1. 1 Open Source Content Management Systems 1

2. 2 Overview Definitions Background on Open Source Tools Questions 2

3. 3 Definitions Source Code human-readable language dictates how a program will function. To change how a program behaves, one must change its source code. 3

4. 4 Definitions Proprietary Software There is no access to the source code Nobody but that vendor can make changes. Customers place trust in people involved in every aspect of the coding, qa. and distribution process 4

5. 5 Definitions Open Source In general, any application with source code available can be considered "Open Source" Usually downloaded for free No legal reason you can’t charge money for the code or installation 5

6. 6 Definitions Open Source Licensing There can be restrictions on use, to protect developers and end users Some licenses (e.g. GPL ) require that all changes you make to the source code are returned to the code Others permit you to make changes and distribute it as proprietary software 6

7. 7 Open Source Culture A Collaborative Development Process Programmers improve the code and share the changes with the community Changes are based on peer review and decisions are made collaboratively Savvy users can submit fixes along with bug reports 7

8. 8 Open Source Benefits Rapid Deployment of New Features If a tool is 80% useful, improving it is much cheaper than starting fresh. As an application gains supporters and users it grows along with their needs This process can move much faster than proprietary software, which is tied to the budget, market analysis and development resource constraints of one corporation 8

9. 9 Open Source Benefits Vendor Independence Vendors make decisions based on financial factors Licensing fees and policies change Vendors don't always survive 9

10. 10 Open Source Benefits The Flexibility to Adapt Internal Improvements Lack of vendor support is no reason to go without! Added features may just be a few development hours away Alternative Branches If a quorum of users disagrees with the direction of a project, they can take branch it and continue development 10

11. 11 Open Source Benefits Free Support Options Searchable support forums Web-based documentation with public comments Free, local user groups Free mailing lists 11

12. 12 Open Source Benefits Paid Support Options Broad community creates advanced users Competitive marketplace among these users Training opportunities Sustainability: If your vendor goes away, someone else can take over. 12

13. 13 Content Management Definitions Background Tools 13

14. 14 Definitions Content Management Tools for editing pages and other resources on your site Blogs Wikis News items Job postings Event Calendar “And much, much more!” 14

15. 15 Definitions Content Management Tools Desktop Contribute, etc. Online Services Blogger, etc. Hosted on your web server Proprietary (e.g. Sharepoint ) Open Source ( e.g. Drupal, Joomla, etc. ) 15

16. 16 Content Management Background: Static web sites “Back in the day”, you thought you only needed 5 pages of content Hire a webmaster for updates Content management? That sure sounds expensive! 16

17. 17 Content Management “Interactive” websites Then, you needed additional functionality: Shopping cart Donations “Take action” Mailing lists Build a custom application? That sure sounds expensive! 17

18. 18 Content Management Online Services to the Rescue! AKA “Application Service Provider” Monthly service is free, or much cheaper than custom development Add a link to their server and your worries are over! 18

19. 19 Content Management Downsides of Online Services Proprietary Can’t make changes or upgrades Vendor dependence Information is stored in multiple places Often, you can’t get your data out if you decide to change 19

20. 20 Content Management Tools hosted on your server Can be proprietary OR open source Can be upgraded at your leisure 20

21. 21 OSCMS Open Source Usually falls into the “tools hosted on your server” category Because it’s free to download, lots of people use it. Because lots of people use it, it’s growing fast! 21

22. 22 OSCMS Low improvement costs Hiring a consultant or adding a missing feature is: More expensive than 1 month of service Less expensive than ?? months of service Cheaper than data integration problems More rewarding ( time, money ) with tailored results 22

23. 23 OSCMS Growth Open Source Rocks! Extending functionality that others use means free support and features New features and connections you hadn’t even thought of Cheap start-up costs Sustainable long-term costs Oh, and it’s “altruistic’. 23

24. 24 OSCMS Growth And also: Participatory websites Members-only areas Comments User posts “Send to Friend” and other viral marketing Bookmarking User profiles Buddies See also: web 2.0 24

25. Choosing an OSCMS

26. Overview overview CMS definitions Survey of types of CMS application Decision-making considerations & process Resources to help you

27. CMS Definitions: Practical Just what is a content management system, anyway? A content management system, or CMS, is a web application designed to make it easy for non-technical users to add, edit and, well, manage a website.

28. CMS Definitions: Practical Not only do content management systems help website users with content editing, they also take care of a lot of "behind the scenes" work such as: Automatically generate navigation elements Making content searchable and indexable Keeping track of users, their permissions and security settings And much, much more. By Jon Stahl from http://plone.org/about/what-is-a-cms

29. CMS Application Types General Platforms Blogware Wiki Applications

30. General CMS Platform Software designed for wide variety of content and functionality Usually modular Framework for incorporating other applications/services

31. General Platform Examples Drupal: http://www.drupal.orghttp://www.drupal.org Locally: http://groups.drupal.org/twin-citieshttp://groups.drupal.org/twin-cities Joomla: http://www.joomla.orghttp://www.joomla.org Plone: http://www.plone.orghttp://www.plone.org

32. Blogware Designed to be host chronicle or journal site with chronologically arranged content Commonly has a central single focus (like an issue or a person) and/or single source (like a person or an organization)

33. Blogware examples Wordpress: http://www.wordpress.org Movable Type: http://www.movabletype.org/

34. Wiki applications Primary characteristic: group editing capability, revisions, transparency Collections of content (like Wikipedia) meant for use for reference and as resource to be collaboratively edited, maintained

35. Wiki application example Mediawiki: http://www.mediawiki.org

36. Choosing: Planning Put together representative team Define your audience(s) Map your site needs with audiences in mind Get help

37. Choosing: Evaluating Options Solicit feedback from respected and similar orgs Review online literature and sites Find local users groups (if any) to attend with questions Vet your options both software and vendors Don’t Forget: Training Support Future development

38. Choosing: Resources Annotated list on del.icio.us (maposcms) http://del.icio.us/bmadore/maposcms General np/oss resource orgs/sites: NOSI (nosi.net) Techsoup (techsoup.org) Idealware (idealware.org) Aspiration (aspiration.net)

39. Resources: Planning Techsoup Learning Center http://www.techsoup.org/learningcenter/webb uilding/index.cfm http://www.techsoup.org/learningcenter/webb uilding/index.cfm

40. Resources: OSCMS Primers NOSI Primer http://www.nosi.net (downloadable PDF) http://www.nosi.net True costs of OSS http://www.idealware.org/articles/true_costs_ software.php (Michelle Murrain) http://www.idealware.org/articles/true_costs_ software.php

41. Resources: Find/Try OSCMS Wikipedia OSCMS category index http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Open_source_c ontent_management_systems http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Open_source_c ontent_management_systems Mashable’s list of 80+ OSCMS http://mashable.com/2007/07/30/content- management-systems/ http://mashable.com/2007/07/30/content- management-systems/ OpenSource CMS demo site http://www.opensourcecms.com/ CMS Matrix comparison site http://www.cmsmatrix.org

42. Resources: Reviews NTEN Vendor Satisfaction Report http://nten.org/research/vendor-satisfaction Techsoup’s Idealware.org reprint of Drupal, Joomla, Plone review http://www.techsoup.org/learningcenter/webbuilding Adobe Newsletter Review of 5 OSCMS Apps http://www.adobe.com/newsletters/edge/april2008/ar ticles/article4/index.html http://www.adobe.com/newsletters/edge/april2008/ar ticles/article4/index.html Google a question, read site forums

43. 43 Questions?