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RCorr 
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Joined: 21 January 2003
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 Topic: working with CMS
Posted: 15 March 2006 at 8:49pm |
Hello there,
I have heard about a couple of open-source context management systems (CMS). After reading about them, I can see the benefits of allowing one with no or minimal web skills to update web pages and how easy it is to plug in modules. I would like to clarify a couple of things before using one and how much time is it to implement.
Even when you download the application from your favourite CMS site, it seems that a lot of work is needed to customize your existing web site to run off of a CMS to start seeing the results. In addition, spending time to familiar how the CMS was constructed the pages involve.
As of now, I don’t see converting a web site without starting from scratch and basing a web site around a CMS. Or am I missing something that just not clicking yet.
Comments are welcome. Thanks.
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michael
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Joined: 08 April 2002
Location: United States
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Posted: 15 March 2006 at 9:55pm |
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A CMS (btw. it's usually content not context), is usually used in an intrnanet, where department can post their own sites within the intranet itself. Sharepoint being one of them, it is not hard at all to create a site for a department and the idea is not to take a CMS site and publish it on the internet. About 90% of all so called CMS applications on the web are rubbish anyway, they are not real CMS apps in the first place.
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Tegwin
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Posted: 15 March 2006 at 10:10pm |
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The DotNETNUKE Project is pretty cool.. www.dotnetnuke.org
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dpyers
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Posted: 16 March 2006 at 12:49am |
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drupal's pretty cool, but a lot of people have trouble getting their heads around the paradigm it uses.
I think you're right about a CMS being best used for a new system. You can convert an existing system, but you're really just copying the content over and breaking all your search engine links.
For existing systems, clients are usually happy to be able to edit just a few areas on a few pages. I use a mini-cms for those sites - an rte and an asset manager for uploadings pics, etc. I let them edit include files and give them a menu of items they can edit - e.g. "Home Page - Right Column". The rte I use is css-based so it keeps them from doing stupid things with the fonts and colors - they can only pick common site css elements - not their own wild-assed fonts and colors.
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Lead me not into temptation... I know the short cut, follow me.
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RCorr
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Joined: 21 January 2003
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Posted: 16 March 2006 at 2:55pm |
Thank you for your feedback.
I am just thinking ahead a little bit and since I haven't created a CMS site in the past it would be best to start building a website from scratch. Trying to implement a CMS on an existing site may cause headaches.
I realize that once site has been designed transferring content over is not that difficult (just as with another web site re-design). It just may take a while that's all.
I am come to a conclusion that I may need to assign a large amount of time (e.g. 2 weeks to a month) and therefore it may not be worthwhile just of yet.
Thanks.
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huwnet
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Joined: 30 May 2003
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Posted: 16 March 2006 at 4:32pm |
 dpyers wrote:
drupal's pretty cool, but a lot of people have trouble getting their heads around the paradigm it uses.
I think you're right about a CMS being best used for a new system. You can convert an existing system, but you're really just copying the content over and breaking all your search engine links.
For existing systems, clients are usually happy to be able to edit just a few areas on a few pages. I use a mini-cms for those sites - an rte and an asset manager for uploadings pics, etc. I let them edit include files and give them a menu of items they can edit - e.g. "Home Page - Right Column". The rte I use is css-based so it keeps them from doing stupid things with the fonts and colors - they can only pick common site css elements - not their own wild-assed fonts and colors.
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Drupal and Joomla (the fork of mambo. All mambo developers forked) are both good but Joomla is a little database intensive.
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Bluefrog
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Joined: 23 October 2002
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Posted: 16 March 2006 at 9:49pm |
dpyers wrote:
drupal's pretty cool, but a lot of people have trouble getting their heads around the paradigm it uses.
I
think you're right about a CMS being best used for a new system. You
can convert an existing system, but you're really just copying the
content over and breaking all your search engine links.
For
existing systems, clients are usually happy to be able to edit just a
few areas on a few pages. I use a mini-cms for those sites - an rte and
an asset manager for uploadings pics, etc. I let them edit include
files and give them a menu of items they can edit - e.g. "Home Page -
Right Column". The rte I use is css-based so it keeps them from doing
stupid things with the fonts and colors - they can only pick common
site css elements - not their own wild-assed fonts and colors.
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Regarding seearch engine links, it's not really that much of a problem
if you do things right. I switched ALTools.net from DNN 2.1.2 to DNN
3.2 by redoing the site from scratch. (Got screwed by a developer that
disappeared - couldn't just upgrade.  Lesson learned - get the source code if you can... )
I was doing well in the search engines before, but now I'm doing even
better. There are countless terms where the site ranks #1 or in the top
10 SERPs. I didn't even use any 302s or redirects.
"wild-assed fonts and colors" - HAHAHAHA~! I got a kick out of that, but it's so true~! 
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RCorr
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Joined: 21 January 2003
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Posted: 22 March 2006 at 7:43pm |
I have been investigating a CMS that will be easily integrated into an existing website and has the flexibility to incorporate into future designs, but having no joy. It appears that all the available CMS requires some planning and basing your site around one of their custom design. Currently this is not what I am after. I do not plan to spend a lot of time on the implementing.
Does anyone know of a CMS that will meet my needs?
Tx
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