Open Source CMS
Have you considered deploying an Open Source CMS
for your next web project?
There are many pros and cons on each side when
comparing Open Source vs Commercial tools for
something as broad as Content Management. However
be assured that many open source CMS tools are
robust, feature rich and mature enough for quite
demanding applications. But there is no such thing as
the perfect CMS tool - open source or commercial -
and no two organisations have the same needs.
Ultimately, it's like any other aspect of your web
project: you must start from the business goals, define
measurable ROI parameters, and involve all
stakeholders. Then consider the user requirements,
taking into consideration the three main groups:
- content creators or authors (they have the hardest
job!)
- content managers or editors
- target audience or users of the website/intranet/
extranet
Define your requirements and you'll have a much
easier time selecting the right tool. Bear in mind that
there's really no such thing as a "free" CMS tool. All
CMS require customisation, deployment, training, and
ongoing maintenance and evolution. CMS software has
become a commodity, it's really in the implementation
that the costs stack up.
Check out the Case Study using Open Source CMS >>
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Dear James,
Internet Architecture have been creating online
envionments since 1996. Recent changes in Internet,
Intranet and Extranet solutions and the availability of
of-the-shelf products combined with the growing
maturity of open source CMS
products mean you can now put together your own
solution inhouse rather than outsource.
We've also come across some useful little gadgets that
can add
value to your website with a minimum of effort. Rich
Site Summary (RSS) is just one example that we are
featuring this issue.
I hope you enjoy this issue, I look forward to any
comments or requests for future articles.
Cheers,
James Horne.
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| Net Outcomes Workshops | | | Do you know how to deliver real outcomes from your
online project?
Do you know:
- Which project management methodology to use?
- What legal and privacy and copyright issues are
relevant?
- How to measure the performance of your website?
- Who your online target audience is?
If not, you may need to do a Net Outcomes Workshop.
I've been working in the online world for over 8 years
and decided that a simple and practical model for
managing and delivering net projects was required.
The Net Outcomes model seeks collaborative input
from all the internal and external stakeholders in order
to deliver measurable outcomes for the project. Download the Net Outcomes Workshop flyer (PDF) >> | | |
| Case Study - Cleanskins.com | | |  The challenge was to develop an online wine retailing
solution to sell and distribute unlabelled wine to a
national market.
The solution included developing a simple database
driven website, partnering with key ecommerce and
banking institutions in Australia, and utilising global
best practice off-the-shelf online marketing, email and
e-commerce components. Cleanskins.com is now a market leader in online wine
sales in Australia. The website was recently profiled on
Channel 7's Today Tonight show. Visit www.cleanskins.com >> | | |
| Content Syndication using RSS | | |  RSS stands for either Really Simple Syndication or
Rich Site Summary, depending on your preference.
RSS is a protocol based on XML and allows a summary
of website content to be placed in small file, usually
called "rss.xml" at the root of a website. This allows
other
websites to index and display the content inline
automatically.
Or standalone RSS
readers such as NetNewsWire or NewzCrawler can
present the
user with a list of headlines and brief descriptions for
their favourite websites without taking the time to visit
each website and scan for new content.
Both methods of accessing the feed offer a big time
saver and convenience service to readers of your
website. More and more high traffic news websites like The Age
Online, BBC News and New York Times now provide
an RSS feed that's updated daily.
To identify websites
that offer RSS feeds, look for a symbol such as
the one shown here, or a link labelled something like
"subscribe to this RSS feed" or "Get free news
headlines for your website".
It can also be very easy to generate your own RSS
feed, particularly if a simple blogging tool is used.
Many blog tools such as iBlog automatically generate
both web pages and an RSS file that can be uploaded
to your website and may contain a title, description,
and even images in the summary. We've demostrated
the capability of this technology on the IA website if
you're interested in how it works. See our demonstration of RSS content syndication >> | | |
| Glossary - Online Resources | | | There are so many technology terms out there that we
are constantly explaining what this or that TLA (three
letter acronym) means. So we decided to start up a
comprehensive glossary of Net Outcomes related
terms on our website. Visit our Glossary >> | | |
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