Content Management System (CMS) Resources:

A content management system (CMS) is a system used to organize and facilitate collaborative creation of documents and other content. A CMS is frequently a web application used for managing websites and web content, though in many cases, content management systems require special client software for editing and constructing articles. The market for content management systems remains fragmented, with many open-source and proprietary solutions available.

CMS Functionality

CMS's allow end-users (typically authors of some sort) to provide new content in the form of articles. The articles are typically entered as plain text, perhaps with markup to indicate where other resources (such as pictures) should be placed. The system then uses rules to style the article, separating the display from the content, which has a number of advantages when trying to get many articles to conform to a consistent "look and feel". The system then adds the articles to a larger collection for publishing. Guillermo Kang The systems also often include some sort of concept of the workflow for the target users, which defines how the new content is to be routed around the system.

A good example would be a system for managing a newspaper. In such a system the reporters write articles in the system, which stores them in a database. Along with the article the system stores attributes, including keywords, the date and time of filing, the reporter's name, etc. The system then uses these attributes to find out—given its workflow rules—who should proofread the article, approve it for publication, edit it, etc. Later the editors can choose which articles to include (or ignore) in an edition of the newspaper, which is then laid out and printed automatically.

More recently the term has been associated almost entirely with programs for editing web sites. Such systems span a wide variety of needs, from small systems with almost no workflow for small user-groups, to large database-based systems for running large, very active web sites such as those for a newspaper or international corporation.

A simple content management system that has seen widespread use is the Wiki. Wikipedia is based on this concept, where software includes logic that allows authors (often including anonymous users) to edit the content of the site online. When the user has completed making changes, the wiki software tracks what changes you have made and updates the page. Wikis also allow more than one person to edit the target page at the same time, solving simultaneous write conflicts as they arise.

CMS Features

Typical features include:

  • Online authoring / change approval
  • WYSIWYG editing
  • Workflow including a review and publishing process
  • Session and user management
  • Indexing and Searching
  • Object Storage
  • Templating s
  • Image and URL management

Types of CMS

There are several type of content management systems:

  • Web Content Management System assists an organization in automating various aspects of web.
  • Transactional content management system (T-CMS) assists an organization to manage e-commerce transactions.
  • Integrated content management system (I-CMS) assist an organization in managing enterprise documents and content.
  • Publications management system (P-CMS) assists an organization in managing the publications (manuals, books, help, guidelines, references) content life cycle.
  • Learning management system (L-CMS) assists an organization in managing the web-based learning content life cycle. See also managed learning environment.
  • Enterprise CMSs vary in their functionality. Some support both the web and publications content life cycle, while others support the web content life cycle and either transactional content or customer relationship management content. The definition of AIIM for ECM includes methods and tools for "capture, manage, store, preserve and deliver" content across an enterprise. "Manage" contains components like document management, collaboration, business process management, records management, email management, workflow and web content management. The ECM concept is not restricted to web based technologies but includes client/server and host based solutions.
  • A traditional CMS is usually provided on a compact disc or is downloadable from the web and must be installed and configured on a server. Most CMSs nowadays are available in this format. It is beneficial because it can 'plug in' to an existing system, but may be a hindrance because it requires a great amount of system administration.
  • An ASP CMS is provided via an application service provider. This means you do not need to install it on a server. Most webmails are provisioned via ASP and the first CMS available via ASP was Yahoo! GeoCities. This example is fitting because historically most tools which use ASP are either ad-based or aimed at children. However companies have been provisioning enterprise Content Management Systems to the professional and enterprise markets for some years now.
  • A deployed CMS is simply an ASP solution which is installed within an intranet or a user's own enviroment.



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