Choosing a Website Platform ” From HTML to Content Management Sys
January 6th, 2009
Are you thinking about starting your own website for your personal interest? Whether you are looking at a topic related creative outlet or a site designed to promote a product or service, the first thing you should consider is the tools available to you.
Did you know there are many ways to build a website? You can have simple html or php pages, but you either need to know how to code them. You can use Microsoft Word to write and publish some simple web pages, but this option has pros and cons.
One option is buying a website creation software package. These programs do have a learning curve, but have the capacity to manage and publish your website, and offer many great features.
If you want performance and ease of use you might consider a content management system. These programs do a lot of the work such as building the code behind your website, and give many features such as integrating photos and other media into your site.
There are two very popular content management systems that are available as open source, meaning that the code is freely shared with other designers to create and promote community and free enterprise. Wordpress is a very well known name in content management system, as well as Joomla. Both take a little learning, but are worth the time spent.
Lets take a look at Joomla, and the best place to look is at their own website. This system is free to download, and offers many powerful components and add on features. Templates are available as well, both free and paid. The forum is a great resource as well.
Wordpress is another popular choice for a content management system. There are three options with Wordpress. The first is Wordpress hosted at the Wordpress site. This option limits the templates and features of your website, but is free hosting. The next level is to install Wordpress at your own hosting, which gives you more control over the inner workings of your site.
If you want to have a community type setting you can always consider Wordpress MU. This software is a variation of the typical wordpress installation, but lets you run multiple sites with only one install. You can control the features available for each subdomain within the MU community.
It takes time and energy to build a website, and giving a little thought to the underlying system can save you hours of hard work. Once you delve into your chosen content management system you will find many powerful options available for producing a great website.
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