Why and how to choose a Content Management System (CMS)
CMS (Content Management System) programs are free open source software packages that are designed to make it easy for non-technical individuals to create and maintain a website easily. Open source means that they are created and maintained by a community of individuals and offered free of charge to you. Not only do they make content editing easier, they also take care of all of the complicated “back-end” stuff so that all you need to do is plug-in your information and modify the site to your liking.
In general, CMS programs are a good choice for those of you who don’t have the time, aren’t technically savvy, or are not interested in getting too deeply involved in web design. More specifically, CMS might be good for those who want to create a site themselves, but don’t want to get involved in a lot of the behind the scenes work and don’t want to worry about having flexibility in site design. Individuals who expect to have a more complicated site (like myself) but do not feel they are technical enough to do it themselves might benefit from CMS.
I wouldn’t use CMS at first if you want to get your hands dirty and really learn how to create a site. You may find out later that CMS is a better option, but you should first try using a web editor. Also, unless you really understand CSS and creating code, you won’t have as much flexibility in the look of your site.
If you are interested in using a CMS program, go to the Free Content Management Systems (CMS) article for a list and description of several of them.
