Hi - really know very little about CMS apart from what it does.

 

However I'm beginning to get some work building freelance sites, for now they tend to be individuals and will require say 3-4 hours updating per year (add a few new photos and / or link etc) if done in XHTML/CSS - not a lot but the clients won't be able to update themselves and I think may prefer an alternative solution to ongoing maintenance costs.

 

Is building these folk a CMS over the top - only thinking of it as a future possibility, or is it something you think or ought to get around to asap?

 

Does providing a CMS limit the design e.g. would it have to easily allow for expansion, so no fixed heights, columns able to expand down without throwing the design out?

 

cheers

If you pick the right CMS it shouldn't restrict the design at all. Most good CMS systems have extremely flexible template/theme features in place that allow you to get the website looking exactly how you would without the CMS.

Are you thinking of using an existing cms or building your own from scratch?

If the sites are fairly straightforward, the easy option would be to use something like Wordpress which works fine as a static site. A good starter tutorial for creating your own Wordpress theme can be found at http://www.cypherhackz.net/archives/2006/1...s-theme-part-1/

Is building these folk a CMS over the top - only thinking of it as a future possibility, or is it something you think or ought to get around to asap?

 

Does providing a CMS limit the design e.g. would it have to easily allow for expansion, so no fixed heights, columns able to expand down without throwing the design out?

 

I'd say only use a CMS if the client has specified it. A decent CMS will not limit you with design, structure or content leaving you free to built the site however you want.

Thanks for the replies people.

 

Haven't had a client specify it as such yet, but I have a site that's likely to need around 4 hours updating per year - in my time. Client would prefer in long run to have their own solution - i.e. not fork out onging £100 per year. Priority for me is giving the client the best deal as I build my portfolio up.

 

But I'm thinking a CMS would be over the top as in..

 

Cost currently - say 4 x £25 = £100 per year in updating straightforward website in xhtml / css.

 

versus

 

Extra cost/time of building CMS

Client training / learning to use CMS - some people just ain't computer lit!

Client having to crop and optimise their own images, site will be updated with new photos.

Client learning to use FTP to upload files and maybe needs to umderstand directory structure for their site on the server

Any maintenance issues with CMS

 

So ignoring the extra £100 per year for me in continuing with a 'website' and not a 'cms'..

 

Kind of hypothetical question - is a CMS better or worse for the client in this scenario.

 

cheers

This is where you get into the realms of customers realising how complicated updating a web site actually is. Many of them think it's simply a case of using something like a word processor to edit text.

 

I'd say work out the cost of converting the site to a CMS or adding an in-page editor then tell the client what the cost will be. Let them decide!

Like someone said above it really depends on the client's need. A CMS is a really handy tool toupdate sites but the client needs to be a little computer literate to understand it. On the other hand though...if you build a mysql/php cms...there will be no ftp connection involved and php can also resize images. Plus if you want to write your own cms you have to do it once and it doesn't take a lot of time to costumise the same cms to different projects. Just my 2 cents on it.

 

If the current situation doesn't call for a cms then it is pretty straightforward not to use it.

I always try and talk a client in to using a CMS. Firstly I think it IS the most beneficial thing for the client because it puts them in control of their website. They can update content when they want and as often as they want. They don't have to pay someone to change a few words and they don't have to rely on other people who may have other priorities.

 

Secondly, and from a slightly selfish point of view, my experience is that all those clients that want a really simple site that won't need a CMS actually ALWAYS come back with regular requests to change this and update that. This is a problem because I need to think of a fair way to charge someone for a five minute job (I don't charge by the minute, I charge by the day), but also when you are busy with some nice juicy projects the last thing you want on your plate is a list of 'five-minute' changes and fixes to carry out.

cheers people.

 

building it without a cms for now, mainly as i've no idea or time to learn how to do one right now.

 

but it's something i think i'm going to have to revisit.

you can try major cms in the market, by visiting following URL

 

http://www.opensourcecms.com

I'm in the exact situation with a new client - he writes journals and wants to be able to put updates on his site 'every now and then'. I've never set up a CMS before but I've been looking through a lot of these threads so I'll give one of these a go

I'm in the exact situation with a new client - he writes journals and wants to be able to put updates on his site 'every now and then'. I've never set up a CMS before but I've been looking through a lot of these threads so I'll give one of these a go

 

If he's writing journals then he's going to be adding content regularly. I'd suggest looking at something like Wordpress, WP is fairly easy to set up and manage and a reasonable choice if you've never set up a CMS before. If you need something more advanced have a look at Expression Engine.