Friday, December 26, 2008

Choosing a Website Platform " From HTML to Content Management Sys

By Theodore Metagastar

You have that great idea that you are ready to put onto the web. How do you go about building your presence? There are many options available, most of which we dont even think about or know exist when we visit the websites we enjoy so much.

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.

If you are interested in having maximum control over the appearance and performance of your website then you might consider buying one of the many software packages that are available for writing and managing your website. The possibilities are endless, and these packages offer many powerful features.

There is another direction you can take, and that is choosing a content management system. These systems are integrated web site design and pubishing programs that give your website a foundation. Themes and add on features are always available for these systems.

Two well known content management systems are wordpress and joomla. Both of these programs are open source, which means the code is free to see and use, and many people support and build on open source and give these powerful components freely. Wordpress is easy to use, as well as joomla, and both offer add on or plugin features.

Joomla has been around for many years, and offers many great features. Start by visiting their website, look at some of the free templates offered, as well as the plugins. Joomla also has a forum that is well managed and supported.

Wordpress is a very popular content management system. There are many plugins or add on features available as well. Themes can be downloaded at Wordpress, or found at many websites. You can use Wordpress on your own hosted site, and this program can be installed using Fantastico or following the simple installation guides.

Speaking of Wordpress, there is also Wordpress MU, which stands for multi user. Multi user opens the door to hosting multiple sites build on the same domain, with one installation of wordpress at the core.

Choosing a content management system will have a big impact on your website design and performance. Once you make your decision you will likely continue to find features and new developments that will prove that you made a wise decision. - 16039

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