I have been developing websites for a little more than 12 years now and find myself constantly learning new and exciting things. The near future of web development is clearly in CMS (Content Management Systems) and CMF (Content Management Frameworks). With several "Open Source" content management systems out there (Drupal, Joomla, Wordpress and even Blogger)... how do you choose the right one? Where do you start? How much custom programming is involved? Why not use a propitiatory CMS? These are questions we ask ourselves everyday as web site developers.
Here at Fine Line we try to strike a balance of function and usability. You can build an awesome looking site with tons of bells and whistles, but if the customer can't manage the content of the site then it loses its value. We have developed sites using Drupal, Joomla! Wordpress and Blogger and have found that each CMS has its own strengths and weaknesses. It really comes down to what it is the site needs to do and how comfortable the client is with managing it.
Small sites or personal sites can be handled with Blogger or Wordpress in most cases. These type of sites are generally pretty easy to set up and maintain. Both Blogger and Wordpress have intuitive admins. They also allow for templates to be used instead of a custom design. Of course, you can customize a template to make it match up with your taste (colors, logo, etc.). The design and styling process tends to be a little time consuming because not all templaters code to our standards :-). There are tons of modules, plug-ins and widgets that can be included into the site allowing for quick customizations to simple layouts (i.e. calendars, galleries, twitter feeds, etc.).
Medium to large sites need something a little more powerful and customizable, which adds a layer of complexity to the admin.
While Drupal probably has the best array of functions for an Open Source CMS, it tends to be too complex for site owners to expand on without requesting programming assistance from a web developer (like Fine Line). With things like CCK , Views and Panels people have no idea what does what. The Drupal development community is now realizing that the user interface is as important as the modules themselves and they are constantly improving upon the Drupal admin interface. We usually set up a site with all the modules/plug-ins and instruct our customer on how to replicate the examples we provide them. Again, with Drupal, once the customer takes some time off its hard for them to get back in and manage the site without some additional instruction.
Joomla! seems to be a little farther along with the user interface. While the module development community is not as expansive or as well documented, most modules actually work. Fine Line is currently in the process of creating our very own module(s) to be redistributed back to the open source community. The user interface is comparable to that of WordPress with easy to navigate options. As a visual person I find this much easier to work in. Some things are not as simple as I think they should be but its getting there (a little instruction goes a long way). Because the development community isn't as documented you can find yourself looking for a module for hours only to find it just doesn't exist yet. Fortunately, the programming model for Joomla! is pretty straight forward for those who intend to create their own modules (Steve).
Custom programming is just a must for most professional sites. How much depends on What the site is intended to do, Who the target audience is and How the site will be managed. If you need to manage a customer database or market hundreds of properties to a specific area... you're not going to just have a simple Blogger site. In fact, we suggest you have multiple sites and free accounts (i.e. Facebook, Twitter) to market your website. Informational websites have their place but your website should direct visitors to do something profitable for your company.
There are several proprietary CMS options out there. Just ask yourself this question: can I move my site to another provider if I want to? I have witnessed several customers fall prey to hosted services that are nontransferable to other hosting companies or providers. So if you are unhappy with the service of the host your options are to either suck it up and make the relationship work or completely redo your site. If you have thousands of products in your site that's not an easy task. Not to mention, you probably have already paid to have the site developed once.
So, moving forward, I see the CMS arena getting more and more refined. Individuals will be maintaining multiple sites to promote there business. The next level will be to build a bridge hooking all these sites together.
