Content Management Systems Won't Save You From Yourself

I recently found an article at Gadgetopia entitled What Content Management Won’t Do. I’ve written about Content Management Systems (CMS) before (referenced as “template providers”). These are companies that will provide a site design template for you; it is up to you to simply supply the content and keep it updated. I’m a big proponent of CMS, especially for small churches and/or churches without anyone with technical expertise either on staff or in their congregation. I’ve promoted these services as an easy way for you to provide a web site for your church. I’ve even said that all you need to know how to do is type. Well, actually that only covers the technical side of things. You also need to know how to make the content professional, relevant, and timely.

This Gadgetopia article examines the pitfalls of a CMS. You can read the article to get all the details, but I thought I’d list the main points here:

1. A CMS will not write your copy for you
2. A CMS will not format your copy for you
3. A CMS will not necessarily prevent you from looking bad
4. A CMS will not set your editorial policies for you
5. A CMS will not force you to write and/or update your content
6. A CMS will not automatically organize your content

The bottom line is that a CMS is NOT magic - you must still put some effort into making your site as professional and effective as it can be. Creating a web site is fun, and many churches love to do this part. But they stop there, thinking the job is done when the site goes live. But an effective web site is constantly evolving. You must constantly update your content. You must edit the content you update. And you must decide how you will structure your site. These are not things that a computer can do for you - YOU must decide how and when to do them.

Remember - having a poorly designed or neglected web site is much worse than not having a web site at all!