Web content management systems
Do you have to learn programming and markup languages to manage a site’s content? While it’s certainly helpful, the answer is no. Web content management systems (WCMS) have been designed to allow those unfamiliar with such languages to nevertheless edit website content. Usually, these systems store content and metadata in a database (as XML) and present it to visitors through a set of templates. The only technical training required is to set up the system and add featuresonce activated, maintenance is simple for non-technical users.Certain types of content management systems have been specialized for individual users. For instance, conference management systems are domain-specific CMS’s that are used at scientific conferences. They may be used to receive submissions, assign reviewers, collect, monitor, and share reviews, and create the conference website and program.However, the most common types of web content management systems are specialized applications that can be used by almost everybody. Wiki software is a type of content management system where users can collaboratively edit and create web pages. Wikis often sacrifice powerful control features like layout tools and workflow technologies in order to ensure easy updating of content. Most such programs are free and open source and are open to development by users. Wikis may be accessible via the internet, on a corporation’s intranet, on a personal desktop, or on a mobile device.Another specialized content management system is known as weblog software, which allows users to easily edit and create blogs. These types of web applications have been mentioned here before, as they combine web hosting with content management properties. Users are limited in what they can accomplish on such sites, as well as the level of traffic they can support, but for personal pages weblogs are a common and useful option. Some more popular blogs use a combination of third-party and internally-engineered software. Among these examples are the Huffington Post, TechCrunch, Gizmodo, Mashable!, and Engadget (five of the most popular blogs as ranked by the Technorati blog search engine).