Content Management Solutions... (Full Version)

All Forums >> [Web Development] >> Search Engine Optimization and Web Business



Message

powersitedesign -> Content Management Solutions... (11/9/2004 18:14:48)

I am sure that most of you that have several clients have realized the demand that can be put on your company to do updates for clients in a timely manner. I know that I have and in the last two years or so have been using a content management solution called, Macromedia Contribute. I am sure that most of you are familiar with it. It is nice, but there is an expense involved with licensing the software and you still have to do on site training for each client until they are in their comfort zone with it. Don't get me wrong I still like Contribute for some clients and organizations, but I would like to share w/ you a new cool FrontPage add-in that is on the market.

Content Seed,

I downloaded it just curious about how it is going to work, and believe it or not it looks simple to install and all your clients have to do is to browse to their page, using Internet Explorer, hit Control Y and enter a password / username and then they have an editor come up that is very intuitive. Not to mention it is not just a hokey editor, it is very intuitive and gives the client a lot of control...

To boot, once I downloaded the software I got an email from the guy that developed the software, his name is Chris Leeds and he personally offered to help us out in any way that he could. How many programs / software apps do you run into today that you can get that kind of help?? ha. In a couple of weeks we will be migrating a large percentage of our clients still using Contribute to this solution. I will of course report back and let you all know what kind of results we see with this software. I just felt it was worthy to pass along to the rest of the developer community.

Thanks,
and oh yeah, go preview this solution, Content Seed Demo



jenjo -> RE: Content Management Solutions... (11/10/2004 15:13:08)

Cotton... I noticed this new cms a few days ago too, but haven't had a chance to do the download or try it out. Please update us with your thoughts once you've implemented. I suspect (and hope) this is just the solution I've been looking for.



bnavis -> RE: Content Management Solutions... (11/10/2004 15:48:46)

I'm currently running it in a "development" phase. I will be seeing if I can use it like a template page for clients to update, as well as make new pages based on the template. I am also beginning to develop an opinion of which clients of mine could actually do this, and which ones could not.

I'll keep checking in on thread. As I learn more, I'll share.

Any others have experiences?



Nicole -> RE: Content Management Solutions... (11/10/2004 16:08:59)

Hi Cotton,

I've tried the Demo and like it, haven't downloaded it just yet but it could be very useful for me and also for the one and only client i have at present.

I did their site some time ago and have made some major errors in it but of course they don't realise that. I'm hoping to redo the site someday, but in the meantime i'd possibly like them to use something like ContentSeed.

One major mistake i've made with that site is to use the font "Century Gothic" for some of the site, which isn't a standard font as i've now discovered. ContentSeed only lists about 8 fonts for the user to use and "Century Gothic" isn't one of them.

My question is, if my client updates the part of their site where "Century Gothic" is used, with a font say "Verdana", how will the page look?

Nicole

p.s. It's an extensive site with several hundred pages all created individually (told you i'd made some mistakes lol), all of these pages have the navigation in "Century Gothic", so it's not as if i can go and change each page individually before they start using ContentSeed very easily.



Nicole -> RE: Content Management Solutions... (11/10/2004 16:15:41)

Hi bnavis,

I have a clause in my contract that i'll repair errors made to a site if the client decides they don't want me to maintain it after completion, but i'll do it at an increased charge.

If i let them maintain their own site using ContentSeed or any other program I supply to them for that purpose, i wonder how i'll get around that? Will i forever be correcting their mistakes?

Even some of the most technically minded and professional people make basic mistakes, so i agree with you that you'd have to be very careful just which clients you allow to use this.

Nicole



netstep -> RE: Content Management Solutions... (11/10/2004 18:38:18)

Content Seed rocks, and Chris Leeds is committed to making it even better. I've been using it for a few weeks, and have found it to be very helpful.

It will not "create" pages for you based on a template, but that's the only thing about it I don't like. However, to add a new page, all I need to do is create the blank page, add a title , connect it to the DWT and integrate it into the navigation. Then the client can go to the page and add the content...15 minutes from open to close of the site. I'll be charging a flat fee for adding pages.

I investigated several CMS systems before finding Content Seed. What I like most is that it is easily woven into all my Frontpage sites and will virtually eliminate the routine update hassles I have with more than 70 clients and hundreds of pages. I'm going to build some thorough instructions for my users to minimize the hand holding.



ContentSeed -> RE: Content Management Solutions... (11/10/2004 18:49:09)

quote:

One major mistake i've made with that site is to use the font "Century Gothic" for some of the site, which isn't a standard font as i've now discovered. ContentSeed only lists about 8 fonts for the user to use and "Century Gothic" isn't one of them.

My question is, if my client updates the part of their site where "Century Gothic" is used, with a font say "Verdana", how will the page look?


when you start to use it just contact me. I'm sure i can help you figure out some kind of tactic to deploy it. I can add the font to the drop down list but it's not something all machines will have anyway, therefore if a user doesn't have that font they'll get a default font.
It is possible to embed fonts with the WEFT tool. I only do it on single page type things where i'm certain of the viewer's browsers etc.
here are a few:
academy Engraved
Kristen ITC
This isn't really something that's a good idea on a whole site though.
IMHO the best way for you to approach this is to specify the fonts you would like to be displayed (in descending importance) in your style sheet.

