Clients wants to add content without experience

What software is best?

[peewhy]

A client has just employed a new over zealous 'marketing assistant' and he wants to add and change text, images etc.

I've normally done bits each month or so, but this guy wants to play with it at will.

He has no html experience or editing software.

Ideally I'd like to place some software that allows text and picture management without him interfereing with the rest....Don't ya love 'em?

Can any recommend such software?

[peewhy]

Any ideas, anyone?

[Adversity Sure Fire]

I think dreamweaver can be used as it automatically generate coding as you select options...

[larryhatch]

I would find some way to make it crystal clear, which parts are your work
and which 'features' resulted from the marketing type.
Once the client sees the effects and consequent numbers,
let him decide how he wants to manage this. -Larry

[iamlost]

I do not know the specifics of your maintenance agreement. However, I would take the time to sit down, alone, with the client and ensure that (s)he is:
* aware of the marketings persons access requests,
* the potential risks and benefits of ignorant tinkering,
* the cost of acquiring/implementing/maintaining a cms.

I would then determine exactly what, if any, portions of which pages the client wants marketing to access, whether I no longer have to worry about these pages or can apply new charges for recovery and cleanup if required, etc.

Either the marketing person gets told hands-off, you get additional work and billings (and a new very specific contract); you decide to walk.

Most of my experience is with custom CMS but there are really only two broad choices - commercial (starting at $5000CDN) or open source. What the client saves upfront with the OS package will likely be made up in your billable time spent optimising.

That aside I suggest you investigate:
Bricolage - uses mod_perl on Apache and requires PostgreSQL as DB.
Plone - absolutely superb once configured: should have Zope and/or python experience to muck with backend; weak documentation.

You have my sympathy. Good luck.