Content Managment System or not? That is the question.
Some businesses are not liking the competition that Joomla and Drupal bring to the web site business.
I can see their side. Besides viewing them as “competition” there may be a problem or two, with these programs.
They must be developed properly to assure security. Following directions is key. You can overcome this by hiring someone who knows the program and can build your site for you and then teach you how to update it. It’s not rocket science. And if you need help, the forums are easy to use and always helpfull.
As with most template CMS systems, you won’t get a truely custom web site. In the proper hands, however, a Joomla expert can change the appearance of a template to come as close to a custom web site as you can get. And with the numerous Joomla templates out there, the posibilites are endless.
The advantage of Joomla and Drupal is the massive collection of web sites offering fantastic template web site designs. The variety to choose from is almost mind-numbing. That alone makes using Joomla or Drupal worth considering.
Plus there are hundreds of free or low cost extensions that offer everything from shopping carts, forums, email newsletters, calendars etc. You name it, I’m sure you can find a Joomla extension that can do it.
But, before jumping into buying an expensive CMS or choosing Joomla or Drupal for your web site, you have to ask yourself is it really something you have time to use? Much like blogs and twitter, it’s a commitment of your time. Is your time better spent tweaking your web site or face-to-face with your customers?
A lot of times we buy more than we need or will ever use. A good example is a cell phone with tons of features and yet all we ever use it for is … making or taking calls. We buy an expensive cell phone with tons of features and never use them.
The same often applies to web sites. We think a web site with an expensive (or almost free) CMS will improve business. In actuality, a well-designed, well-written static web, will do just fine. And save you money too.
Web sites shelf-life is short. In about 2 years you will be looking at a new design. Given that short time span, how often will your web site need to be updated? Realistically, does your business change that much that you need a CMS?
Do you really need a CMS or not? That is the question.