Netco Services-Content Management

Content management uses a database to store site content.

Web sites work in several ways but, generally, there are 2 versions.

Flat site

In the first, someone types in HTML and saves the code as a page and loads it to a Web server. If the text content changes, the person types in the changes and resaves the HTML page to the Web server. A Web server is just the specialised computer that houses the Web site so visitors can access it using their Web browser.

This is called "flat" HTML and the person writing the code needs to understand HTML to write the site. There are programs such as Microsoft Front Page and Macromedia Dream Weaver that protect the page writer from having to learn too much about HTML. Dream Weaver is much better regarded by professionals than Microsoft's Front Page because it produces more efficient and standards-compliant HTML code.

Advantages

The advantages of a flat Web site described above are that they're easier (cheaper) to produce and, if content isn't to change too often, cheaper to maintain.

Disadvantages

Even using these two programs there is quite a bit to learn before someone unfamiliar with them could produce a competent site. If no staff member is trained in Dream Weaver or Front Page you need to pay someone to maintain the site. This is not usually a problem if content isn't to change more than a few times a month.

Database site

An alternative is to load templates to a database. These templates contain all the navigation buttons, images and page layout instructions. In this system, the person maintaining the site need only paste in text to a Web page form and click a button to produce pages. When a visitor requests a page, the database combines the images, layout and text on the fly and presents it as a page to view.

The system looks after links and structure.

Advantages

The advantages of a database-driven site are that staff require no knowledge of HTML. Staff at different locations, using individual log-ons can be assigned different sections of the site to maintain. Frequent changes are achieved easily without recourse to an outside contractor.

Disadvantages

It takes longer and it's more difficult than flat HTML to achieve and so we charge more to build a database site. If content is to change several times a day it's worth it but a seldom-changing site can often be more effective as a flat site, maintained in-house using Dream Weaver

Here is a demonstration of how you can use a database site to get quite fancy without ever going to night tech to learn the dreaded HTML, or adding to Bill Gates' fortune by coughing up for a copy of Front Page.

Cut and paste text from your favourite editor here and press submit. You can use the text editor tools to tart up the text before you thump the button.