HTH



nonrev1 -> RE: Content Management Solutions... (11/10/2004 19:19:04)

quote:

p.s. It's an extensive site with several hundred pages all created individually (told you i'd made some mistakes lol), all of these pages have the navigation in "Century Gothic", so it's not as if i can go and change each page individually before they start using ContentSeed very easily.


Hi Nicole,

If it's just in the navigation, you may be able to identify the code and use "Find and replace" to replace it all.

Chris



tinaalice -> RE: Content Management Solutions... (11/10/2004 20:23:37)

I'll second that Cotton,

I mentioned Content seed in my ezine
http://anyfrontpage.com/frontpage-ezine.htm#FrontPage_News item 7.

Lockergnome think it's awesome too.
http://channels.lockergnome.com/web/archives/20041029_cms_help_for_frontpage_users.phtml

Chris is one of our newest MVP's and you can see why:) ContentSeed what's more does not just work in FrontPage.

well done Chris.

Tina




bnavis -> RE: Content Management Solutions... (11/10/2004 20:25:19)

Here is an example of how I would like to use Content Seed. I have a client who sells and services cars. They have a small website and average 10-15 vehicle sales per month.

Here is the type of page I'd like them to update:
http://m-rservice.com/vehicles/488.htm

I'd like to place the "seed" in the center so the user can edit the description and photo. The columns on the left and right are includes pages. Will the end user be able to make new page based on previous pages?

I would also have to make the vehicle's index page with a "seed" so the end user just edits it.



ContentSeed -> RE: Content Management Solutions... (11/10/2004 21:19:03)

since it won't make additional pages and you can have only one "seed" per page, it's not so good for this application.
why not use a system for car dealers like i've got here:Lou's Garage



bnavis -> RE: Content Management Solutions... (11/10/2004 23:31:59)

Chris, are there some sites online and live running Content Seed that I could take a look at? I'm interested in seeing how others have integrated it into their design.



powersitedesign -> RE: Content Management Solutions... (11/11/2004 6:23:03)

Hey bnavis, I have a neat solution for small auto dealers also that I would be happy to show you sometime. You can preview these two sites that are running it now.

www.swood.com
Mark Martin Ford Mercury - Batesville, Arkansas

If you like their used car solutions let me know. Also, just FYI, these will be seeded soon !!!!! :-)




ContentSeed -> RE: Content Management Solutions... (11/11/2004 8:31:58)

quote:

Chris, are there some sites online and live running Content Seed that I could take a look at? I'm interested in seeing how others have integrated it into their design.


Here's a couple of demo sites;
typeaway
ClearMoon

shoot me an email to my @contentseed.com account and i'll dig up some that aren't demos but actually production sites. I'll just have to check my stats to see where some good examples are being used.



Nicole -> RE: Content Management Solutions... (1/12/2005 23:56:03)

Hi,

Can you tell me if changes made by clients using Content Seed to websites will affect their compliance with W3C standards and accessibility guidelines, or will I still have to check their site after every time they make a change?

If a site isn't designed with CSS wouldn't the client have to make the text they enter the same size, colour, spacing etc as the original?

For instance, the client decides a particular text would look okay in a different colour with a different background?

Is it also possible for me to limit the options a client has when updating their site (to keep the site design consistent i mean)? e.g. can i turn off certain fonts, colours etc?

Nicole



ContentSeed -> RE: Content Management Solutions... (1/13/2005 9:25:06)

Hi Nicole,
The online editor interface can be rigged to output only xhtml standard code, but it _is_ possible for a client to mess things up if they work at it hard enough.

If a site isn't designed with .css, they would have to set the proper fonts and stuff but you could always put some inline styles around the area of the page they're able to edit. alternatively you can set the default properties of the editor to a certain font and size, etc.

As for turning off certain toolbar buttons, that's very easy. You can give them as many or as few as you like. you can even add buttons such as a spell checker etc.

Which version are you more leaning towards;
ASP Version or the PHP Version?



Teriel9 -> RE: Content Management Solutions... (11/19/2006 7:13:49)

I have recently purchased Contentseed and found it to be as easy to use as it is claimed, furthermore the support I received from Chris Leeds was above and beyond the norm.
It's use allowed me to retain a customer who needed to update thier Car Sales site daily but did not have the knowledge to create thier own site.
I should add that I am aged 76, so if I can use it , anyone can !!



Mango Himself -> RE: Content Management Solutions... (12/1/2006 12:18:01)

Teriel19

hold it right there! What do you mean you're 76..etc? You want my father to feel old? He still does eardrum surgery at 80!

You are a kid! Keep it up!

Contentseed:

I went to your site to purchase a license. I noticed there is one option for $249 and one for around $50. Is it the same application, and if so, what is the difference? Does the least expensive app come with links and ads on it?



ContentSeed -> RE: Content Management Solutions... (12/1/2006 12:23:20)

No links or ads in the cheap one, but it's limited to one single domain (and you get ASP or PHP) with the expensive one you can deploy it as many times as you want, and you get both ASP and PHP.
In either case, don't buy it yet...
I'm working out something for Mac users. ;-)

Chris



Page: [1]

Valid CSS!




Forum Software © ASPPlayground.NET Advanced Edition 2.4.5 ANSI
0.109375