Most of us may not know about what is CMS (Content Management System). But you will feel crazy when you will know that you are actually running your blog on one type of Content Management System itself. You may be running your blog on WordPress, Drupal, Joomla etc. which are Web CMS. That’s why I feel its importance to write this article today.
What is Content Management System:-
A content management system (CMS) is simply a computer application that allows publishing, editing, modifying content, organizing, deleting of contents. So, in simple language, CMS is a software that manages contents. A CMS software may be a Graphical User Interface based software which makes it easier to view and publish contents.
Types of Content Management System:-
There are number of content management systems including Asset Management Tools, Document Management System (manages documents), and Web Content Management System (manages web content) etc. Because we guys are related with web based services so here I’ll be explaining you about Web Content Management System (Web CMS).
Web Content Management System:-
A Web Content Management System is an application software which is used for web based services. These applications are capable of creating, deploying, modifying and publishing web contents on the web. In short, application used for web CMS are able to manage things for web. Since, Web content includes text and embedded graphics, photos, video, audio, and code to interact with user, technical and non-technical both type team member can manage it.
There are many Web CMS platforms on the internet today including WordPress, Joomla, Drupal, Expression Engine etc. So, here we are going to explain each Web CMS platform in brief.
Types of Web Content Management Systems:-
There are many online web CMS platforms out of which we’re going to explain few which are very popular among bloggers and coders now-days.
1. WordPress:-
WordPress always remains at the top on the list of Web CMS software. Its name itself tells everything about it. I can imagine if you are a blogger, you might running your blog on WordPress also. There are several reasons behind its popularity. It is very easy to install and setup. You can use it both online and offline modes. Around 23.3 percent of all websites are run on WordPress. In numbers this crosses 74.6 million websites on the web. Many big names are in list like TechCrunch, The New Yorker, eBay, Quartz, Time etc are run on WordPress. In fact, WebLogCentral is also just another example of WordPress. So, if you are looking for a simple platform that will make it easy for you to get your thought out on the web without much effort and work then WordPress is just for you. Bloggers find it very easy as this was made for blogging purpose mainly. It contains functions such as comments, trackbacks, blogger profiles and pinging services which bloggers mainly use. Since it is very easy to manage, on the other side, it is certain limitations too. It is not so developer friendly. Modifying WordPress may break it hence many websites can’t be run on it. That is why developers keeps on releasing new updates to fix bugs. It is recommended to backup your WordPress site before running update as your website may completely break and may not work. Someone said WordPress brings more bugs than it had fixed in its previous release. Finally, WordPress is always a best option to blog.
2. Drupal:-
If you love to code then Drupal is best option available for now. That is why Drupal is said developers platform. Drupal has more functions and tags than both WordPress and Joomla even and allow developer to modify the website to any extent. A plain installation of Drupal comes with number of optional modules that adds lots of interesting features like forums, user blogs, OpenID, profiles and more to the website. Drupal has more complicated backend. So, if you love to code then you can really make and design awesome websites with Drupal. Drupal have large number of users community which shows its popularity just like WordPress. Websites made with Drupal can outperform other websites made with other platforms as it gives complete freedom to design website as developer want and modify it. On the other hand, Drupal is not user-friendly. If you don’t know how to code then better leave the idea of messing with Drupal. An advance coder can only handle Drupal as it only code based. Hence, you can’t make good looking websites like other platforms on Drupal. Although, Drupal website can have more functionalities than other platform website. So, recommended if you are coder.
3. Joomla:-
Joomla is very advanced in terms of CMS functionality. Joomla is very easy to install and getting started with the software is fairly easy. In terms of use, Joomla is a great platform as it combines the strongholds for both WordPress and Drupal. It can be said as a mixture of both WordPress and Drupal. Joomla is friendly to both users, developers and administrators. Joomla also has large community of active members which shows how much it is loved and used. If you are a designer then you can use Joomla as it provide features to create good looking websites. Joomla sites has support to more than 3k extensions. Like WordPress you can add any needed functionality to the website by just installing an extension. Joomla community relies more on paid plugins and themes. So, if you’re planning to customize your website with plugins and themes then you should consider paying for them.
4. Expression Engine:-
Expression Engine is a powerful content management system using which you can easily manage your blog or website. Expression Engine is very easy to use with which you can manage your site and control the things to whatever extent you want. Unlike Drupal, you don’t need to be a programmer to perform advanced operations with your blog. You only put custom tags in your blog themes and you are easy to go. You simply have to add some tags to pages which you want to show in your posts and you are done. If you don’t have meta description for your posts to make it more SEO friendly then you can simply add custom tags to your pages and they will start to work with next post you write.
You can customize every minor aspect of your blog with this software. You can have much more control on theme than any other blog software you use.
Final Words:-
I’m not forcing you to use any particular Content Management System for your blog. Use which you find most relevant according to your needs. No particular platform is considered best. Though, one may have more features than other one depending on your needs and your role. You may find Drupal more effective if you are programmer. You may like WordPress if you love to blog only. This articles was written in hope that you get more better understanding about WordPress alternatives and so that you should come to know about other platforms available for blog or website. Most of the newbie bloggers who started blogging recently may not aware about these other Content Management Systems so I hope they got this.
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