Content management system design and implementation

Social Aspects of Content Management Systems

Content Management System

Content Management Systems are mostly used for the easy management of website content. CMS's can also be used for the management of organizational data and content. CMS's are also used for document collaboration between people based in different geographical locations. This paper analyses the use of CMS by focusing on its social aspects instead of the technological aspects. It provides information as to why the general population should care about a CMS. The impact of CMS's is analyzed next with insights on its effect to individuals and businesses. Finally, the future of CMS is discussed with a focus on the likely changes to occur.

Introduction

A content management system is a system that allows for web authoring, administration, collaboration, editing, publishing, and content modification. A CMS is developed in a way that allows for the management of content in a collaborative environment. Users who have little or no knowledge of web programming can use a CMS with relative and publish or develop a website Farkas "Technology in Practice: Cms for Next-Gen Websites"()

. A CMS uses database systems for the storage of content, user information, and metadata. Using the browser technology, CMS's are able to provide users with an easy way of administering, and managing content on their website. There are two main components of any CMS namely the content delivery application, and the content management application. The content management application allows a user to edit and modify content. The content delivery application is referred to as the publishing tool. This is the tool that compiles the information and updates it on the website. Web-based content management systems use templates, which allow users to structure their content easily. The templates normally have a predefined layout and require little modification in order to suit the specific needs of a user or organization. CMS's also have an indexing feature that allows for easy searching of content on the website. This feature will allow for easy retrieval of information from the system.

This paper examines the different social aspects of content management systems. It has been organized as follows. The paper begins with the reasons why the general public should care about content management systems. This provides context on the importance of CMS's. This is followed by the impact that CMS's have on individuals and businesses or organizations. This section provides information on how individuals and businesses can use the CMS. It assesses the vital aspects and benefits that individuals and organizations can gain when using a CMS. Finally, the paper analyses the future of CMS's.

Why care about content management systems

Many people believe that web development is a complex and expensive adventure. Since they do not understand the programming language used in web development, people prefer to leave this to the professionals. Providing people with information regarding CMS will help them understand how easily they can deploy their own websites. There are many CMS applications available that would suit the various needs of different people Boylan ()

. The changes in technology today require people to be well informed on the various technologies available. It does not matter the career path an individual is following, there might come a time when they are required to update a website. An individual might also be searching for web development services, and it would assist if they knew and understood the various technologies used in web development.

CMS's incorporate a WYSIWYG editor and this makes it easy for individuals to create, amend, edit, and format their texts Jones ()

. Incorporating the editor makes it easy for people to use a CMS. The editor is identical and has the same functionality as most word processing software, which makes it easy for individuals to understand and use. Websites have become common features of today's world, and everyone accesses these websites on a daily basis. The general public would be interested in knowing how majority of the websites are developed and the systems used for their development. Knowing what a CMS is and its functions will provide the general public with information regarding web development, and how they can easily use this technology for personal and business. CMS's have also made websites to become more dynamic, which means that content is changing more frequently, and users can be able to edit the content by themselves using the inbuilt WYSIWYG editors.

Small business people could use CMS's to deploy their own website, which they can use for marketing purposes. This would reduce the business costs as the owner would easily develop the website and keep it updated using a CMS.

Impact of content management systems

With the advancement of technology, people are no longer required to be located at the same place in order for them to work on the same project. Majority of people are using email to share content with each other, but there are challenges they face like email corruption. Using a CMS the individuals would be able to share, edit, and publish information in a more secure system. The CMS will also allow the group participants to modify, update, and share information Kirschner ()

. The CMS can be used by users in different locations and the updates will be done instantaneously. This would improve the groups collaborative efforts as users will not need to be located at the same place in order for them to share information. Using a CMS they can share pictures, videos, and any other content with each other. The CMS will not be accessed by the whole world as the system can be restricted, and only specific users would have access. The access feature allows for confidentiality of information as it is only the group members who would have access.

Individuals who have little knowledge of Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) can also use a CMS for the development and publishing of their website or blog Kargar ()

. Using the systems easy to use tools an individual is able to design, develop, and publish content to their website easily and quickly Farkas "Technology in Practice: Our New Website Is a Blog"()

. Since CMS's do not require a user to have any HTML knowledge, the general public has a platform they can use for the development and publishing of content for their websites, business websites.

Individuals interested in sharing their stories could also use CMS's. There are specific CMS's that are geared towards blogging. They provide bloggers with an easy platform and require minimal expertise to have the blog up and running. The CMS's have automated installation features, which allow a novice user to easily install the application.

Organizations can use a CMS in two ways. They can use the CMS for the development and publishing of content for their website, or they can use it for collaborative purposes. An organization can implement a CMS within the organization and use it for the sharing of content within the various departments. The CMS would provide a secure platform since it would only be accessible within the organization's network. Using the CMS for collaboration will allow the organization to share vital information easily Lawrence and Dion ()

, and employees will not have to ask specific individuals for certain information all the time. This collaboration will also improve the organization's team work capabilities as employees will be more willing to share, make amendments, and edit content published by others.

Organizations can also use CMS for the development of their website. Using a CMS platform will make it easy for an organization to design and develop their website. The CMS will allow user with little knowledge of HTML to be updating and publishing content on the website Samouelian ()

. The marketing department will also have an easy time managing the website. This is because marketers are not technical people and they are mostly in charge of the organization's website. Making use of the inbuilt features that allow for drag and drop of images or videos, copy pasting of content and easy formatting tools, a user is able to publish content easily and does not have to concern them self with the background working of the system.

Organizations normally have large repositories of data. Using a CMS the organization can reduce its storage facility as all the documents would be stored electronically. A CMS is better than a record management system as it can be accessed from different geographic locations, is easy to use, and has a built in indexing feature. The CMS is a light application and does not require heavy processing capabilities Weiler ()

, which makes it better for document management when compared to other document management systems.

Future of content management systems

Almost all websites available online are using some form of CMS. The CMS has enabled the websites to be accessible by the various devices people are using nowadays like mobile phones, tablets, laptops, and desktop computers. Using the CMS's web developers have managed to create dynamic websites, which allow visitors the possibility of logging in and creating their own online profiles Velios ()

. The visitors can also comment, add content, and edit online content. This has only been possible because of CMS. Using CMS individuals have also developed their own online profiles, which they use for advertising, job searching, and blogging.

As many people adopt the CMS technology and begin developing their own websites, there will be a possibility of increasing the number of online websites, and content searching will improve. There are still areas and fields that are lacking in online content. This is mainly because people who understand this area have no way of sharing their information with the general public. Once they understand how easily they can create online content using a CMS, they will most likely adopt the technology. Collaboration will improve as people will be sharing information all over the world, and improvements will be seen in the various projects that people are working on.

The economy will also benefit as there will be more people online and this will provide more avenues for advertisers and marketers. Marketers will have to create more appealing content to ensure that people are landing on their websites, and advertisers will have more spaces/websites where they can place their advertisements. With increased advertisement, the economy would benefit as more products would be sold globally and this would increase revenue for the producers and manufacturers.

Web developers will now focus more on improving the CMS templates instead of focusing on individual company websites. This will lead to more robust templates that can be used for different purposes and businesses. With the focus been on template development, the developers will also increase their revenue as more people will be willing to purchase the templates, which they will use for their personal websites, business, or organizations. Licensing the templates would result in a steady stream of revenue for the web developers. The developers would also have more time to improve the architecture of the CMS to make it easier to use, with additional functionality depending on the technological changes that are likely to occur in the future Black ()