jtara - 7:19 pm on Jan 11, 2008 (gmt 0)

if they are just going to be glorified blogs

They certainly aren't just glorified blogs. They have significantly more flexibility. And, although there is a general default style and set of functionality for most CMSs, it's that of a "portal", not a "blog", and there's considerable ability to change the style.

They all have a large number of "plug-ins", "modules", etc. that implement various subsystems - blogs, message boards, catalog, store, etc.

The biggest mistake I've seen newbies to CMSs overlook are the plugins and customization. ("Q. Where do I find the ... in MegaCMS? A. It isn't there. Install NiftyPlugin, or OtherNiftyPlugin...) You certainly aren't stuck with the functionality and look-and-feel that comes in the box.