Aug
8
Need to build page using a Content Management System (CMS) or dynamic content?
August 8th, 2010 posted by
admin
Hey folks I am looking to build a page for a client that uses some form of a CMS system or alternative so that my client can post articles to there site most likely from a template I design, possibly with a comments section for each article.
It should be easy for a non-coding client to use on their end with no html experience.
If not CMS what would you suggest?
I tried CushyCMS but it was too basic and would require them to delete the info already there instead of adding new content through a new page template.
What are the best solutions?
Great answer so far from Pi anyone else like to share the tools they used?
two pi says:
August 9th, 2010 at 3:55 am
I suspect most people here will say Drupal, Joomla, or WordPress. Those are the most commonly used CMS systems today.
Drupal is extremely powerful, but it will take quite a bit of time and practice for you to set it up in the way your customer probably wants. You’ll need to make modifications to the stock Drupal installation to make it easy to update. Drupal theming is also a bit complex. It isn’t difficult, but it does take some time to get used to.
WordPress is quite a bit simpler, and if the user is looking for primarily a blog site, it will probably do the job. Folks have made wordpress do a lot more, but it’s really a blogging platform, and that’s what it does best.
Joomla is somewhere between these extremes in complexity.
Honestly, I tend to use websitebaker for smaller clients. It’s small, fast, and easy to customize, and the interface is pretty easy for non-technical clients to use out of the box. My clients have been farmers and balloon artists, and they’ve been able to customize their site content with no problems.
The theming is mainly plain XHTML and CSS, so it’s not difficult.
I also like CMSMade simple, but it actually exposes theming elements to the clients, which means they sometimes really mess things up.
You can log in as an admin on any of these systems (and hundreds more) to play around and experiment at opensourcecms.com
Hope this helps!
David says:
August 9th, 2010 at 2:21 pm
Drupal would be the first choice.
Drupal is probably the most flexible. It has a harder learning curve. The number of tweaks and addon’s available is very large. It can be painful to get the right theme to mesh the way you wish. But so can any of them. Drupal’s taxonomy system is “looser” than Joomla’s. Drupal has a large pool of developers you can call all for professional support. This seems to be a larger pool than Joomla, at least it seems that way to me.
Joomla a very close second.
The are probably more theme’s available for joomla. If you are going to make your own theme then this does not matter. If you are hoping to find a pre-built theme and have the sight up as quick as possible, this might be important. Joomla is probably quicker to get going.
E107 would come in third.
E107 has fewer modules, and fewer themes. I like it because it has a GOOD forum built in. Drupal and joomla’s forum choices are limited. You will be using a bridge or a commercial solution under drupal/joomla. E107 might be considered more “basic” than some others, but it is much easier to customize if you are into tweaking code.