With so many rumors about Web 2.0 (blogs, social networks, web applications) in recent years, there has been little discussion about content management systems lately. However, choosing the right CMS remains crucial to the success of a website; Now that choice must take into account the changing expectations of users and the changing needs of organizations in the new landscape of the web.
Your choice of CMS can be affected by the concepts of Web 2.0 in many ways. Today we will see three of them:
Access control and approval
Extensibility
Multimedia capability
Access control and approval
While there are many definitions of Web 2.0, one of the key concepts is the change from unidirectional communication to interaction. For organizations, this is closely related to the idea of marketing as a conversation and not as a unidirectional process. From the point of view of CMS, this raises new problems related to accessing your website.
On the one hand, there are opportunities when opening your website to interact with visitors. Given the opportunity, users will often contribute relevant and valuable content free of charge (in some cases, they will even pay to do so). Technical support forums, for example, can significantly reduce your support workload while identifying your organization as open and progressive, and can generate reams of search engine friendly content.
On the other hand, the web can still be a dangerous place, and your brand has real risks by allowing unrestricted access to competitors or malicious third parties, not to mention well-intentioned users but with technical difficulties.
A CMS that is ready for Web 2.0 must provide a secure and detailed access control, and allow an approval process to ensure that its presence on the web does not impair the value of its brand.
Extensibility
If user interaction is a key concept for Web 2.0, so is the interactivity between web applications. A modular and extensible CMS framework will allow you to take advantage of existing web services, unlike a more rigid system that will require substantial custom development to add new features.
A system that includes or seamlessly links to standard business functions, such as a shopping cart system, can also save you money by avoiding the cost of integrating separate software packages.
Multimedia capability
A third key concept behind the new website is a greater diversity of content. Gone are the days when web content was considered as text and images. Video and audio are increasingly important and expected on a website, as are the more advanced image viewing functions and downloadable file management. Your chosen CMS should make it easier for users to add multiple types of content and display media in a clear, striking and flexible way.
The range of visitor management check-in kiosk available can be disconcerting. While some are designed with Web 2.0 concepts in mind, others strive to maintain relevance with hastily added features. Before deciding on a CMS, take time to consider how your choice will affect your organization's opportunities to benefit from the emerging web landscape.