CMS- What Is It, Why Is It Amazing?

CMS's are so amazing that parakeets are using them and tweeting with joy!

What is a CMS? I had never heard of this acronym before, until this course. I have learned that CMS stands for computer management system. CMS’s are programs that easily allow people to create website pages online from a central interface. It lets users such as businesses, organizations, students, or anyone to publish, edit and modify content without having to deal with all of the internal coding. Perhaps you have used a CMS without even knowing!  Some examples of CMS sites are Drupal, WordPress, Moveable Type, Text Patten, Joomla!, RailFrog, this site Blogger.com, and more.  

 There are great advantages to working with CMS. Here are some that I think are quite useful:

• These programs are based on a common web browser. Users can edit anywhere, anytime, without delays

•  There is no HTML knowledge needed to use a CMS. People with little or no expertise in computer processing technology can easily use these systems.

•  Navigation is automatically generated and adjusted. There are pre-made layouts that are simple and easy to use.

•  All content is stored in a database. This central storage, means that content can be reused in many places on the website and formatted for any device. 

•  A lot of CMS’S have active content, that bring variety to the content of a user’s page. For example, forums, polls, searching, newsreels, etc. could be included that can really spruce up a page.

•  Some CMS’S feature content publication that can be time-controlled, hidden for later use or require user login with password.

All of these points are why people use CMS's. They are created to help you obtain your free speech on the web, without having to use difficult programs that would other wise take years to learn or having to rack your brain with coding. For more information on CMS's check ou this helpful article. Want to be apart of a CMS website? There are so many to choose from. I found this wonderful site that offers reviews for a vast array of content management websites. CMS's are an amazing tool to use that are sure to impress, without having to do much work!   

Dreamweaver Assesment

This semester, I am going to learn more about the exciting world of creating websites! Today, my Advanced Internet Media professor went over a brief review/ introduction on how to start a website using the web developer, Dreamweaver. In this post, she wants my assessment of this web originator, discussing what works well for me, and what aspects of it are difficult.

I have used Dreamweaver in my Computer Mediated Comm. class, where I used the program to build a simple website about cooking. Although I was successful with my cooking website, I’ll admit, that this was a year ago, and I have forgotten how to use a lot of its features. I am glad that my professor went over some of the basics of it today, which helped me to remember some of the motions of this in-depth program.  I’m also grateful that she plans to post today’s lecture on Sakai, so that I can revisit it when needed! I have a vast amount more to learn about it, but so far here’s a list of what I like or am comfortable with about the program.

"Dreamweaver," Image Provided By: Amarand Agasi

 What works for me in regard to Dreamweaver: I like how this program is easy to get started with. Creating all of your data pages for your website and putting them into folders, makes it easy to just set up a pre-made template and begin plugging away at copying and pasting your info onto that handy template and simply applying it to all your pages.  

• Dreamweaver gives you many template choices to choose from and work with. There are several layouts that are displayed horizontally, vertically, for example you can choose menus to the right or left, etc.
• With Dreamweaver, you don’t have to manually code all of your data. It gives the user a split screen, so you can see all of the proper coding. Dreamweaver will also tell the user if there is broken code, this is extremely helpful.
•  I like how Dreamweaver is laid out in terms of how it looks. There is a bar for adding links, the CSS tab is easy to locate, etc.

Dreamweaver is still a challenge, as it has a lot of features that I haven’t even delved into yet. I’m still learning about the program. For the most part, learning all of the intricacies of Dreamweaver is very much a work in progress for me right now, but through the learning process and the help of my professor, I will be able to create an even better website with more confidence using Dreamweaver, and I will love working with all of its creative realms!