How to use a CMS? (newbie question, plz be nice :)

[TristaD]

Hi all,


I've been learning front end web design for almost a year now, and feel I have a grasp on the basics of the process of designing a usable site for a client. When it comes time to deliver however...

I understand that the myriad of CMS's out there are what we use to give our clients access to alter elements of their site like images, text, etc. But I'm not quite sure how the process works.

I was about to install Wordpress, and realized it has to be uploaded to your server. Does this mean that Wordpress needs to be uploaded to the clients' hosts' server everytime you use it as their CMS? I also have not tried playing around with Joomla or Drupal yet, as I'm not sure where to start.

I realize that this is a very basic question that I would learn on the job, but I am an online student that has not had this covered in any lesson so far, oddly. And of course the most basic info is sometimes the hardest to find because it seems everyone has experience or intuitively knows how already I really have tried researching this myself to no end. Thought it was time to finally ask someone.

I ask because I'm at the point where I'm designing sites for friends/family, but have no idea how to hand it over, or give them access beyond me uploading the files for them. One project is for the retail clothing store I work for, where they would need to update product photos as they come in. The other is for a friend who wants me to do their photography portfolio site with obviously, access to update photos as they please.

Any and all help is appreciated! I don't currently have an internship situation where I can learn from a seasoned designer on the job!

Thank in advance,

Trista

[kohoutek]

Hi Trista!

I was about to install Wordpress, and realized it has to be uploaded to your server. Does this mean that Wordpress needs to be uploaded to the clients' hosts' server everytime you use it as their CMS? I also have not tried playing around with Joomla or Drupal yet, as I'm not sure where to start.

Yes, that's correct. You need to upload the CMS files to a remote server. I don't know how you are developing a client site at the moment. But if you have a working client demo site on your server, you'd need to copy those files onto whichever host's server the client's want to run the site on.

Some designers opt to host client sites on their own server while others prefer to have the client site's hosting to be managed by a host the client chooses himself. This is up to your very own preference.

[TristaD]

Thank you for that,

I've been doing a little more research. For small sites as a beginner, does everyone think I should start out with a lite CMS like CushyCMS or Simple CMS, etc. and then delve into the wonderful world of WP?

[kohoutek]

Which CMS you try out first depends on what you intend to learn or do with it. The first two CMSes you mentioned are hosted CMSes which means you don't get to host them on your own or your client's server. Therefore I find your third choice to be more apt, if your intention is to learn how to work with a CMS. If you do find WordPress too intimidating to start with right away, then I recommend a more light-weight CMS called Perch. That one isn't free, however, but it's a wonderful application. Another great CMS is TextPattern. It's not as complex as WordPress but it's a no-nonsense, clean and lean CMS that might be optimal for you. And it's free.