Content Management Systems - Essay Example

?CMS What is a Content Management System? a. Define the elements that differentiate CMS from static pages Content management system is a procedural system that determines how work flows in any given work environment. With reference to the web environment, content management system may be limited to the creation, control, storage and deployment of individual contents on a given web page. Content management system is differentiated from static pages through a number of ways. Ultimately, whereas content management system should enable a manipulative approach towards the use of the web pages in question, static pages give web users no manipulative option of altering the content of the page. Rather, users act as passive beneficiaries who receive the information on the web pages just as they have been stored. This means that given a number of users receiving information from a single server, all users will at any given time receive the same information. Even though the internet has today come to be a great transformation that depends on the principles of content management system in a dynamic way, Eldridge (2001) notes that the internet used to consist solely of HTML or static web pages, that is, web pages that are not changed before being displayed in a web browser. 2. How are CMS currently being used? Today, content management system is at the centre of the internet and controls almost all web site creation processes. Present internet experts and web creating experts depend on content management system to “lower the barriers to entry and make it much easier to launch a site, keep it updated and get more out of it” (Miller, 2012). This means that content management system is currently being used to do away with impediments that made the accessibility to websites more difficult in times past. It is also being used to make the ownership and maintenance of websites more free flowing and easy. What is even better is that unlike the days when the internet was dominated with static pages, web hosts are able to update their web pages more quickly and promptly. It is not for nothing that today we have websites that are dedicated to giving live score of sports activities. 3. Types of CMS (include cost and size) Content management system comes in a number of types. Commonest among these that will be treated include enterprise and open source. Each of these comes in different size and different cost management that accompany them. a. Enterprise As the name implies, Enterprise Content Management System (ECMS) works for established enterprises in managing their ill-structured and haphazard documents, content, records and facts. Enterprise content management system can therefore be described as an electronic organizational process for an organization. Because of the task involved, which entails getting the disorganized organized, enterprise content management system is often cost involving. Its size however depends on the size of the enterprise in question. Once duly delivered, enterprise will ensure integrity, protected security and elimination of all forms of bottlenecks in the organization’s operations. b. Open Source Open source allows for accessibility to already existing content management systems. This is not to say that it changes static pages to dynamic pages but then it enhances the function and work of dynamic pages by creating multi-functionality such as access to motion pictures. Because this is an optional component to web pages, it is mostly not costly to the user because he decides to use by choice. Open source however makes the webpage sizes bigger. 4. CMS Functionality Content management system functionality is combination of a number of integrated activities and processes that need to be carried out to make the functioning of any webpage complete and successful. In the absence of effective content management system functionality in place, it will be impossible to amass the total benefit of a website for business returns. Functionality therefore involves processes such as updating content from time to time to ensure that information on the webpage meets current needs and criteria. It also involves webpage design. This is done in order to make the website look attractive and authentic. Depending on the features that the website is seeking to portray, the design should reflect it as such. Finally, there should be a conscious effort to generate traffic through prudent ways of attracting people to the website. It is advised that “Users can create surveys and polls to find out what their visitors like (Smith, 2010). 5. Problems with CMS Recent survey conducted among content management system users have pointed to the cost of content management system software as being too expensive. This means that there is a hindrance to getting the very best of quality if one is not ready to spend more (The Information Architecture Institute, 2003). There is also the problem of migrating old content to a new and updated content. This means that the actual process of managing content to benefit from the full usefulness of content management system is a great obstacle to some users. Even more, the problem of protection of URL paths exists. This creates insecurity and creates volatility on the path. Finally, content management system has a number of limitation to the problems it can solve itself. This is like saying that research on the functions of CMS is still not complete. Some of the problems that CMS is said not to be in a position to solve include lack of editorial control, bad copywriting, bloated websites and single language content (Boag, 2010). 6. Examples of sites that use a CMS well and distastefully Clearly, not all websites use CMS the same way. Whereas some use CMS in a relatively productive and good way, others use them distastefully. A website that can be said to use CMS distastefully may be one that allows for so much external entry of content and rarely edits the authenticity and wholesomeness of content. Some of these websites that use CMS distastefully may be said to be news blogs where untrained authors poor out their contents. Popular sites like YouTube and Facebook can also be blamed because even though they try to fish out unwholesome content, some of these contents remain there for longer time before they are detected and removed. Renowned news corporations like the BBC, DW and CNN are examples of well scrutinized websites that use CMS perfectly. 7. Future outlooks on the Web design /Development world. As much as the world keeps advancing by the day, it is expected that web design will also advance. It is hoped that in the nearest future, the development of web sites and content management systems to be specific would be endowed with the ability to automatically solve some of the problems that were outlined in this essay. It is also expected that accessibility will be even more and a high level of instructiveness will be create to aid people who are less inclined to have greater access to the world of the internet and web pages to be specific. REFERENCE LIST The Information Architecture Institute. The Problems with CMS. 2003. Web. 28th January, 2012 Miller, Chris. 5 Reasons to Use a Content Management System. 2012. Web. 26th January 2012 Smith, Dan. CMS Functionality – Simplified Productivity. 2010. Web. 25th January, 2012 Eldridge, Linda. Dynamic vs Static web Pages. 2001. Web. 24th January, 2012 Baog, Pages. 10 problems your content management system will not solve and how to overcome them. 2010. Web. January 28, 2012 Read More