the executive's guide to content management systems

content management systems, untangled

gb design and technology

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added insight

of grass, wires, plumbing, home entertainment walls, cheeseburgers, surgeons and crows … apologies for the mixed metaphors

why we do research and share our thinking?

what is a CMS, what does it doflexibility and what a CMS can’t doopen source v. proprietaryconfusion’s source: a gathering of crowsthe right questions to ask

agenda

a cms serves as an interfacebetween your web content and display

database your websitecms

… the CMS works between marketing content and distribution modes (website, email alerts, proposals, etc)

allows non technical users to manage different types of data on their own

things like images, videos, narratives (text), audio, etc … a CMS puts you in the driver’s seat

the best are easy to use and fitted to the tasks you are trying to accomplish

what is a CMS, what does it doflexibility and what a CMS can’t doopen source v. proprietaryconfusion’s source: a gathering of crows

the right questions to ask

agenda

it can’t alter your “display” without a cost

a sample template

You cannot move the logo from place to place. It’s in a fixed position, a position decided when the site was designed.

You cannot move the subnavigation around but you CAN rename it to fit the content of the page as you like.

You cannot change the size or color of the headlines or text but you CAN swap out the copy in the center and add pictures, diagrams, maps, charts and graphs.

so what can/can’t I do with a CMS?

You cannot movethe fixed positionof the main navigationbut you CAN change the names and the order of the navigation

You cannot move the sidebars around the page but you CAN move them up and down and you CAN change the content of the sidebars as well as the pages they are related to. You CAN also add videos or images if the sidebar was designed to accommodate them.


another sample template

You CAN insert anew name but notchange the style ofthe presentation

You cannot move the sidebars around the page but you CAN open or close the bars so they display and enrich the page or shut down and clean up the page


You CAN swapout the image andthe quotation butyou cannot movethe position of theimage on the page

You CAN changethe contact informationbut not its organization or styling

You cannot change the size or color of the headlines or text but you CAN swap out the copy in the center and add pictures, diagrams, maps, charts and graphs.

what is a web page template?

one of the structured pages of your website

some websites have a single temple, more common to have four to six with two or three variations on each

remember: while a single page design can give enormous flexibility and freedom, you can’t just move everything in a free for all

the give and take between the display and your database is strict

database your websitecms

where flexibility ends

what is a wireframe and its role?

a wireframe is just another way of thinking about a template

before sites are built, wireframes are written to define all of the functionality desired on the page

a good CMS is not restrictive to design only limit to page design is the imagination

of the designer or the courage of the client but again, once it is coded to display, the

CMS flexibility has its limits

it can’t alter your “display” without a cost


agenda

open source“free” and “flexible”built by a communityindustry agnosticgood at a lot of things, great at nonego anywhere for service“less” secure (open)

proprietarycomes with a license feebuilt by proprietorwears an industry hatgreat for specific needs for outfits like yoursserviced by owner“more” secure (closed)

oversimplifying the complex …

note: nothing is “free;” you need to consider the total cost of “ownership” … or getting the open source cms to safely and dependably do what a proprietary cms is built to do

consider the total cost of ownership

also note: once you customize an open source CMS, it becomes proprietary and you are the proprietor

takeaway: when something is not working, clients often prefer the “one-throat-to-choke” model. There is a more direct line of responsibility in a proprietary model than in open source.

another takeaway: telling a non-technical business user that open source is more flexible or better is like telling a patient that one plastic surgeon is better than another because one gives you the freedom to operate on yourself. The point is, you can’t.

remember: if you want to change your display to keep up, you must go back to the developers for changes (you’re always beholden to the open source or proprietary coders)

what is a CMS, what does it doflexibility and what a CMS can’t doopen source v. proprietaryconfusion’s source: the gathering of crowsthe right questions to ask

agenda

a gathering of crows(the IT team, vendors and marketing)

the reality, everyone has an agendaand it ain’t yours

burned before

the vendor was charming but went belly up 18 months after launch

burned before

the vendor was reliable but in 6 months the CMS was out of date

burned before

another CMS I missed in our search had more, better features

burned before

the IT boys knew networks, not websites, but threw their weight around

burned before

my IT department was so intent on learning SharePoint on the fly, our site was delayed by months

burned before

in marketing, some of us learned enough from our last experience to be very vocal

burned before

our marketing partners brother’s nephew has a friend who told me…

so what’s a highly competent, somewhat tech-experienced,

slightly tech literate, frustrated executive supposed to do?

learn to ask the right questions



agenda

before you question, here’s a tip

forget looking for the final, holy grail solution— it doesn’t exist; only change is constant


does the CMS have the features you want here and now

you can help yourself by:

knowing which features/functions are important to you and why

distinguishing between “must have” and “nice to have”

making a list, checking it twice understanding that “today’s” features

are less relevant, thanks to the cloud


have you considered the future

you can help yourself by asking…

is the CMS in the cloud? are new features pushed as available

or on a set schedule? how frequently are enhancements

delivered? is there a cost in implementing

enhancements?

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is it easy to use, easy to learn


knowing that ease of installation is different than ease of use

getting a demo and having a list of questions prepared

looking to see if experienced users of any CMS smile during the demo

intuitive? easily learned? easy to use?

easily enter content?

easily relate content?


does the CMSdeliver the flexibility

you require


knowing what flexibility means to you understanding the difference between

a CMS’s “flexibility” and the flexibility of your site design/display

You CAN insert anew name but notchange the style ofthe presentation

You cannot move the sidebars around the page but you CAN open or close the bars so they display and enrich the page or shut down and clean up the page


You CAN swapout the image andthe quotation butyou cannot movethe position of theimage on the page

You CAN changethe contact informationbut not its organization or styling

You cannot change the size or color of the headlines or text but you CAN swap out the copy in the center and add pictures, diagrams, maps, charts and graphs..


is your team an aggressive user


knowing if you will be making changes frequently, adding pages and stretching its capabilities

canvassing the team to get an accurate idea of what you do now and are frustrated doing…now


is the CMS scalable


using your analytics to gauge the typical load then estimating reasonable increased load

knowing if the strategic plan calls for rapid growth


is the CMS secure


taking host security seriously understanding plugin risks having a plan for the failure of the CMS

developer


will it help me do effective SEO work