The Content Management System Illusion
I’ve been asked quite a bit lately about Content Management Systems (CMS) for website maintenance. The general comment is that “it costs too much just to have a name changed” or phone number, or email address, etc. Most site owners feel these changes are quick and should be inexpensive to make. Enter the CMS, touted as the snake-oil cure all for the internet age. Yes! You can add pages, make updates, put up video, photos, files, and more! And it’s just as easy as Word or Email! Well, I’m here to tell you… it just ain’t so. At least not yet.
What is a Content Management System
A Content Management System is just that, a system utilized to manage the content within your site. Content, in this case, would be all assets, not just text. This blog is built on WordPress, which is a content management system. Facebook is, in essence, a CMS, allowing you to upload video and photos, and not worry about file format or size. Larger companies may have something like Microsoft SharePoint for use by the enterprise. Despite what CMS is used, the functionality is generally the same. You can edit pages with familiar content editing tools, like you would see in your email, to make words bold or italic, indent text, add bullet points, etc. There are widgits to add photos and or videos or other multimedia content. Never would you need to worry about the format of your headlines or links. It all just magically happens… or does it?
Shattering the Illusion
First let’s start with the set up of a CMS based site. It’s more complicated than a old-school HTML site because the developer has to think about what the client wants to edit and what should be off limits. All page and text formatting will be predefined before you can touch the site. The initial set up may cost more since CMS based sites are out of the range of technical ability for some graphic designers turned HTML jockey. In the long run, however, you will make your money back if you make frequent updates.
Since your site is now built on a CMS it doesn’t mean that all individual components of the site are editable. Got a cool animated Flash banner? A CMS won’t help. You know that call out graphic that is a main focal point on your site. That’s the item you would, most likely, want to update often, and that’s the challenge. The distinct typefaces, graphics programs like Adobe Flash or Photoshop, the expert skills in visual design… this is tough stuff if you’re not already a pro. Want to add a new section to your site? You may be able to do that, if you have the proper permissions, but do you understand the architectural impact of what you are doing?
Lastly, what is your job? Are you a Marketing Director? A business owner? Communications Professional? It’s probably not “Web Designer”. Therefore you should be focusing your attention on doing what you do best. We live and breathe this stuff, working in it every day, it’s what we do best. If you plan on updating the site often, you should retain a web professional for the assist if you get into trouble. There’s also the chance that a few months down the road you may be to busy with your real job to get to those updates. That’s where a quick email to your web pro would come into play.
Making a Content Management System work for you
I was thrilled when CMSs came on the scene. Suddenly I no longer needed to worry about building email forms or other “advanced” web development features. I would just load in the appropriate widget, configure it, and publish. Piece of cake, right? No, not really. My decade of old-school web design comes in to play at every aspect. Understanding Usability, Information Architecture, and User Interface Design is key to building any site, the CMS just made it easier for me to do that. Just like handing me a hammer doesn’t make me a carpenter, handing someone a CMS does not make them a web designer.
So here’s what you can do with your CMS. You should be able to go into a individual page on occasion and change a phone number or title. You can add articles in a blog like this one and uploading a few images should be ok too. I would advise that you keep your friendly neighborhood web designer close by though, just in case. Some individuals or firms may be open to a reduced rate for updates since the process for simple edits is a little less complicated on a CMS. Find a web professional you trust and they will tell you what’s complicated and what’s not. Keep in mind that the web is ever-changing with multiple web browsers, multiple versions of web browsers, and now mobile web browsing. It’s always easy when it works the way you thought it would. It’s when it doesn’t work that the web pro and their background come into play.
