Content management systems

[djtaverner]

Hello,

I am developing a collection of department websites for a University. Each site has the same layout for each department but has differing text, images, files etcetc.

I need to find a content management system so that people within each department can update their own sites with minimal html etc knowledge.

Can anyone recommend me a content management system that is simple and powerful to use? Commercial and Open Source.

Cheers
Dave

[choster]

Dave, you've thrown the door pretty wide open. Before making recommendations, people would need to know

- how many documents and how many users are envisioned? Ten users and a thousand documents can be managed with blog software. A thousand users and a hundred thousand documents could require a much more robust package.
- what is your budget? A high-end CMS installation from a company like Vignette can run into several million dollars. At the other end, there are many open source scripts using file system-based storage and browser-based content control. Some companies offer discounts to educational institutions. And of course, a full spectrum in the middle.
- what is your operating environment? Microsoft? Solaris? Oracle? SQL Server? Documentum may work better in one place, Obtree in another.
- what does your technology team look like? Many of the commercial packages were based on or influenced by other software the company already produced (e.g. reporting, document management, or file management), so it's possible that for the time and cost of consulting required to customize the package for your needs, you could build your own.

That said, have you looked at Macromedia Contribute? This is a desktop software application that allows business users to edit content without affecting the underlying structure of the site.

[djtaverner]

Good point:

Total number of documents would be 1 - 2k range increasing each year.
Users = up to 50

Budget is limited as this is an experimental project.
How do the open source options hold out on basis of ease of use? Ive been investigating plone? Any opinions? Ease of use for people of minimal computer use is key.

Microsoft systems

cheers
Dave
Dave

[photon]

At our university we're using Oracle Portal for department pages. It seems to work pretty well for the lay user, but I avoid it as much as possible for the pages I do.

[djtaverner]

Macromedia Contribute looks very interesting and good value.

Anyone had experience with this product?

dave

[snair]

Here is a link you may to check out:
[cmswatch.com...]