At the risk of stating the obvious, it could be said that a content management system is quite simply - a system that manages content. An essential website management tool, it allows authorised individuals to access and edit any part of a website's content without HTML knowledge or skills.
What is a Content Management System (CMS)?
It is precisely the obviousness of what a CMS is and does, and what type of CMS is required for a website, that has created a degree of confusion amongst 'would be' purchases of such a system. Wrapped up in a seemingly harmless statement is enough ambiguity to enable all kinds of products to masquerade as content management solutions.
To fully understand what it is a CMS does, we have to first define a) what it is we are referring to when we talk about content b) what it is we understand under its management and c) what do we mean by a system. At the risk of sounding 'obvious', only when you know what content it is you want to manage can you 'filter' through the myriad of options that are available - and not be 'bamboozled' by sales speak into taking the wrong product.
It is precisely the obviousness of what a CMS is and does, and what type of CMS is required for a website, that has created a degree of confusion amongst 'would be' purchases of such a system. Wrapped up in a seemingly harmless statement is enough ambiguity to enable all kinds of products to masquerade as content management solutions.
To fully understand what it is a CMS does, we have to first define a) what it is we are referring to when we talk about content b) what it is we understand under its management and c) what do we mean by a system. At the risk of sounding 'obvious', only when you know what content it is you want to manage can you 'filter' through the myriad of options that are available - and not be 'bamboozled' by sales speak into taking the wrong product.
What is Content?
Content is in essence, any type or 'unit' of digital information. It can be text, images, graphics, video, sound, documents, records etc - or in other words - anything that is likely to be managed in an electronic format on a website.
What is Content Management?
Content Management is effectively the management of the content described above, by combining rules, process and/or workflows in such a way that its electronic storage is deemed to be 'managed' rather than 'un-managed'.
Content is in essence, any type or 'unit' of digital information. It can be text, images, graphics, video, sound, documents, records etc - or in other words - anything that is likely to be managed in an electronic format on a website.
What is Content Management?
Content Management is effectively the management of the content described above, by combining rules, process and/or workflows in such a way that its electronic storage is deemed to be 'managed' rather than 'un-managed'.
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