The Power of the CMS

By Pete Dimaio on August 25, 2009 9:09 AM | | Comments (0)
 

WLCN-Forum.jpgIt’s not often you get an opportunity to launch a content management solution for a client that utilizes every aspect of the system out of the gate.  We’ve recently been able to launch a new site for WLCN HD TV18, a new digital station in Charleston, SC and had just that opportunity.

This site was built upon the powerful ExpressionEngine content management system and has given WLCN the ability to control nearly every aspect of the site’s content.  Most importantly, by implementing a site on top of an existing CMS framework, we were able to develop and deploy the site in a fraction of the typical site design time.  We were also able to deliver tools that in the past would have sent a site into the six-figure range.

Just some of the site highlights that a powerful CMS solution can provide include:

Easy Updates
The most critical need on the site is for WLCN to be able to easily add new articles, proof and post 24/7.  Through multiple login groups, reporters can easily file a story to be approved by the site’s editors prior to appearing on the site.

Rapid System Integration
WLCN-Petition.jpgBuilding upon the existing site is easy when you’ve got a solid foundation at the start.  WLCN is a fast moving station with the need to integrate new content and systems quickly.  By building upon the CMS, we are able to utilize our ExpressionEngine experts to build new systems on the site and not need a separate programmer to implement.  This means we can develop systems faster and save a client’s budget for other projects.

User Generated Content
Everyone wants and needs good user generated content on their site.  Nowhere is this truer than for a news organization such as WLCN TV.  Throughout the site, and managed via the CMS, users can easily participate in WLCN through integrated forums, social media exposure, video, polls, photo contests and more.

Scalability
Try as we might to build the perfect site that will always do everything a client could want; we will always need to add new systems and services.  In the case of WLCN, the site’s scalability is one of its most powerful assets.  A case in point is being able to easily create a password protected video area based on the login for their community forum.  This is the type of scalability that one is hard-pressed to find in a site that is cobbled together from several different systems.

In summary, if you are in the process of developing a new site it is critical to pay special attention to the backend infrastructure that is going to make it all run like a well oiled machine.  Look past the pretty colors and Flash animation and be sure that your site is going to do the job and let you truly manage your most important online asset... your consumers.

Categories:

Tags:

Share this article

Leave a comment






Search

Subscribe!

Recent Entries