With the Works

Archive for March, 2009

When it comes to creating websites, we have more choices than we once did. People who want a web presence often don’t know where to start. As my good friend Kim says, “you don’t know what you don’t know until you know it”.

Most of us want websites we can control ourselves through a content management system (CMS). What people fail to understand is that this will cost them in either time or money. A CMS can be purchased for a price, or you can have your site created in one of the open-source CMS software (WordPress, Joomla, Drupal, etc.), but the learning curve with these can be steep. You have to ask yourself, “How much time do I have to learn this, and am I going to do it often enough to remember it?”

Last year, an aquaintence of mine told me that she had signed up for Yahoo Small Business so she can make herself a website. She is a writer and wanted a place to showcase her creative writing and get “known”. When I got home, I took a look at the info about Yahoo Small Business. I thought it was rather simplistic and a little expensive, but it did have a content management system. Oddly enough, my friend’s domain is still parked with an “under construction” notice on it. Perhaps it isn’t as easy as it looks.

My favourite way to create simple websites is to use WordPress software. Although this is database-driven blog software, you can make a small website with it that will work for many people. I often create custom themes for clients and then teach them how to use the dashboard to update the site themselves. I find that most people can manage it without too much trouble. If they find it too time consumming or challenging, they send me updates and I update the site for them.

Many people are creating sites using Joomla, one of the most widely used open-source software for creating database-driven websites. I installed Joomla for a friend of mine who has a lot of time and the interest to learn it. I was a bit surprised to find out that she’s having trouble learning the back end administration side of Joomla. She taught herself to use WordPress in a weekend, so I expected the same speed with Joomla. I’ve read that Drupal is even more difficult to learn.

Whichever way you decide to create your online presence, I can create custom HTML templates or themes for sites made with Joomla, Drupal or WordPress that are unique to your site.