Easy way to manage your web sites :
Web sites are increasingly having content from XML files and Databases apart from the traditional HTML files and associated static files. Design of websites is moving from being static sites with rich content to dynamic sites with rich content. This makes it harder for websites to be maintained and updated by using traditional tools. Tools need to be capable enough to connect to data/content in different forms and different sources and allow editing of content by the Content Contributor. In the absence of such tools, Content Contributor needs to understand complex tools and follow complex processes to get the content edited.
A content management system allows authoring, aggregating, updating, maintaining and serving of content to end users. The content management systems can vary very broadly in terms of functionality. Analytics and storage are equally important components of a content management system. Authoring and Editing components are used by Content Contributors along with Web professionals to contribute content to the web site and also to keep the web site updated. While Analytics/Storage and such capabilities are needed by Web Administrators to ensure efficient management of the web site and make sure the web site is fresh and easily recover from any errors in the processes.
Three major sub systems of a Content Management System : Content creation, Content storage, Content Delivery. Content Creation sub system provides modules and tools to author Content. WYSIWYG components make it easier for the content authors to visualize the web site design and the look and feel of the content. Content storage sub system deals with the way the content is stored and retrieved. This sub system provides versioning support and ability to manage the web site storage. Content delivery systems provide capability to serve content on demand to the end users.
What does a SWCMS mean?
Simple can be applicable in different ways – overall I look at it as a low TCO product which helps in creation/maintaining and distribution of content.
Simple to install, simple to create/author/aggregate content, simple to publish content.
Simple to install – many times the content is from subject matter experts who would like to work with the tools they usually use and comfortable with but make sure that the latest information is provided to everyone.
Simple to acquire content
Make it simple for administrators to manage users and delegate permissions to update the content making sure that the content contributors cannot affect the structure and design of the site.
How about the capabilities – any content management system needs to provide the basic functionality to acquire/modify/publish content variety of content.
Is Contribute a content management system?
Contribute in simple terms is a very easy to use WYSIWYG HTML editor for Content Contributors. Contribute allows users to author the web content. Contribute is rich in terms of aggregation capability. The Contribute users can aggregate content varying from text documents to images to rich media content. Contribute strongly leverages native editors for the corresponding content. It has certain functionality lacking as of now. The content exists in variety of forms. Although majority of content is still available on a file system, there is availability of content in Databases. Contribute cannot handle the content inside databases well as of now. Contribute along with Contribute publishing server will help manage web sites easily.
