Managing Your Content

Nicole C. EngardSeptember 4, 2007Princeton Public Library – Tech Talks

When the Web Began• When Tim Berners-Lee invented

the web, he envisioned a read/write Web. But what had emerged in the 1990s was an essentially read-only Web on which you needed an account with an ISP (Internet service provider) to host your web site, special tools, and/or HTML expertise to create a decent site.1

1. http://www.authorama.com/we-the-media-3.html

The 1990s Way• In order to create the page on the right

you need to know how to write the code on the left.

Image from the Joomla Tutorial: http://tinyurl.com/hagn7

The New Way• Design is pulled out into a CSS file, still

requiring that know how to write the code on the left to create the page on the right.

Image from the Joomla Tutorial: http://tinyurl.com/hagn7

The CMS Way• With a Content Management System

(CMS) all you need to know is how to type the red text on the left to create the page on the right.

Image from the Joomla Tutorial: http://tinyurl.com/hagn7

What Does that Mean?• No more asking IT or Web Developers to

edit content• No programming knowledge necessary

to create web pages• The right experts are working on the

right parts

• In short: Content and Presentation are kept separate.

CMS Options• Proprietary options like MS Sharepoint

− Provides you with an enterprise solution that only a professional IT person can install and set up

− Minimal control− Costs $$$$

• Learn More: http://www.microsoft.com/sharepoint/default.mspx

CMS Options cont…• Open source options like Joomla and

Drupal− Provides you with a file that anyone

can download, install and administer − Lots of control− Costs 0-$ (depending on external

support)• Do It Yourself

− All of the control− Costs $-$$$$

Benefits of the Open Source CMS• Consistent website design• Availability of pre-packaged modules • Active open source community (for

support)• Empowers staff and potentially

customers• Encourages communication and

collaboration• Content can easily be repurposed• Content is organized and searchable

Benefits of Doing It Yourself• Designed specifically for your organization• Access to staff input throughout the process• Complete control over ever aspect of the site• Empowers staff and potentially customers• Encourages communication and

collaboration

• Learn More:− Engard, Nicole C. "DIY: Developing Web

Applications In-House." Online Magazine 30.6 (2006): 35. (http://tinyurl.com/yqyb9u)

Open Source Resources• Open Source CMS:

www.opensourcecms.com Demo open source tools before installing them on your machine. [click Portals (CMS)]

• Joomla: www.joomla.orgAn easy to use, award winning, open source content management system.

• Drupal: www.drupal.orgHighly respected, widely used content management system.

Do It Yourself Resources• Thomson, Laura, and Luke Welling. PHP

and MySQL Web Development (3rd Edition) (Developer's Library). U.S.: Sams, 2004. (ISBN: 0672326728)

• Williams, Hugh E. Web Database Applications with PHP & MySQL, 2nd Edition. Portland, OR: O'Reilly Media, Inc., 2004. (ISBN: 0596005431)

• Yank, Kevin. Build Your Own Database Driven Website Using PHP and MySQL. Stockholm: Sitepoint, 2004. (ISBN: 0975240218)

Thank You

Nicole C. EngardMetadata LibrarianPrinceton Theological Seminary Librarynicole.engard@ptsem.edu & nengard@gmail.com Website: http://web2learning.net