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Content Management

What is a Content Management System  (CMS)?

A content management system is software that keeps track of every piece of content on your Web site, much like your local public library keeps track of books and stores them. Content can be simple text, photos, music, video, documents, or just about anything you can think of. A major advantage of using a CMS is that it requires almost no technical skill or knowledge to manage. Since the CMS manages all your content, you don't have to.

There are a variety of commercial and open source Web Content Management System (CMS) platforms in the market. Here are two platforms we use.

JOOMLA

We specialize in the installation, configuration, customization and template design of Web Content Management Systems based on Joomla. Joomla is extremely flexible and this characteristic makes it ideal for numerous configurations based on the unique requirements of every website.

Joomla is so much more than just a powerful content management system. Here is a list of features "out of the box," but the true power of Joomla is in its extensibility.

User Management

Joomla has a registration system that allows users to configure personal options. There are nine user groups with various types of permissions on what users are allowed to access, edit, publish and administrate.

Authentication is an important part of user management and Joomla support multiple protocols, including LDAP, OpenID, and even Gmail. This allows users to use their existing account information to streamline the registration process.

joomla cpanel

Media Manager

The Media Manager is the tool for easily managing media files or folders and you can configure the MIME type settings to handle any type of file. The Media Manager is integrated into the Article Editor tool so you can grab images and other files at any time.

Contact Management

The Contact Manager helps your users to find the right person and their contact information. It also supports multiple contact forms going to specific individuals as well as groups.

Search

Help navigate users to most popular search items and provide the admin with search statistics.

Web Link Management

Providing link resources for site users is simple and you can sort them into categories, even count every click.

Content Management

Joomla's simplified three-tiered system of articles makes organizing your content a snap. You can organize your content any way you want and not necessarily how it will be on your Web site. Your users can rate articles, e-mail them to a friend, or automatically save a PDF (with UTF-8 support for all languages). Administrators can archive content for safekeeping, hiding it from site visitors.

On public Web sites, built-in e-mail cloaking protects email addresses from spambots.

Creating content is simple with the WYSIWYG editor, giving even novice users the ability to combine text, images in an attractive way. Once you've created your articles, there are a number of pre-installed modules to show the most popular articles, latest new items, newsflashes, related articles, and more.

Syndication and Newsfeed Management

With Joomla, it's easy to syndicate your site content, allowing your users to subscribe to new content in their favorite RSS reader. It's equally easy to integrate RSS feeds from other sources and aggregate them all on your site.

Menu Manager

The Menu Manager allows you to create as many menus and menu items as you need. You can structure your menu hierarchy (and nested menu items) completely independent of your content structure. Put one menu in multiple places and in any style you want; use rollovers, dropdown, flyouts and just about any other navigation system you can think of. Also automatic breadcrumbs are generated to help navigate your site users.

Template Management

Templates in Joomla are a powerful way to make your site look exactly the way you want and either use a single template for the entire site or a separate template for each site section. The level of visual control goes a step further with powerful template overrides, allowing you to customize each part of your pages.

Integrated Help System

Joomla has a built-in help section to assist users with finding what they need. A glossary explains the terms in plain English, a version checker makes sure you're using the latest version, a system information tool helps you troubleshoot, and, if all else fails, links to a wealth of online resources for additional help and support.

Powerful Extensibility

These are just some of the basic Joomla features and the real power is in the way you customize Joomla. Visit the Joomla Extensions Directory to see thousands of ways to enhance Joomla to suit your needs. 


WORDPRESS

wordpress dashboard

We create, customize and maintain Wordpress sites if you prefer that platform. WordPress started as just a blogging system, but has evolved to be used as full content management system and so much more through the thousands of plugins, widgets, and themes. 

WordPress Pages allow you to manage non-blog content easily, so for example you could have a static "About" page that you manage through WordPress. 

WordPress Links allow you to create, maintain, and update any number of blogrolls through your administration interface. This is much faster than calling an external blogroll manager.

WordPress comes with a full Theme system which makes designing everything from the simplest blog to the most complicated webzine a piece of cake, and you can even have multiple themes with totally different looks that you switch with a single click. 

 

What is a Site Map?

What is a Site Map?

The most important first step in having us create your website is a site map. This isn't a graphical image or visual map; it is simply a text outline of the pages you need for your website, and general descriptions of what will go on them.

We may be able to come up with a site map from our discussions with you, or you may ask us to do your organizing for you.

If you are creating a site map for us, in the beginning stages it doesn't have to be written in stone. It usually evolves as we progress with the development of your website.

To begin, simply list each page title then add a general description or the purpose of the page.

Example: www.keurequestrian.ca
Index Introduction, login, guestbook, photogallery
Training Coaching, Riding, training information
Sales Private and public horse sales
Terms Educational terms about dressage and breeding
Clinics Upcoming clinics around the West Coast
Link Directory Interesting and informative links
Contact Contact us

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You may send your site map as text in the body of an email, or in a Word document.

 

More Articles...

  1. Understanding Websites

Mary Ann Moore:

As I’m a poet it’s best to leave website creation to the experts. Kathleen Wilson is just that. All of the elements I wanted got included in my new website complete with a slide show. Kathleen showed me various options from which to choose and I’m really pleased at the look of everything:  clean and lively. There are various aspects to my writing business and they were all looked after by Kathleen who attends to the details and does them promptly. She taught me how to make my own changes which is really a bonus.  The whole process was painless and in fact, fun and easy. I’m very proud to send people to my beautiful and easily navigable website to show them what I do.

Mary Ann Moore

 

Visually Impactful Sites

Nanaimo Art Gallery:

Feedback from the community has been overwhelmingly positive since Nanaimo Art Gallery launched its new website earlier this year. Working with Kathleen at Graphic Details was terrific—she helped us to identify what the Gallery needs now in terms of its online presence, and created a user-friendly, visually impactful website that will evolve to meet our future needs. I very much appreciate Kathleen’s professionalism, efficiency, patience, and creativity. I would gladly recommend Graphic Details.

Sarah Clark Design:
I am extremely grateful to have connected with Kathleen Wilson of Graphic Details about three years ago. My previous web designer closed her business and I was destined to be without someone, which was troubling.
Having researched various web companies, I was always dismayed with the quality of the designs and lack of functionality. Then I found Kathleen, and in her, discovered just what I needed - someone who could see the big picture on the design side, and work with the endless details of the background workings of a good site.
As part of my success team, Kathleen supports my business in such a critical way, taking care of things that I can't do. She is responsive to my needs, is ready with thoughtful solutions, and is very easy to work with.
Thank you Kathleen, it's a pleasure to have you on my team.
Sarah J. Clark - sarah clark design