Rumplestiltskin had the right idea ... weaving straw into gold, if he had lived in our "high tech times" he would have been weaving code into CMS systems. Maybe a bit more tedious but effective just the same. But just like every other good idea there are benefits and drawbacks which need to be clearly understood before making any decisions.
A current buzz in the on-line community is "manageable content". Virtually everyone with a website wants to manage their own content in the easiest way. Many of the more recent Content Management Systems (CMS) allow people with otherwise limited or no programming skills to mange the content of their own websites. That's the good news, the bad news is that there are pitfalls that can befall someone entering into the CMS arena and if they are not addressed they can create their own living "Nightmare on Elm Street ".
Content Management Systems by their very nature are complex, they need to be. Just like anything associated with technology, if you want to make it easy to use there is a huge overhead of technology that needs to be applied to make it goof-proof. CMS can vary widely in their costs and in their applications. From a small business owners who just want control of their own website to huge conglomerates who want more control of their enterprise systems. As can be expected, pricing ranges from "Open Source", free or inexpensive, to ... well, lets just say that your "first born" would be in serious jeopardy, yeah I'm talking forget the check-book, bring your Banker.
So why even bother with a CMS? Simple, cost and control. The cost of managing your website can be reduced and managed more effectively and the flexibility of controlling your own content is a huge benefit for many businesses large and small.
Understanding Your Situation
If you are a small to medium sized organization and are making frequent changes to your website the two issues of cost and control are real. Most people find it annoying and expensive to always be on the phone with their "web guy" (or gal) trying to explain what needs to be done. Often sending an email to try explain in what needs to be changed on a website can more frustrating than bathing the family cat. Then the inevitable happens, the explanation was not clear, or there was a typo or there was yet another change before the first change was implemented, and the whole cycle starts again.
If you are managing an enterprise system, you are dealing with pretty much the same issues but on a larger, more complex scale. Now you also likely have a Board of Directors with the combined "high-tech" understanding of "Conan the Barbarian" to explain things to. In both cases the next step is finding a cost effective solution that works and is effective.
Finding the Right Software
This step sounds simple, but can be extremely tedious and mesmerizing. If you are spending in excess of $50K on a CMS, and installing it on an enterprise system it is even more daunting. If you are a small to medium sized business simply wanting more control of costs and content, you still have tough job because costs remain a significant issue. In either case it is recommended that hire someone who has an expertise with your level of business, and that person should be independent of any software vendor in order make the wisest decisions with you. These people can evaluate your current systems and recommend alternatives if they are warranted.
Establishing function versus ROI
Part of your analysis should be evaluating your current system of content management, it's costs and frustrations, and how a new system will improve your organizations situation. You will need to take into account the costs of new CMS software versus what you are currently paying for these services. Your list of costs should contain the following:
• Current, actual costs of the service = $???
• Frustration in dealing with the service = $???
• Lost business due to time lags of updates = $???
• Peace of mind in having your own control = $???
All of these costs and more will need to be totaled and evaluated against the projected costs of, including time to implement, train and use, a new CMS.
Understanding the Unknowns
Then there's the part of CMS nobody wants to talk about. What will installing a new CMS on your website(s) do to your existing situation? For example what about your current and future Search Engine Standings? Hmmmm ... now there's something no one has talked about. Our business is fortunate to be working hand-in-glove with one of the best SEO businesses anywhere. When we evaluate a new or existing website that is a candidate for CMS we also look at the SEO ramifications, and so to address this in part two of this article is Ross Dunn from Stepforth SEO....
Colin Knecht
We
offer cost effective tools
that allow you to manage your clubs membership online.
