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INTRODUCTION FUR DATA SERVICES PORTFOLIO FIRST AID FOR WEBSITES GOALS FOR YOUR WEBSITE REQUIREMENTS A CMS - YES OR NO? BROWSERS AND SCREENRESOLUTIONS HOSTING YOUR WEBSITE BEING FOUND ON THE INTERNET THE USE OF IMAGES THE USE OF VIDEO TIPS FOR INTRANET TO MEASURE IS TO KNOW DIGITAL MARKETING SOCIAL (BUSINESS) NETWORKS SITE RISKS CALL TO ACTION ...

A CMS - YES OR NO?

A number of factors that need to be taken into account:
  • Your budget
  • The size of your website
  • Complexity of the content management system [ CMS ]
  • The (im)possibilities
  • Open-source


YOUR BUDGET

If you want do not want to spend to much on your website (maximum € 500,-) try to find a solution that fits you by using a HTML-website. If you know where to find a reliable person or have already found somebody that will manage your website, you're all set. Or ... you can manage it yourself! ?
[ www.download.com ]

[ TIP: make sure that your domain name is registered in your name or your company’s name and….that you manage your website information … just in case your webmaster is not available].


THE SIZE OF YOUR WEBSITE

Does your website or future website have more than 10 pages? In that case you might want to consider switching to a website with a content management system.
This is where the search begins… which system should I purchase and what is it going to cost?

[TIP: in case licenses are involved, calculate which costs will be charged later].


COMPLEXITY OF THE CMS

The more a system is capable of doing, the more extensive its options are. But if a CMS-system is user-unfriendly
(and this is true for every system) it can ruin a lot.

You don’t want to have to refer to the manual every time you want to change some text. Of if you need to alter or add a chapter. What we all really just want is to be able to ENTER, SAVE and have the website ONLINE.


THE (IM)POSSIBILITIES

Take a critical look at the (im)possibilities of the content management system:
  • Does it fit the website design?
  • Are there applications available that I might want to add later on?
  • What kind of back up does it supply?
  • Do I need all of these extra options and am I then paying too much?
  • How is the service-desk set up?


OPEN-SOURCE

Open-source is "in". After all, it is for free. But don't let that dazzle you. You are actually buying a really nice box of CMS software. The picture looks perfect. Think Lego-train, you open the box and hundreds of pieces have to be put together…. This is true for open source CMS software also. Some knowledge and expertise is required. If you do not have that, you will spend a lot of time setting up your website and will have to wait to see if it is going to work. But still, it is free, that is if you do not count the time you put into it.

[Remark: because open source CMS software is so popular, it 'invites' people with malicious intent to hack finished websites. Once a hacker has found a 'leak', he will naturally be able to find the same leak in other websites that operate on the open source CMS software.]


REFERENCES

  • Fur CMS | Simple and very user-friendly CMS system with an extensive amount of options. ( English available ]
  • Joomla!CMS Open Source CMS | Sort of standard in CMS country. But make sure you make timely updates in order to improve the package's security. [Remark: not all server providers support Joomla!CMS]