What is a Content Management System?
Open Source CMSs
Most of the best content management systems are often open source and free. The best-known content management systems are:
1. Joomla
2. Drupal
3. WordPress
4. Mambo
Open source CMSs have the capability to support add-on software, which can extend capabilities of your website to include forums, blogs, wikis, web-stores, photo-galleries, contact-management and video streaming to name a few. These add-ons may be based on an open-source or paid licence model. However, in the scheme of things paid licences are very cheap and most cost around $20.
Joomla!
Joomla is an award-winning content management system (CMS), which enables you to build Web sites and powerful applications such as online shops. Joomla is used all over the world to power Web sites of all shapes and sizes. Examples of companies using Joomla can be found in the Joomla Community Site Showcase.
Joomla is the most popular open source CMS currently available as evidenced by a vibrant and growing community of friendly users and talented developers. Joomla is free, open, and available to anyone under the GPL license.
Best of all, because Joomla is so easy to use, Web Designers and Developers can quickly build your new website and have you online in days. Which of course means you save money.
Benefits of a CMS for Business
Businesses large and small are using open source CMSs to engage with customers at a fraction of the cost of proprietary content management systems. Web2 technologies allow customers to comment online and contribute to business growth.
Business users can directly manage their web site content with ease. Businesspeople can update their sites without chasing down a web designer. The core Joomla framework enables savvy users to quickly and easily build business directories, reservation systems, forums, shopping carts and product ratings or review pages.
Recommendation
Before rushing out and creating a website, there are important factors you need to be aware of. First, you need a clear business goal for the website, ask yourself what will be achieved by implementing a website. It should be possible to succinctly outline your business goals on a single page.
Second, build the website for the end user or customer. Consider how customers are going to find your website, how easy the website is to use and what benefits customers will obtain from visiting your website.
Third, having a website is only the start. There is a brave new world awaiting those people with the know-how to learn about emarketing as an important strategy for obtaining new customers.
Open Source IT can provide support in all aspects of CMS management - its our speciality. We can install your new website, provide online training services and our help desk is here to trouble shoot when things go wrong.
If you're too busy running your business, then Open Source IT can develop and manage your website including; creating new content, moderating forums as well as developing and managing the e-marketing of your business.
