Using a Content Management System to run your site is a great way to simplify the process of maintaining fresh content online. There are all sorts of CMS's available; you've got your commercial software that comes with either a one-time fee or an annual licensing fee, then you got your Open Source or free software.
If you're new to the world of CMS's, you'd probably be better off starting out with an open source solution. I recommend that you start off with open source software for two reasons, 1) It's Free, and 2) You'll get some hands on experience before shelling out a month's salary!
The first CMS I downloaded was PHP-Nuke v7.8. Once I was done reading all the readme files and such, I followed the simple instructions and had it installed and configured on my server in no time. I was dumbfounded by all the functionalities that came with the software by default. You've gotta keep in mind that up until that point I was creating my websites page by page in good ol' HTML using Dreamweaver.
It was just amazing to me how I could put my content into a form, click submit.... and voila! New content appeared on my website!
Not too long after I'd began using PHP-Nuke, I abandoned it. I kept reading about the lack of security and all of the sites that had been hacked while using php-nuke. That, my friends, made me very uneasy.... and that is why I chose to discontinue using it. I never actually launched a site while using php-nuke v7.8, instead I spent my time learning as much as I could about the software.
I made the decision to move on to Nuke Evolution, a CMS that uses PHP-Nuke v7.6 (The last known secure version of the original PHP-Nuke CMS). I learned about Nuke Evolution while test driving another CMS on OpenSourceCMS.com. I was actually reading comments that other users had left when I came across one comment in particular that caught my attention. It read something like: "for a much more secure and stable version of PHP-Nuke, check out Nuke-Evolution......"
Being that I just had a recent experience with PHP-Nuke & already knew how the CMS worked, I decided to give Nuke Evolution a try and the rest is history.... I have one site running live on Nuke Evo and a couple more on the way.
I've installed and configured a couple of other Open Source CMS's just to mess around with em and check their features out. Out of the CMS's that I've installed, the ones that I like most are Textpattern, Joomla, and Mambo.
One good thing about content management systems is that you can easily change the way your site looks by changing the theme or template. If you're a do it yourself kind of person you can even customize or create your own.
Most CMS's available today allow you to upload more than one template. This is a great feature because you can just let your users decide which theme they like your site best in.
If you want to see an example of what I'm talking about, go to Nuke-Evolution.com and click on the ACCOUNT tab. Then click on SELECT THEME and pick Centrium Shellz as your theme, click SAVE CHANGES and voila! You should be looking at a new theme. (You will need to register with them before you're able to change the theme, registration is free)
And that's just the tip of the iceberg... There is a lot more to content management systems than what I covered today in this post. To learn more about content management systems visit any of the sites that I mentioned above or conduct a google search on "Content Management Systems" or "Open Source CMS".
If you'd like to test drive a few open source cms's, visit OpenSourceCMS. Look in the left column under CMS DEMO MENU.
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