Comparing web content management system platforms

What is a Content Management System (CMS)? A Content management system is simply a platform that allows for contents to be edited, published and modified easily. So simply put, a CMS is a system that manages content.

Types of CMS: There are quite a whole lot of content management systems few examples includes the following:
Asset management tools, Document management system (manages documents), and Web content management system(manages web content) etc. But for the basis of this blog I will be concentrating on Web content management system.

Web Content Management System: The Web Content Management System (WCMS) is simply a software system used by a web team both technical and non-technical team members to manage the creation of structured web content which could be for an internet website, intranet or extranet.
There are so many wcms platforms on the internet today like DotNetNuke, Ektron, Drupal, WordPress, Umbraco, Sitecore, Joomla etc but fot the basis of this blog post I will be concentrating on the three most popular and most used – WordPress, Drupal and Joomla.

The basis of this comparison is going to be based on the following:
1. Finance (budget)
2. Time
3. Experience

Before choosing a CMS platform the following should be put into consideration:
1. Quick and easy installation
2. Simple administration interface
3. Users community
4. Simple template manipulation/tweak etc

Remember I am not writing this post to convince you to choose one particular platform ahead of any other, I am only writing this to help you understand the CMS platforms better so you can understand how the platforms differs. No particular platform is considered the best, what one platform may be lacking another may have in abundance. Imagine a client has asked you to design a site for him, you need the knowledge of the platforms to decide which CMS to use depending on the client’s knowledge in web administration and management. Some platforms have a complicated backend while others may have a simpler backend. So a good knowledge of the CMS will provide you with an advantage to deciding which CMS platform to use for different clients and different projects.

Comparing web content management system platforms:

So let’s get started…

Comparing WordPress, Drupal and Joomla:

1. WordPress: WordPress is among the most used CMS for blogging because it is easy to install and setup. A lot of websites have been design and created using WordPress CMS platform. NetMediaBlog is just another WordPress site. So if you are looking for a platform that will make it easy for you to get that your thoughts out on the web easily without much work, then WordPress is your choice. Bloggers find it very easy to setup and use WordPress for blogs since it was designed mainly to work as a blog. It contains functions such as comments, trackbacks, blogger profiles and pinging services. WordPress can be easily understood and used. But then, WordPress has its limitations, WordPress is not developer friendly in the sense that it cannot be used to design some websites. Modifying WordPress may break it. Maybe that is why the developers keep releasing its updates to accommodate new demands in its functionality, even at that they are posing more threats to WordPress users because an update may cause an entire website to disappear or destroy modifications and functionalities in some websites. Someone said WordPress updates bring more bugs than it fixes. WordPress is difficult to customize for more advanced tasks.

2. Drupal: If you love to code then Drupal is the platform for you.That is why most Drupal uses refers to it as the developers platform. Drupal has more tags and functions than WordPress or Joomla even, and this gives the developer more advantages in tweaking his website to suit whatever function he wants it to achieve. Drupal has a more complicated backend.So if you love to code, you can really make cool websites with Drupal. Drupal also have large users community as this is an indication of how many people that love to use this platform. Most websites made with Drupal can outperform their counterparts made with other platforms. But then for those who are not so good with coding, Drupal is not user-friendly to them. Drupal has a poor theme designs that’s why their sites cannot be awesome good looking though it may have the best functionalities. It takes more time to publish on Drupal as time is money, so you end up wasting more money to use Drupal.

3. Joomla: Joomla is a great platform because it combines the strongholds of both Drupal and WordPress. Joomla can be said to be a mix of the other two platforms discussed above as it is friendly to both users, developers and administrators. The large amount of user community is also an indication of how much it is loved and used. Joomla has seen great improvements over the years. So if you are a designer, Joomla is the platform for you because it will give you the opportunity of creating amazing and beautiful websites. Even if you don’t know much about coding, Joomla developers have designed tools that are so easy to understand, so you can make sites with great functionalities. With all the above, Joomla is still not easy for all to understand.

In conclusion, I will say there is no best platform for any particular site, we should not limit ourselves to just one platform as there may be better functionalities in other platforms for that particular task. So studying the different platforms will give us an edge to our competitors so we can make better websites always. Thus, using a CMS can greatly enhance its organizational structure and allow you to better optimize it for search engines. With the CMS platforms discussed above, you are rest assured you will find the right fit for your website whether you are a beginner or an expert.

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