Choosing the right CMS
28 Mar
How do I choose the right CMS, to suit my needs?
Lets start by defining what a CMS is exactly, a CMS (Content Management System) is a web development product that allows you to separate content, from design of a website. CMS software are commonly free (genuinely free, no charge what so ever) and open source. However some commercial CMS systems are on the market. At current there are three very popular CMS systems those being, Wordpress, Joomla, Drupal. First I will make it clear of these three CMS’s are most used for, and which ones will best suit particular needs.
Wordpress is typically used for personal/professional blogs, using Wordpress.com you can have a free wordpress account and website. On a wordpress.com sub-domain. For example: nickssuperduperblog.wordpress.com. Wordpress is more user friendly and less tech savvy users. You can find many free Wordpress Themes, free, and premium (for charge).
Drupal is a more powerful CMS, more commonly used by do-it tinkerers and people who want to do it themselves, from content to design. Drupal supports what are referred to as modules. Modules allow you to extend to power and uses of Drupal. You can find many free themes for Drupal, however many are low quality. Its better to develop or have them developed your self.
Joomla is a very powerful CMS, that has many free high quality themes that are more close to the quality and amount of themes of Wordpress. Joomla can power everything from a corporate website, to a social network.
Some things to keep in mind when choosing a CMS:
Your skills, are you a web-uber-geek? Or an average user that is willing to learn?
What are your needs? Do you need user accounts on your website? Do you want other users to be able to post content and not allow users to create accounts?
Are you able to design your theme yourself or hire someone? If not, it may be wise to go with Joomla, or Wordpress.
- Brandon Anderson
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