The benifits of a good CMS

The benifits of a good CMS

Web technology has been an evolution, just like every other industry. What started with basic HTML, CSS, then XTML, is now CMS and soon HTML 5. It is a maturing technology that keeps on getting better.

CMS, or Content Management Systems come in many different guises. There are the huge, like Interwoven who offer enterprise sized CMS solutions for large organizations, to the smaller like Zope which is an open source project run by enthusiasts. Whatever the scope of the CMS, the theory and operation is exactly the same. To have something that allows the mechanics, design and content to be completely separate from each other.

We are all good at some things and not others. A CMS platform allows people to play to their strengths and provides the opportunity to separate the functions you aren’t so good at. A web designer can concentrate on the design or the back end while a contributor can just provide the content without having to get embroiled in the way the site works. Nobody has to do something they aren’t good at, and everyone can work on the site at once without bringing it down or getting in each other’s way.

This streamlining of the workflow is what makes a CMS such good sense. Work can be carried out while the site is live without affecting operation. Templates can be created to completely change the look of the site without taking it down, changing the way everything works and without having to manually design each page.

Changes can be created, approved and published within minutes, not days. Website users and contributors can collaborate and interact on the site freely. Discussions, comments and other interactions are easy to manage and moderate and can be seen almost instantly, creating a community feel to any site.

No longer do we have to create pages that are backwards compatible or code for older browsers. No more tweaking a page for IE5 or something else equally obsolete. The CMS is designed to recognize the browser type and will automatically provide the appropriate template for it. It will show a smart new version for recent browsers, a slightly less ambitious one for older browsers, and a special, cut-down version for cell phones or screen readers.

There is a problem with this new technology though. We as designers and developers have to change or be left behind. While a CMS can indeed to the work of several of us, that means we have to adapt to the new technology and learn how to use it quickly. It is no time to get left behind, as CMS and CMS type applications are the way forward.

Any system that provides the freedom, and relative cost effectiveness to clients is going to be attractive to them. That is until the next new big thing comes round the corner and we have to start all over again.

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