Everything you need to know about content management systems

The number of proprietary and open source content management systems on the market can be daunting to the beginner. Do you go for one which best suits your needs? Does a stable community base and/or professional support sway your decision? Is it the look of the templates or your prior experience with the user interface?

CMSConnex is a handy resource, but there's only so many things that our website can do. It cannot brew up, talk to its friends, enjoy a takeaway meal, nor remember train times from Glasgow Central to the North West of England. The company and its colleagues behind CMSConnex can do any of the following. Most importantly, it can also share its unrivalled experience with content management systems to an adoring public. One other thing it doesn't do is offer...

This is where we at Contact Media Ventures come in to the fray. Our team has wide ranging experience with Drupal, plus other CMSs like WordPress, Magento and Joomla. Today, the most complex of websites is enhanced with a content management system. It is a less demanding alternative to hard coding or using a WYSIWYG web editor. Trying to decipher source code can be like your doctor's prescription notes!

At one time, some users perceived content management systems as a 'cookie cutter' approach with few editing facilities. These days, far from it given the expandability of today's content management systems, the number of designs from third parties and CMS developers. Plus you can also create your own designs.

Why say 'yes' to a CMS?

• Easy to edit: sometimes easy enough for some users to edit their website without knowing source code;
• Best for complex websites: adding and editing pages is less cumbersome;
• Choice of themes: depending on your choice of CMS, there is a number of designs from the developers and from third parties;
• Support: choose a CMS with 24 hour telephone support and/or a vibrant community of like-minded users and developers;
• Customisable: most content management systems enable you to create your own designs;
• Let a friend help out: you can let friends or fellow colleagues help to maintain your website and set specific levels of permissions;
• Mobile friendly: why worry about screen widths? Some site design templates accommodate all mobile devices;
• Expandable: via the CMS developers' and/or third party depositories, there's every chance you can add a wealth of features to your website. Such as photo galleries, eCommerce facilities, language translation and social media integration.

Our CMS training courses cover the basics of content management systems, the benefits of which, and an overview of the features you may expect. We also offer more specialised CMS training courses focusing on Drupal, Magento, WordPress and Joomla.