Macromedia Contribute

A good CMS for small sites?

[universalis]

I have a new client who are currently using Dreamweaver 4 to manage their (about 250 page) web site content. Having spent the last week unmangling the resulting massacred code, layout and 100kb chunks of redundant javascript into something more manageable, I am now looking to find a better way for then to manage their content without the risk of destroying their basic layouts.

I did a site search here, but the last threads about Macromedia Contribute date from last year. Does anyone have any medium-term feedback on whether Contribute is an effective system? The client will need to do nothing other than add text a maybe a photo or two (anything more and they'll call me in!) so ease-of-use is much more important than sophistication. I have a copy of Dreamweaver MX lying about so I can make the templates.

[bcolflesh]

Download the demo and try it out with them - I find it's basically good as a glorified text editor for clients in a "corporate" setting...

Regards,
Brent

[universalis]

I find it's basically good as a glorified text editor for clients in a "corporate" setting...

Sounds just what I need then! I'll download the demo... I need to make sure they can't mess up the layout and that they are forced to stick to the "company style" as defined in the stylesheet...

[Robert Charlton]

I attended a two-hour demonstration of Contribute a while back and was immensely impressed by it. It did look like setting a project up for it is a bit of work, but probably not that much when you're familiar with the program... certainly less work than unmangling a site.

Since I'm not a Dreamweaver person, I don't use it, but, for the right project, it would almost be enough to motivate me to get Dreamweaver.

Whatever you use, someone should be backing up the site before working on it. ;)

[Litefoot]

I've used it to edit my club's site and it's done just what you're looking for it to do. It doesn't mess up the layouts, you can assign pages to specific groups or individuals, you can control what you want them to do for the most part.

The fella that built our site using Dreamweaver in .asp said it was the best thing he did in allowing me to edit content on the site as I couldn't "boob" things up. Guess that points out the fact I'm no good with code, eh? ;)