If building a website for your business is
on the horizon, you may be speculating which content management system (CMS) is
the best choice for you. Here’s a look at three of the most widely-used ones.
All three are open source software, each developed and maintained by thousands
of communities. Not only are all three free to download and use, but the
open-source format means that the platform is continuously being enhanced to
sustain new Internet technologies. With all of these systems, vital functions
can be enhanced with an ever-expanding range of add-ons, contributed from their
individual communities.
There’s no one-size-fits-all solution here;
it depends on your goals, budget, technical expertise and what you want your
site to do. For a brochure-type site or a simple blog, WordPress could be the
best choice (while very friendly for non-developers, it’s a flexible platform
also able for very complex sites). For a complex, highly customized site
needing scalability and complex content organization, Drupal might be the best option.
For something in between that has a simpler learning curve, Joomla may be the
answer.
When you have queries or need assistance,
will you be able to find it easily? With all of these systems, the answer is
yes. Each has dedicated, passionate developer and user communities, making it
easy to find free support directly through their websites or through online
forums or even books. Besides, paid support is easily obtainable from
third-party sources, such as developers, consultants and designers. Each of
these systems shows long-term sustainability and long life; support for them
will go on to be readily available for the foreseeable future. The more time
and effort you are willing and able to put in to a learning system, the more it
will be able to do for you.
Drupal
CMS
Drupal is a potent, developer-friendly tool
for building complex sites. Like most powerful tools, it requires some proficiency
and knowledge to operate.
Example
Sites: Community Portal:
Fast Company, Team Sugar
Ease
of Use: Drupal requires
the most technical know-how of the three CMSs. However, it is also competent of
producing the most advanced sites. With each release, it is becoming easier to
use. If you’re incapable to commit to learning the software or can’t hire
someone who knows it, it may not be the best choice.
Features: Known for its potent taxonomy and ability
to tag, categorize and organize complex content.
Caching
Plug-ins: Press flow -
This is a downloadable version of Drupal that comes bundled with popular
improvements in key areas, including performance and scalability.
Best
Use Cases: For complex,
superior and flexible sites; for sites that need complex data organization; for
community platform sites with several users; for online stores
Joomla
CMS
Joomla gives middle ground between the
developer-oriented, extensive capabilities of Drupal and user-friendly but more
complex site development options than WordPress offers.
Example
Sites:
·
Social
Networking: MTV Networks Quizilla,
·
Education:
Harvard University,
·
Restaurant:
IHOP
Ease
of Use: Less complex than
Drupal, more complex than WordPress. Relatively simple installation and setup.
With a moderately small investment of effort into understanding Joomla
structure and terminology, you have the ability to create fairly complex sites.
Features:
Intended to perform as a
community platform, with strong social networking features.
Caching
Plug-ins: Jot Cache gives
page caching in the Joomla 1.5 search framework, resulting in fast page
downloads. Also offers control over what content is cached and what is not. Additionally,
page caching is supported by the System Cache Plug-in that comes with Joomla.
Best
Use Cases: Joomla enables
you to create a site with more content and structure flexibility than
WordPress, but still with fairly easy, intuitive usage. Supports eCommerce,
social networking and more.
WordPress
CMS
WordPress began as an innovative,
user-friendly blogging platform. With an ever-increasing range of themes,
plugins and widgets, this CMS is broadly used for other website formats also.
Example
Sites:
·
Social
Networking: PlayStation Blog
·
News
Publishing: CNN Political Ticker
·
Education/Research:
NASA Ames Research Center
·
News
Publishing: The New York Observer
Ease
of Use: Technical
experience is not necessary; it’s intuitive and simple to get a simple site set
up quickly. It’s easy to paste text from a Microsoft Word document into a WordPress
site, but not into Joomla and Drupal sites.
Features:
Ease of use is a key
advantage for experts and novices alike. It’s potent enough for web developers
or designers to proficiently build sites for clients; then, with minimal
instruction, clients can take over the site management. Known for an extensive
selection of themes. Very user-friendly with great support and tutorials,
making it great for non-technical users to quickly organize fairly simple
sites.
Caching
Plug-ins: WP-Super Cache:
The Super Cache plug-in optimizes performance by generating static html files
from database-driven content for faster load times.
Best
Use Cases: Perfect for
fairly simple web sites, such as everyday blogging and news sites; and anyone
looking for an easy-to-manage site. Add-ons make it easy to expand the
functionality of the site.
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