Content Management

You need Content Management, when you start to develop content on a site, unless you want to be bogged down forever with HTML trivialities or resource sharing, you want to make it as painless and easy as possible. You need a system that will eliminate the grunt work and let you focus on actual content. You need a system that will allow writers to easily submit articles, one that will let you proof and publish the articles, all without having to write a bunch of HTML. Enter automated Content Management. Content Management systems come in all shapes and sizes. Chances are, if you've put up a Web page on a free Web page server or ISP you've had access to a rudimentary Content Management system.

Imagine a simple news site that two different writers update twice a day. Without any Content Management system, the writers would have to download the source code for the current page, add their news, re-upload the page, and then let the other writer know the page is updated so they won't overwrite the changes. For a larger site where news is updated at all hours of the day, and longer content is added on a semi-regular basis, this system will not work.

Choosing a Content Management system is challenging. The tools range from high-end corporate solutions that do all you could ask for a hefty price tag down to inexpensive and free tools you set up and maintain yourself. But how do you decide what you need? Look at your company's needs, the time your IT department has to install and maintain the software, and the features the solution includes. 

High-End Corporate Content Management solutions can be high priced, but they offer the most services of all the CMS tools. They cover every aspect of Content Management, from content entry to workflow to dynamic page generation and delivery. If your company has a high-traffic Web site with vital ecommerce initiatives, these solutions are a good choice. They offer Content Management integrated into a full-service solution.

Publication Systems: There are several Content Management solutions that focus on creating the Web pages. They offer superior personalization and page generation tools. They offer good database connectivity to create dynamic, template driven pages quickly and easily. If your company is looking for a solution to handle many standardized looking pages, such as a Web catalog or online store, these tools are good.

Workflow Tools: There are many aspects to the Content Management lifecycle, and these tools provide strong features for managing the work. Roles and assignments are handled by the tool. If your company has a large number of employees and staff responsible for the Web site these tools can help you get control over the process.

Low-Priced and Open Source Systems: All the Content Management solutions in the world won't do you any good if your company can't afford it. These tools offer the same services that the more expensive solutions offer, but they don't include support and other services from the company selling them. If your company has a strong IT team with an interest in saving money but creating manageable Web sites, these tools are great.

Back-End Scripting Tools: A common solution many smaller companies choose is to create their own Content Management system using back-end scripting tools such as PHP, ASP, JSP, or ColdFusion combined with a database. This type of solution offers many of the dynamic page building capabilities of CMS, but none of the project management and workflow elements.

Here are some features which is necessary for a good Content Management system:

· Make sure a record is made of that submission 
· Allow editors to easily proof, publish content 
· Make sure content layout fits with current design 
· Allow writers to easily submit content 
· You want to be able to do all this without having to mess with any HTML, and as easily as possible. There are definitely packages out there already that allow you to do such functions, and much more.