although not as user friendly, was in many respects very superior. These programs had their time and place in the evolution of Web development, and are certainly worthy of mention and credit for what they accomplished. That being said, they left a lot of room for improvement as the Web progressed far beyond their capabilities (Microsoft only recently phased out FrontPage, it really milked it way beyond its means).
The Era Of Customized Management
Unlike FrontPage, where you were given too many options that you couldn't really use, and had to adapt to a pre-prescribed format for your content management, Content Management Systems today are largely customized around the specific end user, and that is a great thing. Although there are commercially packaged Content Management Systems for purchase that you can get right off the shelf, any good Web programmer can provide you with one that is significantly more suited to your site and your needs/abilities. I personally create them for all my clients, and offer support contracts for updates if they so choose – all at a price that's comparable with what you would pay for an off the shelf product, but custom-tailored to your needs; which off the shelf will never be.
They can be laid out in any number of ways. If you would like all of your image management under one section, it is easy enough to accomplish. If you would like the various sections broken down as they are on the site, that is a simple fix. You can even have an exact duplicate of the pages themselves with little “Edit” links on everything that is updatable – now that is customized.
Although no amount of content management will replace genuine Web presence updates, and you really need to make that a priority, having the ability to update the information as it is on an as needed basis is of the utmost importance and should not be underestimated. As well, it is likely that the content changes would be cheaper for you to do yourself, and I doubt you would prefer to pay a Web programmer $75+ an hour to just sit and type up notes – and as a Web programmer I can honestly say I'd rather not just sit and type up notes.
Speak with your Web programmer, and if you don't have a Content Management System already, discuss the various options. Again, maybe something customized is right for you, perhaps something off the shelf. Do some estimations as to the cost savings benefits, and plan accordingly considering the amount of money that would be budgeted anyway (you definitely do not want to go cheap on something this important). If you decide to go down the customized route, discuss support contracts and upgrade options – as well as if a new management system is required with each change to the site, or if that is built into the support contract. Just some very important things to consider on something you really should be doing already... |
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